WHAT DOES A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH LOOK LIKE?
By Owen Carey and Eric Hanson
Within Christian circles, many people have some idea of what a New Testament Church is. There is a widespread problem, however, of incomplete understanding of this. We tend to not see the whole picture that is laid out for us in the Bible. This paper is a tool, for the purpose of helping us to envision the fullness of what is meant by the term New Testament Church.
The vision of Hosanna Church is as follows: “To build a genuine New Testament Church, which is both a family and an army”. What does this mean? In order to answer that question, this paper presents the notable characteristics of a healthy, balanced, biblically normal Church. They are not presented in a particular order of importance. Indeed, they are all important. They are also life giving, liberating concepts, which empower people to walk away from sinful patterns of life, and become more and more like Jesus.
One Caveat: Learning accurate New Testament Church theory will not, by itself, cause us to live together in (agape) love. It will not cause us to share that love with the World around us. Nothing except for “doing the will of the Lord from a pure heart”, will produce this Christlike way of living in us. This paper, therefore, is more about doing than mere knowing. Let’s follow Jesus. (James 1:22-25)
1. Jesus Christ is the Church’s Foundation.
Jesus Christ himself, and loving devotion to Him, is the only proper foundation for the Church. Jesus explained that the wise man who builds his house upon the rock is the man who hears the teachings of Jesus and obeys them. (Luke 6:47-8) Over the long run, obedience to the Lord can only flow from loving Him. We love Him because he first loved us. (I John 4:19) He drew us to himself, by being lifted up on the Cross to die for our sins. (John 12:32) This is how He loved us first.
Some new churches start out with a big bang! There is immediate growth, but soon they begin to flounder. Apathy or complacency sets in. and then, all too often, there is a split. There is a lack of clear and godly shared vision. The once pure waters of the Holy Spirit’s flow become muddy. Progress eventually grinds to a halt, and some churches, only a few years old, even disband.
Why would this happen? In John 15, Jesus said that he desired fruit, but not just any old fruit; rather, “fruit that remains”. What prevents this from happening in many cases? It usually comes down to a foundation problem. What was the main emphasis of the group? If you discussed the church with its members, back when things were hot, what was their conversation centered on? Here are some of the usual topics.
• A gifted leader, locally or nationally
• A reaction against some other church
• Some secondary doctrine, (other than Salvation) emphasized to the point of becoming a litmus test
• Fighting the Devil emphasized more than drawing close to the Lord
Some questions also arise about how the church was planted.
• Was it the result of a church split, rather than a church planting team sent out in a healthy, Acts 13 way?
• Was there wise apostolic and prophetic oversight of the church planting process?
• Was there humility in the whole process, or was there an attitude of superiority over other believers in Jesus Christ?
The only proper foundation is Jesus Christ himself, and a simple and pure devotion to Him. Paul was clear about this. (See I Corinthians 3:10-11.) Jesus said I will build MY Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) He also said that anyone who does not do His will, is like a foolish man who built a house on sand rather than rock. (Matthew 7:24-27).
What does it mean to be devoted to Jesus? It means to be “constantly diligent to”, to be “loyal”, to be “faithful” to following Him. Devotion is the key here. Otherwise, as you learn much, you can become puffed up and leave your first love, (Revelation 2:1-7) substituting religious pride or pet doctrines. It’s simple actually. The question for each of us then, is this. Are we centering our hopes and church life around Jesus the Christ and His Kingdom?
The centrality of Jesus Christ is the overriding characteristic of any genuine New Testament Church. He alone is Lord. He is the Head of the church. It is Jesus Christ whom we look to as Lord, Savior, and sender of the Holy Spirit. He is also the one who will one day return to planet Earth in glory and power as King of kings and Lord of lords.
2. It is a Holy Spirit Filled Church.
In Acts 1:8, all of chapter 2, 4:31, 8:5-17, and 19:1-7 we see the essential nature of becoming filled with the Holy Spirit and staying that way. He is the Power Source. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be continually full of the Holy Spirit.
He gives us heightened sensitivity to be aware of pitfalls to avoid. He works through us to work miracles, bring healings, etc. He applies the Word of God to our lives and forms Christlike character in us. Only the Holy Spirit can do all of these things.
We can not be a genuine New Testament church unless many of us are filled with the Holy Spirit ongoingly. Nothing; not education, religious activity, rule keeping, or any other human activity is a legitimate substitute for the dynamic power and presence of the Holy Spirit working in and through us.
3. It is Committed to the Apostles’ Teaching (Acts 2:42)
This is a two part commitment. One part is that which is proclaimed to the World, from God’s Word. (reaching out to convert people) The other is that which is taught to believers from God’s Word. (reaching in to equip believers) Let’s look a little more closely at this.
1. The Kerygma (gr. –heart of the matter) is the proclamation to the World of the following essentials:
-Jesus Christ was God the Word in eternity past.
-He became a true, but sinless man, through the miracle of virgin birth.
-He lived a sinless life, fulfilling the Law of God.
-He performed miracles of such magnitude that they proved He is the Messiah.
-He died for the sin of the World, becoming the blood sacrifice to take away sin.
-He rose from the dead on the Third day.
-He ascended to Heaven after 40 days, and was seated at the Father’s right hand.
-He gives eternal life to all who come to him in faith and trust, to all who receive Him as Lord and Savior.
-He sent the Holy Spirit to live in believers.
-He will return (literally, bodily) in power and glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords.
This Kerygma is the series of truths which transformed Jesus’ cowering disciples into bold and flaming witnesses, after Jesus’ resurrection. Thus, the resurrection of Jesus Christ became the basic apostolic appeal to the World. Jesus Christ was truly dead, but is genuinely alive forever!
2. The Didache (gr. –the teaching) is the teaching of the Bible that gets new believers established and growing in the Faith. This teaching, taken straight from the epistles, focuses on the following things: a loving relationship with God as Father, also guidelines for husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees, and the Church family. The Didache is centered on mercy, forgiveness, godly discipline, and kindness. It teaches us how to live lives pleasing to God.
The first century believers were a taught people. When new churches were founded, apostles would teach the things of God in depth, with multiple teachings per week, for quite some time, up to three years. Over the course of that time, prophets & teachers would also emerge to help equip these believers in depth. As teaching (Didache) came in, and proclamation (Kerygma) flowed out, the waters of the Holy Spirit remained fresh and effective, like a river flowing freely.
4. It is Devoted to Fellowship and Truly Welcoming of People
of Diverse Backgrounds, Ethnicity, and Social Strata
True fellowship is sharing our lives together. This is where believers practice their faith, using the relational gifts God gives us, in order to build each other up. Genuine Holy Spirit fellowship is not based simply on people’s comfort level with personality types. It is a supernatural gracing that includes everyone, rich or poor, highly educated or not, people of all races; and which draws even the widow and the fatherless into the church family. Anyone from anyplace is welcome to believe and to follow the Savior. All can receive God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life, becoming then part of the family.
It is important that our fellowship not become inwardly focused to the point that newcomers are no longer genuinely welcomed into our small groups. It is also important that fellowship be filled with the Lord’s presence, and that we encourage each other in the Faith. (Romans 12:9-13, Hebrews 10:24-5)
Fellowship grows and thrives within small groups such as Home Fellowships. It is also important that the task oriented teams within the church family, experience real fellowship as we meet together. This applies whether we are the trustees, youth leaders, worship team members, or whatever. Our working teams are to love the Lord and one another first of all, then move ahead in ministry tasks.
This is different from the professionalism of corporate boards. Excellence in ministry needs to flow from the great commandment, which tells us to love the Lord first, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-40)
5. It is Devoted to the Breaking of Bread
There are two dimensions to this. The first is to be sure to take the time and effort to regularly partake of the Lord’s Supper and renew our communion with Him as we eat the bread and drink the wine “in remembrance of Him”. (I Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-30) In this way we are reminded that the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ were given for us, for the forgiveness of our sin. This act needs to be more than a tradition. It is a moment for searching one’s heart and for renewing of devotion to the Lord.
The second dimension of being devoted to breaking of bread is described in Acts 2, where the believers ate meals together “with gladness” from house to house. The sharing of meals is a real family thing to do. It is a powerful bonding agent. However, it is important that this not become cliquish. We all have people whom we enjoy being around more than we do some others. We need to “stretch in love” to also include some of these “other people” in the sharing of some of our meals. Many barriers can fall around the grill and the table, and positive things can also be strengthened.
6. It is Devoted to Prayer.
In Acts 2 we learn that the first church was devoted to prayer. Paul instructs believers to pray about everything. We are even told in I Thessalonians 5 to “pray without ceasing”. Jesus, though without sin, would get away to pray for hours at a time. James admonishes us to confess our faults to each other and pray for each other, in order to be healed. (James 5:16) He also counsels each individual to pray if he or she is in trouble.
From the Gospels and Acts we understand that Jesus was devoted to prayer and taught the disciples to also be so devoted. The apostles’ ministry was constantly bathed in prayer. In the New Testament, prayer is like breathing. It’s just always there.
From all of this, we can see the high importance of
1. personal prayer alone with God,
2. anytime prayer for other people and their needs, and
3. corporate prayer over such things as cities and nations.
These all enhance the health of any church and of the individuals who make up that church. Every maturing believer should be a part of all 3 types of prayer ministry.
7. It is a Giving and Caring Church.
The First Century Church was known for the way its people cared for each other’s needs, both spiritually and in practical terms. With the shared life that they enjoyed, caring for the needs of the widow, the orphan, or the elderly was an expected outworking of the Faith. Acts 2:44 and 4:34 records the reality that the very first Church group was like this. Thus it came to be that “There was not a needy person among them.” Years later, James, the Lord’s half-brother, wrote about the importance of caring for people’s legitimate temporal needs. He went so far as to ask the question, “How does the love of God dwell in such a man?” when speaking of a man who sends the hungry away still hungry. A genuine New Testament Church will care about such things in our community. The love of Jesus in each of us who are vitally connected to Him, reaches out in compassion to hurting people across the street and across the World.
8. It is a Church that Guards Against Division
Ephesians 4:3 tells us to be “diligent to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” People who are truly committed to living as the Lord desires, are willing to make the sacrifices and take the risks involved in working out our differences and bringing the peace of God into our relationships and our church life. Phillippians 2:2 urges believers to “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, being united in spirit…” Acts 4:32 reports “and those who believed were of one heart and soul…”
The continuing process of guarding the God given state of unity in Jesus Christ and in the home is not possible for the flesh (the natural man) to accomplish and maintain. The flesh can fake it for a while, but when offense comes, the flesh will resent it, and then oppose people, or passively resist by withdrawal. Some people will tend to follow persons (I Corinthians 1 and 3) more than they commit to being a healthy contributor in the Body of Christ. These tendencies work against unity.
The Spirit of God in us does the opposite of these fleshly traits. He seeks to bring reconciliation and heart unity in marriages, homes, the local church, and the Citywide Church. He will always lead us to do as Paul did, which is to “die daily” to self, by “reckoning self dead” through the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. (Galatians 2:20) This is serious business folks, and it is not possible to do in our own strength, but genuine New Testament believers in Jesus Christ rely on His righteousness and strength, rather than our own.
It is also important that the beliefs of the church be made perfectly clear to newcomers. This is to assure that believers who have moved into the area, or searched out a church that “feels” right, don’t come in and simply assume that they are in agreement with the church’s teachings, without really knowing. When the beliefs of the church are shared fully with those seeking to be a part of the church family, it guards against future surprises which can cause (and have caused) conflict, sorrow, and discouragement. Everything must be clear and nothing hidden. This is part of “do all things decently and in order.” It helps promote unity and peace in the church family.
Beware of:
• receiving personal offense rather than seeking peace,
• the desire for personal power, people coming in or rising up to draw others away after themselves,
• divisive teachings coming in,
• anything that promotes spiritual elitism and separating from the mass of believers,
• unforgiveness and its resentments,
• pride expressed through having to “be right”,
• exaltation of persons. (elevation of certain preachers, prophets, etc)
9. It is Given to both Large and Small group meetings
From the beginning in Acts 2, the Church pattern includes both large group celebration and teaching, and small group intimacy and accountability. Either one without the other is an incomplete church life. Small groups should be welcomed into homes, and ideally should meet from house to house, although some homes really cannot hold a meeting of say 12 people, but many homes can easily! Romans 12:13 instructs believers to be given to practicing hospitality. Acts 2:46 records the house to house aspect of church life, as well as the large gathering in the Temple courts. Both large and small group gatherings of the Church are described throughout the rest of the New Testament.
10. There is Joy, because the People are doing God’s Will,
Therefore the Joy of the Lord is in them.
If the people of any church family have become self willed rather than centered in on the Lord and his Kingdom, discontent and every type of negative thinking and emotions comes up. If, on the other hand, the people are walking in the principle Paul enunciated when he wrote “For me to live is Christ”, then supernatural joy takes over because the presence of the Lord himself is so strong in the people. The good things described in Acts 2:46-47 are reflective of Jesus Christ being exalted in each life, and directing the people by His Holy Spirit. (Please look these up.) NOTE: No matter how Biblically correct any church’s teaching and structure may be, it is not a New Testament Church without Jesus Christ being on the throne of the people’s lives, directing them.
11. It is a church of Praise Toward God
Acts 2:47: …praising God…, Romans 15:11: “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and sing praises to Him all you people”. Praise is giving to God. It is the response of a grateful people to our loving God. The true praise of God creates a seedbed for the sovereign activity of the Holy Spirit among us, because “God inhabits the praises of His people”. (Psalm 22:3) When we are gathered together, singing to or about God, in large or small groups, or in personal worship times, it is a holy activity in the presence of God. This is a time to give our attention entirely to Him.
Praise to God can also be spoken, apart from songs. In our prayer life, remembering the wonderful attributes and actions of God, and then speaking his praises forth is highly important. This creates a similar dynamic to that which exists when close friends or a betrothed couple build each other up with praise and encouragement. It draws us together with God in deeper ways, and opens new pathways of connecting with Him. God is deserving of such adoration. Not only is this made perfectly clear in the Psalms and other places in the Old Testament, but we New Testament era believers know that God, through Jesus Christ, is the one who purchased us back from the slave fields of sin and death. This loving and great God responds to our loving praise with nothing less than His very presence. Wow!
12. It has favor in the eyes of ordinary people
Acts 2:47: …”praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people”. The same favor that Jesus always enjoyed with regular everyday people, should also be evident toward His Church. Having favor does not imply that we should be a bunch of “men pleasers”, doing and saying whatever is “popular”. Rather, this favor means that our lives should be attractive to people because they can sense the Lord’s presence in us, as we become like Him. When the community knows that you are honorable in all your dealings with others, and that you have regard for the poor, etc, they notice this in you! They can sense humility and thankfulness toward God. It comes across very differently than if you consider yourself superior to them. This active love of God in believers draws people toward the one who empowers us to be this way.
God calls us to exemplify holy living and personal integrity in this crooked World. I Peter 2:11-12 says, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” It is not enough to simply abstain from evil. God calls us to engage in good deeds springing forth from pure motives. (Titus 2:7-8) The people need to see that this thing is real in us. Then they will be attracted.
13. It is a soul winning church
Acts 2:47: “And the Lord was adding to their number, day by day, those who were being saved.” Proverbs 11:30 says “He who wins souls is wise”. We are a family, but this family can grow only by invitation and adoption. That is the way all of us got in. We are called to always be sharing Jesus Christ with others in winsome and effective ways. (Acts 4:33) It was Jesus who said that the fields (of people) are “white for harvest”. It was he who stressed the importance of sending “laborers” into those fields to harvest people’s souls. It was he who told the parable of the wedding banquet, not yet full. (Matthew 22) Our Lord is highly focused on “winning souls” and on making these new believers into true disciples. Being focused on seeing this happen among us, is a major part of what it means to be a New Testament Church.
14. It is a continually thankful Church
If believers understand the reality that God extends to us both mercy (withholding the punishment our sins deserved) and grace (the forgiveness, favor, and holy empowerment we don’t deserve and can’t earn) to us, and that He continues to offer these, those believers will be thankful to God day by day. The secret to Paul and Silas being thankful toward God, and able to sing His praises, even while they were unjustly imprisoned, was this very kind of thinking. They were focused on God, His Love toward us, and His Kingdom. This is the focus, the reality check point, of genuine New Testament believers. This is a major characteristic of the New Testament Church.
15. Has Biblically Correct Pastoral Governance by Local Elders
All local churches in the Bible, once they were well established and coming into some maturity, 2 to 3 years after their founding, came to the place of having church government put into place. In each case, the founding apostles set several men into the office of elder. The apostles did not do this randomly, but as the Lord prophetically made clear who the men of His choosing for this office and task were for the Church in that city.
I Peter 5: 1-4 and other places make it clear that the task of elders is to “Shepherd (pastor) the flock, over which the Lord has made you overseers.” Any Biblically functioning group of local church elders is to be collegial in nature. They are all to be submissive toward one another, and together be submissive toward the Lord. The only place in the New Testament where the term “chief shepherd” (senior pastor) occurs is here in 1 Peter 5, and it occurs in reference to the Lord. He is to be the “senior pastor” of each local church and of the Church as a whole.
The elders who pastor any church together are to be local men who are well known by the church family. Their reputation must be according to I Timothy chapter 3 guidelines, or they do not qualify to be “overseers of God’s Flock.”
The Bible does not teach several alternate models of mature church government. God only established this one. (Titus 1:5-9, Acts 20:17, I Peter 5:1-4, I Timothy 3:1-7, Philippians 1:1, etc)
Once the initial group of elders has been set in place, over time, as years and generations go by, God raises up more tested and trustworthy servant/leaders, which the existing elders train, and then set into eldership together with them. This should be done with consultation taking place with visiting known apostles and prophets. There is safety, continuity, and a rich mix of gifts in this form of church government; the Biblical form of church government.
16. Is a Reproducing Church
In Acts 1:8, Jesus told his followers to start in Jerusalem, but also to reach out with the Gospel in all of Judea. He admonished them to not avoid Samaria, which was hated by many Jews, but to share the Gospel in love there too! Jesus didn’t stop there, but also told them to never stop until every people group (nation) on Earth is reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
For each believer today, this dynamic set of marching orders is still to be in place. We are to share the Gospel with our household and with other individuals. We are to actively seek to “grow” our Home Fellowship group, leading to the multiplication of groups. We are to target our whole town or city, surrounding towns and cities, and the entire region through various means.
Don’t be discouraged by the size of the task. Remember “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) It is the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit which gives us the grace to share the Gospel effectively. In addition to this personal commitment to sharing Christ with others, there is another level to engage in.
The local church as a whole needs to commit to “planting daughter churches” where they are needed. Acts chapters 13 and 14 show us the beautiful dynamic of sending out an apostolically gifted team to start new churches. This process must be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He desires to do this! He wishes to do this through each local church. The “Antioch” church planting process is our model. Read Acts 13 and 14 carefully to see this life giving process in action.
God does not “split” existing Gospel Preaching churches as a way to start new churches in that same town or immediate region. It is sin that does this. Such things weaken the work of the Lord in a community rather than strengthening it. Many people are damaged by church splits. Weaker believers often fall away from the Faith completely when such things go on. The witness of the church in that city is also weakened before the eyes of a needy watching World. God’s plan is “multiplication” not “splitting”.
The end result of God’s plan of multiplication will be the complete fulfillment of Acts 1:8 and of the prophecy in Matthew 24:14, that this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole World and to every tribe and nation, and then the end (of this age) shall come.
We are truly blessed to be called into partnership with God in this great matter of planting new churches through multiplication growth of His Kingdom, as many men and women, boys and girls become born again through faith in Jesus Christ, and then grow to be real followers (disciples) of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Parting Thoughts
There are other aspects of Church Life not covered in this paper. Its purpose is to focus us on those things the New Testament shows us to be major themes of healthy Church Life. Let’s move ahead in the Lord’s strength now and be “doers of the word and not hearers only”. (James 1:22) May God bless you and empower you as one of His choice ambassadors from the Kingdom of Heaven to the people of planet Earth.
Hosanna Church (a Place for You)
Becoming a Genuine New Testament Church by God’s Grace
109 Schoolhouse Road
Oxford, Maine 04270
207-539-2295
