What Should I Avoid When It Comes to Church?

Righting the Wrong

With this being the last week of the month and the conclusion of our current study of the Church, I want to close by encouraging all Christians to be members of a local body of believers. We hit on this exact point last week when we talked about what we should all be looking for in a church and we will continue that theme with our final post of the month by looking at the opposite. What should we avoid when it comes to church? Interestingly enough, the answers to this question come from the same books in the Bible that answer what we should look for in a church as well. Paul’s letters to the churches in the New Testament not only instruct churches on what to do right, but they also correct a lot of what the church is doing wrong. In fact, to a plethora of the churches he sends letters to, Paul does so to fix a pre-existing issue that already must be addressed. Since it would probably take a whole nother month to go through each book specifically and list out all of the issues, I want to narrow down one of the most addressed problems in scripture. Not only is this one of the most addressed problems by Paul himself, but it’s also what I would say is the biggest issue in the Church today as well. 

Scripture Says

This matter is brought to light by Paul in his second letter to Timothy. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” What’s very ironic about this passage is that if we take what the church should be according to Acts 2 and do the exact opposite of what it says, we will come to an outcome that looks very similar to what Paul says to avoid in 2 Timothy 4. Instead of dedicating ourselves to biblical teaching, we will not tolerate sound doctrine. Instead of fellowshipping with one another, we will only be around people who tell us what we want to hear. Instead of praying and taking communion to remind us of the truth of the gospel, we will turn our ears away from the truth and rather lean towards myths. This is the exact opposite of what the church should be, and yet, Paul warns of this time coming. And dare I say, it’s here. The Gospel Coalition looked into this exact topic and let me warn you, for a Bible-believing Christian, this is an incredibly sad result.

Here’s what they found: ‘A survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University finds that American adults today increasingly adopt a “salvation-can-be-earned” perspective. A plurality of adults (48 percent) believe that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things during their life, they will “earn” a place in heaven. Only one-third of adults (35 percent) disagree.’ Friends, if you can come to the conclusion that your good works are a reason that you will inherit eternal life one day, you don’t know the gospel. The Bible is unmistakably clear that the reason anyone can achieve salvation is because of Christ alone (Romans 5:1-2). So how does one end up with this incredibly twisted viewpoint? Could it be that instead of seeking a teacher of the scriptures we have instead sought after teachers who are in accordance with our own desires? Instead of finding sound, biblical doctrine we have found only motivational speakers that may tickle our ears? I sadly believe this is all too often the case with many churches in this culture. How do we avoid this then? If this is the mindset of about half of all Christians today, how do we correct this and make sure many more don’t end up on this road or one like it? 

Avoiding the Issue

The answer to this question is actually what Paul tells Timothy right before verse 3 in chapter 4. 2 Timothy 4:1-2 states, “1 I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.” If we are to truly find and be a part of a sound, biblical church, we must know our Bibles. If we only look to scripture when a pastor tells us to on a Sunday morning, we will be much more gullible to follow and believe anything we are told. I would strongly encourage anyone who goes to a church to bring their Bibles with them. You don’t have to be a 5-star scholar to read the Bible and understand it. Suppose you don’t understand or disagree with something that the pastor taught or preached on a Sunday morning, even if he was correct, what’s the worst thing that could happen if you confronted him about it? Worst-case scenario, at least one of you is walking away learning something and your relationship with your head pastor is stronger than it was before. That’s not a bad trade. I’m sure a majority of pastors would love to hear a member of their congregation ask them about the Bible because it’s what they’re gifted at doing! 

What now?

If you ever find yourself in this position or even if you’re in this position currently with your church right now, I would encourage you to look through scripture to see if your disconnect with the church is justified, and if so, take your concerns to the pastor. No matter the size of your church or the status of your pastor, no one is above the Bible. At the end of the day, it can’t be stressed enough, the most monumental trait we must avoid in a church is the trait that prioritizes a person’s feelings over the truth of God’s Word. And the only way we can make sure we don’t fall into this trap is if we know God’s Word ourselves. We must strive to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 “11 Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”

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Sources

[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023. 

[2] Carter, Joe, et al. “Survey: Majority of American Christians Don’t Believe the Gospel.” The Gospel Coalition, 9 Aug. 2020, www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/survey-a-majority-of-american-christians-dont-believe-the-gospel/.