God was good to us when He gave us a guidebook for the church. Everything we need to know about His church is in His Word. We don’t have to come up with it on our own. We don’t have to vote on it. We don’t have to hope we’re getting it right. All we have to do is open the Bible and follow the pattern.
Consider some fundamental, important aspects that we learn about in the New Testament:
- who is the head of the church
- the organization of the church
- how one becomes a member of the church
- what we are supposed to do in worship
- how we live as members of the church
Every congregation that follows God’s pattern in these areas will look like and be His church. It’s that simple. “We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent.” I’ve heard this saying for years and find it reassuring because using the same divine pattern promotes unity and removes contradiction or confusion.
How do we know if we’re a part of the New Testament church in the sea of today’s church choices? How do we know if the worship we lift up to God is what He really wants? It is wonderful and empowering to know that all we have to do is compare it to what we read in the Bible. Hold it up to the pattern and see if it looks the same!
“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.“
(2 Timothy 1:13)