Assessing the Health of the Church after 2,000 Years (Part Four)

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. Romans 16:17-20

We started part three of this series by saying that true believers, members of the true Church that Jesus Christ is building, have the right to assess the spiritual condition of the modern Church – including their own church and its leaders. I’ve been saying and writing that for decades and stand by it. If you did not read the last part of the series, please do that here. It will give you the background needed to understand the next step.

The Process To Assess

I hope you agree with me that God’s true children have a right to assess the condition of the modern Church. I’ve already written many articles and eBooks about problems in churches, so I’ll try not to be repetitive. The quote at the top of this article is how the Apostle Paul ended his letter to the church in Rome. He told them to do “note” people in the church who caused “divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”

Please don’t miss what Paul was telling Christians in Rome. They were to “note” others in the church. The Greek word for “note” is skopein. It means “to look at carefully, to contemplate, to regard with caution, take heed, beware” and comes from the noun skopos (watchman, a marker aimed at). It’s the idea of assessing a particular situation, person, or persons with a view to whether there might be any danger associated with it or them. Paul was telling Christians in Rome that they had the right and responsibility to assess the condition of their church.

What did Paul want Christians at Rome to “note” about people who attended their church? Those who caused “divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned.” The doctrine (teaching) they had learned would have included the importance of being unified in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote earlier in Romans that even though Christians had different spiritual gifts, they were all members of “one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:4-5). Anyone who caused divisions and offenses in the church would be acting “contrary” to Paul’s teaching.

Okay, but what should Christians do in that situation? Paul told the Romans to “avoid them.” What does “avoid” mean in the Greek? It means “turn away from” (ekklinete). The idea of the word was to “exclude fully.” It comes from two shorter words, ek and klínō – “to bend out from.” To avoid someone is to bend away from them to the point of exclusion.

In some situations, the idea of excluding someone from coming to church is so they will see the error of their ways, repent, seek forgiveness, and return to church fellowship. That was the situation we see in 1 Corinthians 5 and 2 Corinthians 1. In other situations, the idea of excluding someone from coming to church is to protect the church from their false teaching. Whatever the situation may be in your church, do what Jesus Christ commands through His apostles.

Apostolic Assessment

Everything we need to know about how to assess the health, or lack of health, of the Church is in the New Testament. I highly recommend you read all of the Gospels, the Book of Acts, and all the apostolic letters – especially those from the Apostle Paul. Paul gave detailed instructions about assessing the health of individual churches in his many letters. Start with the letter to Titus and the two letters to Timothy, then move on to the rest of the church letters.

Please know that when I use the term “apostolic assessment,” I do not mean the modern version of movements like the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) that claim to be led by modern-day apostles and prophets. I’ve written thousands of words about this group in other articles and eBooks through the years, but I’ll mention just a few things here.

There are no modern-day apostles or prophets. The “apostolic age” ended with the writings of the Apostle John at the end of the 1st century. The Church has been in a “post-apostolic age” since that time. It does not matter to me that millions of people think they are following one of the thousands of pseudo-apostles who are running around the world playing spiritual games – many of which border on being occultic and strictly forbidden by Scripture. These false apostles are to be avoided and excluded at all costs. They are dangerous to your spiritual health. The fact that millions of people in churches are following these false apostles demonstrates the great need for a thorough assessment of the modern Church.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14

Unfortunately, we have the same thing today. There are thousands of men and women who claim to be apostles of Christ – not missionaries who are “sent out” (apostolos – “one sent on a mission,  a messenger) to preach the Gospel – but who are really “false apostles” (pseudapostolos – pretend, false apostles). They “transform” (metaschématizó – change the outward appearance, transfigure, disguise) themselves into “apostles of Christ.” In other words, they are not real apostles of Christ. They are fake apostles who are pretending to be something they aren’t. They disguise their true appearance, just like Satan. Satan masquerades (metaschēmatizetai) as an angel of light, but Jesus said the devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). False apostles do the same thing – they masquerade as apostles of Christ.

How does that happen when Jesus and His true apostles warned us about false apostles, preachers and teachers? Simple. People want to hear something new and different.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

People really do have “itching ears” (knēthomenoi tēn akoēn – scratching, tickling, itching, rubbing, hearing). The idea is that a person’s ability to discern is affected by a desire to hear something different, something new. That’s what we see in the church community today. People want to hear new things. They can no longer “endure sound doctrine” (anexontai hugiainousēs didaskalias – have patience with, bear with, healthy, uncorrupted, instruction, teaching). They want to hear from people who have a new take on spiritual truth. God’s Word is not enough for them. They want to hear from people who claim to hear directly from God. Many of those false apostles claim to visit Heaven and talk with God (even give God advice). Many claim that God visits them – either personally or through angels. Many hold pen and paper in hand and wait for God to speak to them so they can write down “new words” from God – as if God is inspiring new Scripture to them.

The bottom line is that God has taken every step in warning His people about the evil that surrounds them. None of us should be surprised at the condition of the Church or the world. Christians should be on guard against the spiritual influence of false apostles, false prophets, and false teachers. They surround us and are even among us. Their purpose is to exploit God’s people and draw many away from the Truth.

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. Acts 20:28-31

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. 2 Peter 2:1-3

Pastoral Assessment

Assessing spiritual health is not difficult to understand, but it is difficult to do. Church leaders have to be strong in their commitment to Jesus Christ to make a correct assessment. Why? Because God expects church leaders to do something about what they assess. It’s one thing to know that your church is a spiritual mess. It’s quite another to take steps to clean up the mess.

Assessing the spiritual condition of a church as a church leader can be embarrassing and even humiliating. Is it your fault? The fault of the people? As a church leader, especially a pastor-teacher, do an assessment of your preaching and teaching. Keep in mind that people in your church are followers of Christ and followers of your preaching and teaching. As we will see in our assessment of the modern Church, the vast majority of people in churches don’t know a lot about Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, what they do know is often wrong – even heretical.

Why is that? One reason is that only a small number of people who call themselves Christians attend church. Many of those people attend irregularly. For those who do attend, they are often met with a modern version of the “gospel” that doesn’t look or sound like the real Gospel. Another reason is that many people identifying as Christians rarely read the Bible. Those who do usually do it by reading a devotional or other book that often take Scriptures out of context.

The process begins with self-assessment. Pastors and teachers need to assess where they stand in Christ and whether they stand for Christ. The reason I mentioned starting your assessment in the letters to Titus and Timothy is because Paul tells pastors and teachers how to assess themselves.

• a bishop must be blameless
• the husband of one wife
• having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination
• a steward of God
• not self-willed
• not quick-tempered
• not given to wine
• not violent
• not greedy for money, 
• hospitable
• a lover of what is good
• sober-minded
• just
• holy
• self-controlled
• holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict
• temperate
• of good behavior
• able to teach
• gentle
• not quarrelsome
• not covetous
• not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil
• must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil

How did you assess yourself, your pastors, and teachers? Keep in mind that Paul’s list is not optional; it is not up for discussion; and is not to be tossed aside as unimportant. It’s also not a cafeteria list for church leaders. Pastors and teachers don’t get to go through the cafeteria line and select the ones they like and not the others. This is the list. If it’s important enough for the Holy Spirit to inspire the Apostle Paul to deliver a list for pastors and teachers, then it’s important enough for them to obey God.

What about deacons and their wives? Any way for them to assess how they’re doing in their church? As a matter of fact, there is:

Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 3:8-13

It was because of the demands Paul placed on church leaders that those men could assess the spiritual health of their churches. If pastors, teachers, and deacons were not godly men, the churches they led could easily be led astray into ungodliness. That truth continues to be true for today’s church leaders. If they are godly men, they will recognize spiritual danger when it walks in the door and will quickly escort it out. One of the most important jobs of a church leader is to shepherd God’s people. That means protecting them from doctrines of demons that so easily slip into churches and take hold.

Here are a few important reminders about that.

O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. 1 Timothy 6:120-21

Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:22-26

This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. Titus 3:8-11

Notice the “exclusionary” language of Paul to Titus – “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition.” Why? “knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” The Greek word for “reject” is hairetikos and means “factious, causing division, heretical.” There is so much heresy in today’s churches. Pastors and teachers need to admonish (nouthesia– warn) them once, then twice if necessary. After that? paraiteomai – “reject, refuse, decline, shun, avoid.”

Pastors and other church leaders don’t have to wonder about their process in assessing their church’s spiritual condition. They also don’t have to wonder what to do about it.

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. 2 Timothy 2:1-7

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Pastors often feel alone in dealing with tough problems in their church. If you need help, bring other pastors of like mind in to help you. If you’ve trained your deacons or elders well, they should be able to support you. But, you say, getting tough with certain people in my church could lead to people leaving the church or my being fired. So? Do you want to obey God or men? Do you want to do the will of God or the will of men? Paul told Timothy, Titus, and other church leaders to obey God. That’s my recommendation as well.

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eBook

We invite you to download, read, and share a free eBook about assessing the health of the Church. This is taken from the first two chapters of this special series.

Assessing the Health of the Church after 2,000 Years (Part One)

Next Time

What about people in churches who aren’t pastors, teachers, or deacons? What steps can they take to assess spiritual health and affect change in the Church? We’ll look at that in the next part of our series.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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