1. A Christ Centered and Christ focused Church
One of the basic signs of any healthy church is that it is centered on Christ. That is, a Church where everything is done to exalt Christ and bring people to Christ.
It is an error for any Church to be centered on man, spiritual gift, music or any other thing other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first Apostles made this their priority. Apostle Paul even wrote: For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 2 Corinthians 4:5.
Be wary of any place where the name of the Pastor in-charge is heard more than the name of Jesus Christ. Be wary of any place where glory and praise is given more to the Pastor or Prophet in-charge of the congregant during testimony time more than what is given to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is something you should look out for when looking for a spiritually healthy Church.
2. Eternity focused Church
A healthy Church is not after earthly gains, but eternity focused.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15.
A good Church should be preparing people for the life after now. It should not be focused on motivating her congregants to simply possess all they can get here on earth to the detriment of their soul.
What good is it for someone to gain the
whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 8:36 NIV.
This is not a call to make the believers complacent or earthly useless and irrelevant; rather, the motivating factor for our relevant here on earth should be because there is a life after now.
3. Breeding Ground for Saviours and Deliverers
And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S. Obadiah 1:21.
A healthy Church is a place where believers are taught, build, equipped and released as saviours and deliverers into different spheres of life.
In this world, the Church is not an end in itself, rather, it is like a school where believers are trained and released to their different spheres of life where they Lord will want to use them to affect the world.
A healthy Church is not a place where we hid from the world. Rather, it is place where soldiers for Christ are recruited, raised and sent forth to industries, neighborhood, politics, business etc, to represent Jesus Christ. It should be a place where agents of positive change are raised and released to impact their world.
Indeed, like Obadiah 1:21 says, it should be a breeding ground for saviours and deliverers.
That is why our motto in Radiant Saints International Christian Centre is "saving lives, equipping and releasing the Saints to fulfill God's purpose." This I believe is the grand plan of the Master for His Church.
4. It should be the Pillar and Ground of truth
A healthy Church is founded on the scripture, on the very words of the Lord. A healthy Church should be the preserver and propagator of truth. It should be a place where you can find the truth and where the truth is being taught, preached and practiced.
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH.” 1 Timothy 3:15 (emphasis mine)
If nobody or no institution is saying the truth, the Church should be telling people the truth. A genuine Church does not propagate lies, myths or superstition.
The Church should be known for her forthrightness not for mendacity. If a Church cannot call out evil and sin, that Church is not worth going to.
If a Church is afraid of speaking the truth to her congregants because of fear of losing her members, that Church is not worth going to.
5. A Spiritually Powerful Church
And
my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in
the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5.
A healthy Church is not built on intellectual but on the power of the Holy Ghost. Intellectualism in itself is not bad. A healthy Church transcends the intellectual of man. It is built on the power of God and on the wisdom of God which is Christ Jesus.
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24b
A healthy Church should be spiritually sensitive and spiritually powerful, getting her power from the Holy Ghost through her constant fellowship with the Son and the Father. She should be operating in such a power over and against ALL the host of darkness.
Don't set under a Church that is spiritually weak and insensitive. A Church is supposed to be exercising and establishing the victory that Jesus Christ won over the devil.
6. Restoring the earth back to God
A healthy Church busies herself raising sons who are in the business of restoring the different sphere of the earth back to God.
Like you know, there is corruption in the entire spheres of this life, due to man's fall.
The Church and her saints are the lights of the world and the salt of the earth; declaring God's truth and righteousness are our core responsibilities.
Winning territories of politics, media and entertainment, sports, business, etc back to God.
Come to
think of it, of what good is a Church if her members are not representing
Christ when they go out from the Church? What good is a Church if her members
are not affecting the neighborhood they find themselves?
You might want to read: GENUINE CHURCH VERSUS PERFECT CHURCH
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