When It Comes to NT Church Life: Function Follows Conversion

In the last blog entry on a similar topic on 2-11-08, I emphasized the fact that the form and structure of a local church naturally follows the Scriptural function of that local church. I noted that the necessary functions of a local church are (1) the glorification of the Triune God through the preaching of the gospel and (2) carrying out the 58 one-anothers that are a necessary part of the mutual ministry of NT church life. Thus, if your local church understands and implements the necessary functions of the church as laid out in the NT, then your church will be structured in such a way that it fulfills those functions. I also noted that this can happen in many different places such as rented buildings, living rooms, conference rooms, and (with tongue placed firmly-in-cheek), igloos. However, it is impossible for the two things above to happen if a critical piece is missing: the regeneration/conversion of people. In sum, you can have a beautiful and extravagant wineskin all day long, but if there's no wine in it, it isn't worth a hill of beans. Same goes with the Spirit of God. No Spirit of God indwelling a group of people equals no true church.

I constantly have to remind myself that regeneration is something that God does. Of course, when I say "remind", I'm not saying that I don't intellectually understand this doctrine. I do, and I've taught it publicly more times than I can remember. But, as an elder, I fail to consistently remind myself that I'm not the one who saves people. I still want to argue, philosophize, and drag people into the Kingdom by way of intellectual handcuffs. And so, I have to remind myself that I can't do anything to make a dead man drink spiritual water (Ephesians 2:1-5; John 7:37-38). That type of "drinking" is a sovereign, monergistic work of the Triune God alone (John 1:13; 3:3). I say what I do because I really believe that a large majority of the problems that I deal with when doing the work of an elder are often rooted in one problem: self-deceived unregenerate people thinking they are regenerated because at one time they said a prayer, walked an aisle, got emotional, etc., when in fact, there's no spiritual life within them.

This is sad but true. Don't believe me? Well, then, listen to my favorite living preacher expound upon it here:



When a person makes a new profession of faith in Jesus, there are several critical things that I think we should expect to happen pretty quickly after regeneration/conversion. Every truly regenerated new convert I've ever worked with exhibits the following three things almost immediately though not perfectly. Watching for the following things can help you get a general idea whether a professed conversion was true or false:

1. They have a new relationship with sin - they abhor their sin because it is no longer fun anymore but brings conviction and God's disciplining hand (1 John 3:9; Heb. 12:5-11).

2. They have a new relationship with the Scriptures - they have a strange new hunger for this book called the Bible, and they really can't explain why (Psalm 42:1; 1 Peter 2:2).

3. They have a new relationship with the Church - they love God's people because they are a natural Godlover themselves. They want to be around and serve God's people (1 John 3:14-16).

With all truly born again people, they will exhibit the above characteristics without fail over a period of time. It is part of their new nature. They can't help it, it just comes natural to them to do the above things. Paul said that ". . . if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Cor. 5:17.

If you notice that these things aren't present over a period of several months, then you have a false convert. Our churches are loaded with people like this who claim to love Jesus yet don't exhibit the three things above. So, it's important to look for these things in professing new converts over the period of several months for the benefit of their souls and the benefit of your local church. After all, if form follows function and function follows true conversion, then you'd better strive for churches that seek true conversions lest you create a situation where you have false professors creating false functions and forms manifesting themselves as entertainment and other worldly enticements to keep the goats "herded" and the bills paid from week-to-week. After all, it's better to know where you stand eternally than be self-deceived because you had an emotional experience at an entertainment-fest. I'll finish with Paul in 2 Cor. 13:5,

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?"