Three B Churches

One person was intently listening when Jesus gave the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt 28:19-20a). The devil was taking notes. His opposition to Christ's work needed all the intel he could get. His attacks would need to be focused to be effective.

To encumber and neutralize the church's discipleship, Satan has hatched a strategy to thrust our churches into crisis. We've reaped the fruit of decades of listening to two of his views of the church. You don't have to look hard to see them in our city. The question is, is one of them your view of the church?

Buzz Church

Satan's first lie is a form of church I'll call the Buzz Church. When people talk about church, whether it's the one made up in their mind or the one they're constantly searching for, they think of the place where there's momentum. It's got a particular feeling, atmosphere. Buzz. This place is "Spirit-filled" but they don't mean the kind of place Paul writes about in Ephesians 5: filled with doctrinal music, thankfulness, and submission. No, this church clicks because it has some sort of attraction. It looks alive. It's got my kind of music, my kind of people, a full parking lot, new shade sails. But is the attraction Christ, prayer, service, labor, love? And the disciples of this movement (and there's no better word for it) are transient. They are wanderers, movers. When the Buzz departs, the Shekinah must be elsewhere, so off they go in pursuit. Buzz. Easy come. Easy go.

Buffet Church

The next ploy of our enemy is an appeal to appetite: the Buffet Church. People come to this church hungry with expectations. They always have higher expectations of others, especially paid staff, than they have for themselves. They are looking for a smorgasbord of ministries to suit their desires. Their idea of a healthy church has all the fully functioning, fully staffed ministries that they're looking for so they can come to consume, and only begrudgingly, if ever, to serve. The more put-together everything is and the better the options, the more likely they are to stay. They're easily offended and quick to complain if the service isn't top notch. Another variety of this is the Sampler, someone who takes a bit of ministry from this church, a portion from that, and a wee bit over there. These churchgoers do not intend to serve but to consume. They take no satisfaction showing up to a place that desperately needs help, labor, service, love. There must be disfunction in the management. They really need to get their act together!  So the consumer takes his checklist and keeps shopping around town.

Biblical Church

Finally, we look at the biblical view of the church (see Acts 2:42-47). It is a community of blood-bought saints from all walks of life whom the Father has rescued with his grace and brought into the family of his Son. They look different and they like different music styles. The Holy Spirit dwells in each one and has sovereignly gifted each to serve the church. Each member is essential and committed to the shared task of making disciples in the local church. These churchmen cultivate submissive hearts to Christ-like leaders and are devoted to the apostles' doctrine. Where the church limps, the leg does not look on idly but helps the body walk out her calling, eager to serve. This church embraces her call to prayer, her accountability to one another, her care for each one. Joyful service replaces complaints. This church rolls up its sleeves in loving labor and toil. When the sheen of glow seems dim, her love is all the atmosphere needed. And Christ is always her greatest attraction. 

Thankfully Christ's promise is greater than Satan's opposition to the church's mission of making disciples: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt 16:18b). It's our calling to be the church Christ is building. "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).