A healthy church

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

How do you know if your church is healthy?

Is a church healthy because it has a lot of members? Not necessarily. Early in Jesus’ ministry He attracted a lot followers, but as the time neared for His crucifixion, many became dissatisfied with His teachings and left. This prompted Jesus to ask the disciples, "You do not want to leave too, do you?"…Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:67-68).

Is a church healthy because it has a nice facility to worship in? Not necessarily. Early Christians had no church building at all—believers met in private homes and in caves. When asked where people must go to worship, Jesus replied, God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

Is a church healthy because the members put a lot of money into the offering plate? Not necessarily. The Bible warns us repeatedly that riches often draw people away from the church. Jesus said, You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24).

Is a church healthy because the members are leading happy lives? Not necessarily. Jesus says that His followers must share in His suffering. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Mark 8:34).

There are only two ways to determine if a church is healthy. The first is this: is God’s word taught clearly and correctly? Through Moses God said, Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it (Deuteronomy 4:2). We are forbidden to muddy up God’s teaching with our own ideas; likewise, we dare not keep silent about anything God says, even if the words are unpleasant to hear.

The other way to determine if a church is healthy is to look at how the members treat God and each other. David wrote, Better is one day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else (Psalm 84:10). If we love and respect God, we want to spend as much time as possible in His house. And if we love and respect Him, then we should love and respect each other as well. Jesus said, As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).