Struggling for exciting and permanent new life for one’s church without discovering new vitality for one’s own spiritual life is futile.  Never the one without the other.  The two go together — inseparably.

Just as believers are said to be united to Christ as a body to its head, or as a bridge to her groom, so Scripture clearly teaches the profound power and glory of the universal church, a power and glory share by each local church.

There must be no substituting of platitudes for the reality of the Spirit’s power.  Rather, there must be a deep hungering and searching the Scripture for what God says about his church.  Merely seeking after conference programs to hear something that brings fresh excitement can never be enough.

Today we have megachurches, with attendance in the thousands, and today also we have divided, faltering churches attended by few, and in between we have all kinds of “fellowships.” But how often do we find a church that is full of the power, life, and glory befitting Christ’s body, with the Lord himself being its living Head? This is how Scripture describes the true church, which is made up of local assemblies, or churches. A local church’s flow of life must come through its vital attachment to its Head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps many readers have witnessed the spectacle of a church, once very strong in its preaching ministry, sinking to a low, sad state — and that very quickly after its popular preacher has moved on. Such an assembly grew large but not strong. When weight is added to an organism apart from new strength, health declines ultimately.

Picture those who for years have sat in their church hearing “sound Bible teaching” but are still unable to explain and share basic Bible truths. Perhaps their church is suffering from obesity! Somehow Satan’s wiles have worked to distance these church people from Christ himself. It may take some years before any signs of trouble are evident, but if the full orb of biblical church life is not developed, difficult days are ahead. Surely, we ought not be “unaware of his [Satan’s] schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).

Churches today commonly strive for “life” and “growth” in two other ways: by the funding of Christian agencies, sometimes referred to as parachurch organizations, or by funding a larger church staff. Either way, the body of Christ is exercised in giving money but not so much in raising up its own ministering ones.

Often more deadly than this striving for a bigger church body is the stagnation widespread among those bogged in ruts of their own doing as they attempt to figure out what seems to work best. It is painful to see God’s precious assembly, purchased with the blood of his Son, tied in knots with cumbersome traditions and pounded by disruptive new trends.

But more than the survival and welfare of our homeland churches is at stake. What are we exporting around the world? Missionaries who have themselves not experienced a full life in a proper biblical fellowship are unwitting carriers of spiritual infections. Can they see happen “over there” what they missed at home?

Much of the worship forms and program activities seen throughout our land today are not prescribed by Scripture. To discover their origin and roots, one must look at the theater and the entertainment world. The striving to entertain and keep the audience while gaining some contributions from them is hardly based on the Bible. Furthermore, selecting and scheduling religious movies, instructional videos, book reviews, special speakers, and concert artists on the basis of their ability to draw the largest crowds does not point the way to spiritual strength.

At best a cheerful enthusiasm may exist for a time, but as with any hybrid, it cannot impel itself into the next generation. After a few soaring years, the irresistible downward draft takes all in its grip.

It must be faced — a terrible evil tide is rolling against us.  As marriages and homes disintegrate at an increasing rate, the evangelical church has made perceptible adjustments in its teachings. Rather than challenging and changing our society, congregations are busying themselves learning from the world. Though the covers of a kind of “love” and “relevance” are pulled over the sores of immorality, weaknesses in many a church are apparent.

But if the church, Christ’s bride, has stumbled, will she find help from us, or shall we attack and humiliate her? If one would hesitate to stone the adulterous woman whom Christ pardoned, ought not one be very hesitant to throw rocks at the Lord’s own bride, for whom he died? God will stand on the side of those who love the church.

Perhaps one asks, “What can I do?” And, “If I am not certain what an ideal church would be like, how, then, could I help my church reach such a goal?”

I am persuaded that many readers can help if given better understanding of exactly what is occurring in churches and what God intends to happen. To the disheartened I would say, “Do not quit your church. Read on!”

A church functioning in God’s full power and in accordance with his Word is able to cast off infections and grow. Also a continuing expansion will result because a lively local church does not dead-end in a single congregation. Viewed properly, it is a movement-from each individual to his or her family, from families to neighborhood expressions of church life, and continuing out to other nations.

In quest of this life, some advocate a tightly organized approach. Others emphasize great freedom to perform all sorts of “spiritual” ministries. The pastor rules all in certain communions, while other churches all but disintegrate in the trend toward subdivision into small groups. Instances of failure have marred each approach. Organization does not in itself bring power and blessing, nor does a forced disorganization.

The Scriptures, however, give important place to structure and form in the churches — for three reasons. First, the church stands as Christ’s body on earth, the temple of God. We are our Lord’s own Bride being prepared for heaven. Second, the church’s form and life are divinely designed to foster the personal holiness and corporate usefulness that God requires. Sanctification and service go together with the proper church life set forth in the Epistles. Third, successful extension of Christianity among all nations of the world issues both out of, and also into, a proper church life.

Fresh life will not come by way of a freedom from leadership and structure but through a recovery of proper biblical structure and a vital production of able leaders. Here is a basic tenet underlying proposals of this book: Adequate leadership is both a cause and a result of a proper church life, and proper church life is both the cause and result of basic Christianity.

Saints in disarray will never persevere in, let alone propagate, the truths God has committed to us. Furthermore, ordered church life is dependent upon the presence and continued preparation of adequate leaders. Many of the other problems to be discussed are related to this one.

Whenever a church engages members in responsibility and service without, in turn, giving those leaders the necessary edifying input, difficulties lurk somewhere ahead. Even if the church is happily going forward with its programs and adding to its membership, the seeds of death are being sown. The core of regular workers and leaders must be personally edified and also strengthened with regular additions to their ranks.

Underlying so many of the contemporary church’s woes is the neglect of personal ministry to individuals. Regardless of what changes are introduced, they are only stylistic ones if basic edification and discipling of individuals is not done.

Our obsession with public ministries — to the congregation, classes, or groups — has resulted in loss of skill in discipling between individuals. Average believers are not prepared and encouraged to know and use Scripture for themselves.

Deeply hidden attitudes have tended to seal Scripture from those in the pew. Somehow the feeling exists that the Bible is the sourcebook for the sermonizer and staff teachers. The sheep lying in green pastures are, without realizing it, viewing Scripture as a sacred communication to their clergy-shepherds.

Whatever is real and essential about the church must be able to exist underground — in forests, in homes, and through war and traumatic transition. Indeed, Christ’s assemblies are often seen prospering in adversity. Quite obviously, then, what may be identified on a prominent city street as “our church” must contain much more than the visible facilities and traditional things.

In fact, wherever and whenever God’s people gather as his assembly, it is a unique place and time. He promises to be present specially. Therefore, let no one say that attending such gatherings does not matter. Rather than dropping or altering what God commands, we would do far better to strive with all our hearts to recover the dignity, power, and glory of the church.

Much is in print on the church and its life, often coming from learned specialists but more suited for the classroom and professional seminars. This book has no such roots or similar objectives.

What is needed today is a very ground-level (if not down-in-the-trenches) view of things, along with a strong heavenly dimension. Whether these pages meet this need, I leave to readers and their Lord to decide as they walk the paths I have laid out.

The object of this book is to help believers recover their life in Christ. As this happens, they will be able to aid their churches in discovering a vigorous corporate life. To light the way, the biblical philosophy of the church will be set forth in these chapters, along with practical instructions for its recovery and implementation.

No doubt, pastors will have special interest in the contents, but I have written rather personally to the general membership who find themselves perplexed or even disheartened. I have plotted a way out and up.

Any essential but more technical material, which might impede the movement of the writing or hamper its appeal to general readers, appears in the several appendixes. These appendixes are important, and I hope readers will invest the time necessary to study thoroughly the material presented there.

Consider the determined desire of the Hebrew exiles who grieved for their lost land. “May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy” (Ps. 137:6). God grant us a new desire toward the church of Christ. Remember David’s burning zeal as he was house-hunting for God: “I will not enter my house or go to my bed I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob” (Ps. 132:3-5). The Christian congregations are now God’s dwelling place. Has our zeal faded and vision dimmed?

All that David dreamed of was finally destroyed. With face awash with bitter tears, the prophet Jeremiah gave this solemn interpretation of the tragedy: “The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world’s people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous” (Lam. 4:12-13).

Today we find ourselves stumbling but not yet fallen. There are deep wounds, disillusionment, and divisions, compounded by a deadening ignorance.

But God is being gracious and longsuffering toward us. We can discover and experience the full life of glory intended for the church of Christ. So we take new hope and layout plans for a return to God and his way of doing things. Then to him will be “glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Eph. 3:21).

Taken from my book, “Healing for the Church,” available for order here.