Church and the Truth

I've looked at a lot of different church's websites.  It doesn't take very long to realize that many churches today have forgotten the truth.

Churches boast about their youth ministries, ladies' meetings, men's fellowships, conferences, music, worship, building programs, Christian schools, camps... etc.

There might be a Bible verse somewhere on the website... maybe.  But, I've been to many church websites that have zero Scripture on them.

That's sad.

What's the point of Christianity that doesn't have it's basis in Scripture?  How can it even be Christian if it doesn't have Bible?  Christian = follower of Christ... at least that's what it used to mean.  And Christ is revealed in the Bible isn't He?

Today it seems like going to church means, sing, dance, fellowship, play games, laugh, collect an offering, listen to a man (and/or in many cases a woman) talk about how much"God loves you and has an amazing plan for your life", then go home feeling good about ourselves, because we've spent an hour in a building called a church.  There is little mentioned about the truth.

That may be an extreme, but even if it's happening in a church on a smaller scale doesn't mean it's more okay.   I think the typical north American way of doing church is a far cry from what Jesus and the disciples were doing in the New Testament.

It's funny how Jesus never commanded His disciples to build big churches, and yet today it seems church needs to be bigger and better.  Jesus just told the disciples to go and preach (Matt 28:19-20).  He never told them that if they had 3000 saved on the day of Pentecost then they would be successful.  He never told them that as long as they had lots of people and lots of programs that they could be sure of His blessing on their ministry.  Today churches measure their success in numbers.  They claim the blessing of God, because of how many people attend the services.  Churches like mine are seen as a failure, yet churches that have hundreds are seen as a success.  But, God never said a big church was a sign of a good church. God never said that a you would know the true church because it would be the biggest church.  In fact, the Bible teaches the opposite.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt 7:14).

From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him (John 6:66)

Paul said in II Timothy 4:11 that only Luke remained with him.  When Jesus was crucified the only disciple at the cross was John.  In Acts 1 there were only 120 in the upper room.  Paul started the church in Philippi with only two converts, Lydia and the jailer.  All throughout the book of Acts, and in Paul's letters in the New Testament, there is never a reference to how many attended church.  We have no idea what the size of any of the churches that Paul wrote to were.  I wonder why that is?  Maybe because it doesn't matter.

Regardless of whether a church is large or small, what matters is if that church has the truth.

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (I Timothy 3:15).