Characteristics of a Gospel Church

"THE CHURCH THAT NEEDS TO MEET AND WORSHIP GOD”

Someone once said, "Quit looking for ‘the church that needs you’ or ‘the church that meets your needs,’ and find ‘the church that needs to meet and worship God.’” This is good advice for the many church samplers, religious vagabonds and spiritual hobos of our day. The raven that Noah sent out did not return because it could live on the dead and rotting things left by the flood. But the dove Noah sent out returned because it could not live on such things. The unregenerate religious person can be satisfied on the offerings of false religion. He seeks the church that has the most to offer" for his children, the most entertaining activities, the most prestige and general acceptance in the community, and the least of those things that interfere with his own plans and goals.

But the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, while it truly meets the needs of the sinner through the gospel, is a body of believers that "needs to meet!" It is a living body whose Head is Christ, not an organization or club; but a family of those who have been born into the family of God by the Holy Spirit. THEY NEED TO MEET AND WORSHIP GOD! They MUST come together to sing the songs of Zion. They NEED to meet and hear God's servant proclaim the gospel of God's grace and glory. They NEED to be instructed, corrected, and encouraged by His word. They NEED to meet to jointly engage in efforts to help others and spread the gospel message. They NEED to meet for fellowship and prayer with their brothers and sisters in Christ. All these needs are met only when they assemble themselves together for the purpose of worshipping and glorifying God.

Gary Shepard

The alienation of the people from hearing the gospel is largely to be accounted for by the sad fact that it is not always the gospel that they hear if they go to places of worship.

Charles Spurgeon