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7 Powerful Traits of a Truly Biblical Church

7 Powerful Traits of a Truly Biblical Church

What do you picture when you think of church?

Do you think of the rows of wooden pews or the intricate stained-glass windows in the sanctuary? Stacks of Bibles and hymnals? What about a stage or pulpit? Maybe you think of a large auditorium setting if you attend a mega church. 

All these details tell us what we see when we look at a building, but they tell us nothing about what a church should biblically look like. Scripture does not give directions about the format of seating or the use of a stage. We find no mention of a required carpet color or use of stained-glass windows. During the early days of the church, there were no chapels or cathedrals with steeples. That is because the Church is not a building. 

Believers make up the body of Christ, the Church (1 Corinthians 12:27). 

As members of the body of Christ, what we look like stems from our relationship to Jesus and the mission He gave us. He has called us to be a multiplying people, a community that grows and reaches into the lives of others. It is a group of individuals who increasingly look like Him. 

C.S. Lewis wrote about the purpose of the church in Mere Christianity. As he explained, “[T]he church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time” (HarperOne, 2001, p. 199).

At first, Lewis’ statement might surprise us. Constructing buildings, doing missions, and studying the Bible are wastes of time? They are if people are not growing in Christ and making disciples. The body of believers is meant to look increasingly like Jesus and help others become reflections of Christ too. If the church is not doing that, then it is not accomplishing its purpose. It will not look like a biblical church.   

But what are the indications that a group of believers are accomplishing this purpose of growing to become more like Christ?      

Scripture does not have directions about what a church building should look like, but it does have a wealth of information about what it looks like to live as individuals belonging to the Church.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Will & Deni McIntyre

Luke Smallbone on the Power of Family: It’s ‘More Important Than it Ever Has Been’

Luke Smallbone on the Power of Family: It’s ‘More Important Than it Ever Has Been’

Luke Smallbone of For King and Country told ChristianHeadlines he was nearly five when his parents -- David and Helen Smallbone -- traveled from Australia to the United States with big dreams but were forced to chase odd jobs when David's job fell through. Their story is retold in the upcoming movie Unsung Hero, which is scheduled to release in theaters on April 26.

Chick-fil-A CEO Awards Employee 25k Scholarship to Regent University

Chick-fil-A CEO Awards Employee 25k Scholarship to Regent University

Chick-Fil-A has awarded an employee who is also studying at Regent University with a $25,000 scholarship, making her the 100th employee to receive the honor.

16 Female Athletes Sue NCAA over Trans Policy

16 Female Athletes Sue NCAA over Trans Policy

Riley Gaines and a coalition of 15 other current and former college athletes sued the NCAA in federal court Thursday, alleging the body violated their Title IX and constitutional rights.

Amid Season 4 Streaming Delay, The Chosen Aims to Reach One Billion, Including Prisons

Amid Season 4 Streaming Delay, <em>The Chosen</em> Aims to Reach One Billion, Including Prisons

Stan Jantz, CEO of the Come and See Foundation, shared that the upcoming season will be released into prisons through Prison Fellowship and to churches as well.

Doctors Thought He'd Never Survive, but Faithful Parents Refuse to Give Up on Baby with No Nose

Doctors Thought He'd Never Survive, but Faithful Parents Refuse to Give Up on Baby with No Nose

Harrison "Gray" Canales has been defying medical odds for 22 years, and with a brand new nose, he's planning a bright future. One, no doubt, filled with major accomplishments!

John Piper Advises Parents of Trans Kids: 'Look to the God of the Impossible'

John Piper Advises Parents of Trans Kids: 'Look to the God of the Impossible'

Author and Desiring God founder John Piper recently addressed the topic of gender identity and offered counsel to parents with transgender children: "Communicate your love."

Candace Owens: Media Is Trying to Divide Christians with Fixation on Christian Nationalism

Candace Owens: Media Is Trying to Divide Christians with Fixation on Christian Nationalism

A prominent political commentator says Hollywood and the media are attempting to divide the church with the debate over Christian nationalism -- and she is urging believers to pray for one another and “unite in our faith.”

United Kingdom Bans Hormone Blockers for Children

United Kingdom Bans Hormone Blockers for Children

The United Kingdom’s health care system will no longer give hormone blockers to children as part of a major new policy that differs from the widespread practice in the United States.

What Is the Biblical Significance of the Upcoming Solar Eclipse? 8 Christian Leaders Explain

What Is the Biblical Significance of the Upcoming Solar Eclipse? 8 Christian Leaders Explain

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2017, but is being found by readers in advance of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse, such that it has made it into our Most Popular articles on CrosswalkHeadlines.

On August 21, a total solar eclipse will be visible across the U.S. Hundreds of viewing parties for this amazing and rare astronomical phenomenon have been scheduled from coast to coast, but many Christian leaders believe this event is more than an incredible scientific occurrence. Many believe it is a prophetic sign that we are living in the end times and that Christ's return is imminent. Many of these leaders point to Scripture passages, particularly in Revelation, which talk about the end of the age and the signs to look out for. Here is what 10 Christian leaders had to say about this total solar eclipse. What do you think? Is this event truly a sign of the end times? Are you planning on viewing it?

Photo courtesy: ©Jongsun Lee/Unsplash