This study was first taught on November 18, 2018

Topic: Assessing the Churches

(use the audio to study)

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Background
As we began to look at “The State of the Church Today”, we first looked at “What the Church of God Ought to Be”, so that we can them be better able to see if what we now have meet up to the standard of God. In looking at what the church ought to be, we looked at three symbolisms of the church in Revelation 1:9-20—the golden lampstand, the star, and, the One standing in the midst of the golden lampstands.

We saw that the golden lampstand represents the church as tried, tested, purified, pure, local (without branches—not denominational), and a light to its locality. We also saw that the star symbolizes the ‘angel’ or messenger appointed by God to lead the church to Him, as he preaches and teaches the word of God to the church faithfully. And finally, we noted that the One standing in the midst of the golden lampstands is the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the head of the Church, and in the absence of whom, there can be no church! Indeed, we saw that He is the Light that the church must shine forth, otherwise, the church is unhealthy or non-existent.

So, the church of is to be pure, as a result of being tried through the furnace of affliction; is to be local—without branches (not denominational); is to be a light to its locality; is to have a divinely appointed messenger over it, who is directing the church to the Lord Jesus Christ, through the faithful preaching and teaching of the word of God; and the Lord Jesus Christ must be ever present in their midst. This is what the church of God ought to be! Indeed, every individual in the church is to be a light, in Christ, and living holy, else he/she is not a part of the church of God!

Scripture Text(s)
Revelation 1:9-11; 1 Samuel 16:6-11
When the Lord appeared to John, the Elder and apostle, while on exile for life on the island of Patmos, He instructed him (John) to document what He would be shown and send to the seven churches in Asia Minor. With the benefit of hindsight, we know that the first thing John was told, was the state of each of those churches.
When we speak of assessing the churches, we must make it quite clear that the assessor is not a man, but the Lord Jesus Himself (Numbers 23:19a; 1 Samuel 15:24-29; John 14:6; Acts 17:31; John 5:22-30)! From our second scripture text, we see the manner of the Lord’s assessment.
1 Samuel 16:7; Hebrews 4:12-15 (Revelation 1:16—a sharp double-edged sword out of His mouth, which is the word of God); Psalm 139:1-16; 1 Samuel 16:10-11; Acts 1:15-26; 2 Chronicles 16:9a; Romans 3:10-18; Genesis 6:5-8, 11-13; 19:29; Romans 8:32a; Titus 2:11-12; Galatians 2:21; Ephesians 2:4-9; Galatians 5:16-25.

Conclusion
Luke 16:19-26
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a vivid reality of human assessment v. God’s assessment, and the passing of His judgment (2 Corinthians 5:9-11; Romans 14:12). While you and I may hold a church or a man in high esteem; God may in fact consider the church or man an abomination (Proverbs 28:9; Isaiah 1:10-17)!

The assessment of the churches is not going to meet our human criteria for what a church ought to be, rather it will be based on the Lord’s criteria. His criteria are based largely on what we cannot see physically, but on what He sees of the state of the individuals in the church, and the messenger He has appointed over the church, as enunciated in His word. For He looks at the heart, not the outward. And when He is assessing the churches, if He finds none to have met the standard, He will declare that He has found none; He is not under pressure, like men are, to lower the standard in order to find some churches that will meet the mark. Indeed, the few churches that He finds to have met the standard of God, will surprise many of us, as He will choose churches that are not known to us, and indeed, may be in places we are not aware of!

When the Lord is assessing a church, it is not a building He is assessing; but the people who make up the church, including the messenger He appointed over the church. So, how will we fair? Matthew 23:1-38—when the Lord declared woes on the Pharisees and the Scribes, no one believed that they could be found wanting, yet they were clearly off the mark! Let us not be like them (2 Corinthians 10:12; 1 Corinthians 10:12). Let us take advantage of the grace of God, to help us meet the standard of God, which we cannot meet otherwise. Let us not take the grace of God for granted and ignore His help to make us meet the mark (Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 139:23-24)!

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