Church Essentials
The church has departed from its original simplicity and beauty, and it is essential to return to the New Testament pattern.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the simplicity and beauty of the church as envisioned by Christ and depicted in the New Testament, contrasting it with the complex and unsymmetrical nature of modern churches. He argues that if an angel were to search for the true church today, it might struggle to recognize it amidst the current religious landscape. Tozer defines the church as a gathering of regenerate believers, called out from the world to worship Christ, embodying a moral contradiction to societal norms. This community is tasked with sharing the gospel and nurturing one another through worship, teaching, and the exercise of spiritual gifts.
Text
The Church as announced by Christ, seen in the book of Acts and explained by Paul is a thing of great simplicity and rare beauty.
The church as we see it today is unsymmetrical, highly complex and anything but beautiful. Indeed I think that if some angel of God were made familiar with the church as it appears in the New Testament and then sent to the earth to try to locate it, it would be extremely doubtful whether the heavenly messenger would recognize anything now existing in the field of religion as the church he was looking for. So far have we departed from the pattern shown us in the mount.
The church as the New Testament pictures it is any company of regenerate believers met in the name of Jesus Christ. Such a company is called out from the world and gathered to Christ as a flock of sheep is gathered to the shepherd. The members of this company constitute a despised minority group standing in bold moral contradiction to the world. Their witness is Christ: His person, work, office and present position at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens. They carry His gospel to the world and plead ''Be ye reconciled to God,'' then they return to their own company to worship, pray, teach and listen to the Word of the Lord as it is expounded by men of God. They also exhort, testify and exercise for the good of all such spiritual gifts as each one may possess from the Spirit.
Sermon Outline
- The Church as Announced by Christ
- The Church as We See It Today
- The Church in the New Testament
- A Simple and Beautiful Institution
- The Church in the New Testament
- Unsymmetrical and Complex
- Departure from the New Testament Pattern
- A Company of Regenerate Believers
- Gathered to Christ
- A Despised Minority Group
Key Quotes
“So far have we departed from the pattern shown us in the mount.” — A.W. Tozer
“The church as the New Testament pictures it is any company of regenerate believers met in the name of Jesus Christ.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must return to the simplicity and beauty of the New Testament church.
- The church's primary witness is Christ, and we must prioritize His message.
- The church's role in the world is to carry the gospel and plead for people to be reconciled to God.