Whose Church Is It?
The goal isn’t to build our platform or make everyone happy. The goal is to faithfully point people to Christ.
When We Become Our Own Standard
Part 4 — Whose Church Is It?
There’s a question every person who leads in the church ought to ask from time to time:
Whose church is this?
It sounds almost too obvious to ask. We know the answer. Jesus said, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18).
His church. Not mine. Not yours.
If that’s true, then the church carries an enormous responsibility. Our calling isn’t to build something that reflects our personality, our preferences or our agenda. We are entrusted with something that belongs to someone else.
That changes the question, doesn’t it?
So, let’s ask, “What does Christ want His church to become?”
Where do the church find the answer to that question?
In His Word.
That’s why Scripture is such a big deal for those who lead. A leader who doesn’t know God’s Word will always be tempted to substitute personal conviction for biblical conviction.
Preferences becomes principles.
Opinions become expectations.
Personal agendas become the church’s agenda.
Eventually, we find ourselves following a leader’s vision rather Christ. That doesn’t mean every church leader who makes a mistake is deliberately putting himself in Christ’s place. Leadership is difficult, and faithful people can make poor decisions. But it does mean we need a standard outside ourselves.
Paul told Timothy to “preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2). Not personality, preference, or whatever message would be most popular.
Preach the Word.
That remains a powerful mandate for anyone entrusted with church leadership. The goal isn’t to build our platform or make everyone happy. The goal is to faithfully point people to Christ.
I once had someone ask me how to know if her boyfriend was right for her. I asked, “Does he lead you closer to God or further from him?”
I would challenge every Christian out there to ask that same question about their pastor and church leaders. Are they leading you closer to God or closer to the world?
Leading people to God is the very first mission of the church. A church that leads you closer to the world than to God is failing in the primary purpose for which it exists.
