A Great Church (Part One)

My ministry has taken me into many churches in recent years. Sometimes, as I mingle with the church family, I hear these words: “We have a great church.” I would rather listen to this kind of comment than to be confronted with a negative, complaining spirit. But the word great has caused me to return to the New Testament for a biblical description of a great church. The church was born on the day of Pentecost, and Acts 2 gives us the story in glowing detail. Early in the story of the church, the word great appears. But I found that biblical usage in contrast to the trends of the day. Today, our definition of great encompasses the largest, fastest-growing, and top 100 churches. In Acts 4, we find quite a different profile of a great church.

Great Power

Acts 4 is a stirring story of courage and trust in God’s sovereign power. Because the threat was real, the apostles prayed not for their own safety or for the destruction of their enemies, but for boldness! “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. . . . After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (4:29,31 NIV). Luke adds later in the text: “With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all” (v.33 NKJV).

It’s true that the Twelve took the lead in witnessing, but as we continue to read the story of the early church we discover that a shift took place. The persecution led by Saul caused an exodus from Jerusalem. Who stayed? The apostles (Acts 8:1). Who left? Laypeople (Acts 11:19-21). The church at Antioch, a missionary church, was planted by laypeople.

For a long time, the professional staff of the church were viewed as the “soul winners.” But in the 21st century, the same shift has occurred in the church as in the first century. Christians are now entering their community and workplace with a new vision. God has placed us where we live and work as His witnesses. We can build a bridge of love in Jesus’ name. We can sense the power of the Holy Spirit. The natural fear that might grip us is shattered by boldness from God.

This is the great church. I like these sentences from Vance Havner in his book Repent or Else! “The church came into being by the power of God. Pentecost was the day of the Holy Spirit. A true church operates only by His power, yet it may be possible to build up a very impressive religious organization called a church by some other power. Big buildings may be erected, large memberships gathered, impressive services put on, much money raised, many good things done—all without the Spirit. Some churches would never know the difference if the Holy Spirit went out of business. A scripturally great church is a Spirit-filled church, but we rarely use the term. We boast of organization and efficiency but our efficiency without His sufficiency is only deficiency” (p. 106).

Next time we will consider great grace as part of a great church.