So You Are Looking for a Perfect Church!

Someone wrote: “Quit griping about your church; if it were perfect, you couldn’t be a member”. Another of final authority has written: “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8). Perfection is not found in humanity – only in Christ!

In your pursuit, do not look for a church like those described in Revelation, chapters two and three. Ephesus had left her first love and needed to repent. Pergamum had some false teachers, others ate things offered to idols, still others were immoral and needed to repent. Thyatira tolerated immorality, ate things offered to idols and needed to repent. Sardis had the name of being spiritually alive, but was dead and needed to repent. Laodicea was lukewarm, claimed to be wealthy – needing nothing, but was spiritually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked and needed to repent. Then, the church at Corinth was in the strictest sense, a hospital for sinners, and it took two letters (about 8,000 words) of corrective instruction for them.

Beyond doubt, these were not model churches, and were in immediate need of purging the evil from within. The desire of Christ is: “That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27). All congregations have problems and need to purge the evil from within. Jesus will do the final purging at His coming (Matt. 13:41) and deliver the perfect Church to the Father (I Cor. 15:24).

In the meantime, do some deep digging into your aspirations for perfection. If you are still looking for a perfect church, settle on one that is “pressing on toward perfection” (Heb. 6:1). The nearest to a perfect church on earth, assuming it is Scriptural in origin, doctrine and practice, is one where everyone praises the Lord, everyone loves and praises each other, everybody is somebody, everybody is keeping the unity of the spirit, everybody is actively promoting outreach, sound doctrine is taught and preached, the property is paid for and everybody (along with Paul) is debtor to the lost (Rom. 1:14-16).

If you can find that one – GET IN IT! Size is secondary, but it helps.

Now, you take it from there!

Two Hands!

Quintillian, a Roman rhetorician who lived in the first century, A. D., had much to say about hands: “Other body parts assist the speaker but hands speak themselves. By them we ask, promise, invoke, dismiss, threaten, entreat, deprecate. By them we express fear, joy grief, our doubts, assent or penitence; we show moderation or profusion, and mark number and time”.

Hands! What marvelous accessories out there at the ends of our arms. Bones, arranged with joints, tendons, muscle, tissue, nerves, a network of vascular pipelines and appendages with nails so we may scratch. All of these, and more, covered with skin and enhanced with perfect coordination.

Hands! And what do we do with these marvelous inherent parts of human anatomy? Well, we wash them clean, anoint them with lotion, manicure the nails, ring the fingers, adorn our clothing, tie our shoes, eat our food, operate remote controls and cell phones, and hundreds of other things to serve ourselves – God intended that we use them this way, so keep on using them.

Hands! Two of them, given to each of us, that we may use them to the glory of the Giver. They are given for dual purposes; self-service, and to serve others. Solomon’s description of a worthy woman praises her because she “works with her hands in delight” (Proverbs 31:13). Nestled among other worthy character traits, these are assigned to her hands: “She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her palms grasp the spindle. She extends her hands to the poor and she stretches out her hands to the needy” (verses 19, 20). Then: “Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her” (verse 28). Finally: “Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” (verse 31). Paul extols the virtue of honorable labor with our hands in dual purpose: “Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).

Hands! Look at your two hands. Make a fist – then straighten the fingers. Now, look again to see these marvelous instruments that are gifts to be used honorably, and to God’s glory. At the same time, why not sing some good old favorite hymns – like: “Hand in Hand We Walk Each Day”, or “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand”, and, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord, Lead Me Home”. With this exercise completed, you are ready to adopt the heavenly message for the acceptable earthly work ethic – “Whatever you hand finds to do, verily do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or wisdom in Sheol where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Now, you take it from there!