The Local Church & The Biblical Non-Negotiable's

What truly defines a local church according to Scripture?

In this powerful new series, The Cornerstone Perspective explores one of the most vital questions every congregation must ask: Are we fulfilling the true biblical mission of the local church, or have we become something else—perhaps a well-intentioned faith-based nonprofit?

While faith-based organizations play an invaluable role in the Kingdom of God, the local church stands distinct in its divine calling and mission. In this multi-part series, we uncover the biblical non-negotiables that form the foundation of Christ’s Church—those essential truths and functions that cannot be redefined, diluted, or discarded.

Beginning with Episode One, we examine the first and most foundational non-negotiable:

Preaching the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Through Scripture, we’ll see how Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, Paul’s message to the Corinthians, and the consistent witness of the New Testament reveal that every true local church must be rooted in the pure, bold, Spirit-empowered proclamation of the Gospel. Because in the end, good works alone are not enough—only a people transformed by the living Christ can be His Church.

Join us as we journey through what it means to be THE Church.

Transcript

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You're listening to the Cornerstone Perspective podcast. Be sure to hit that subscribe button and share with your friends. This is the first episode in a special series called The Local Church, the Biblical Non-Negotiables That Make Us His Church. A very important question for all Christian churches to ask is really a very simple question to answer. And that question is this Are we fulfilling the true biblical mission of the local church? Or would we be more appropriately categorized as a faith-based nonprofit or something else? Now, I really want to be careful that I don't portray a discouragement of faith-based nonprofits. Faith-based nonprofits are incredibly important and serve a very valuable purpose within the kingdom. However, there's a very distinct difference between an organized gathering of believers functioning as the local church versus an organized gathering of believers functioning as a faith-based nonprofit. One is an extension of the mission of the local church, and one is the local church. So in the next several episodes, we're going to outline what are the non-negotiables for the local church in terms of biblical mission and function that cannot be watered down or discarded. Now, why is that so important? Well, let's dive in and look at the first non-negotiable. In Matthew 7, 21 through 23, Jesus says this: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Now this is an incredibly sobering passage of Scripture that all who claim to be followers of Jesus really need to take very, very seriously. There's no question that Jesus is warning all who are involved in the Christian faith that the good work is not enough. In fact, the good work of the ministry must flow out of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that comes through faith and complete personal surrender to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. And that's where we come to our first non-negotiable for the local church. And that's this everything the local church does must be foundationally rooted in this. Preaching the gospel message of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Preaching the gospel message of Jesus Christ according to Scripture and in the power of the Holy Spirit is essential and foundational to the local church. There is without question numerous resources available in the church today that help people live better lives. And there are thousands, literally thousands, of nonprofit faith-based organizations that do incredibly amazing things in helping people and helping people from a faith perspective. However, there is no resource, there is no program or message that is a parallel or a replacement for the gospel message of Jesus Christ according to Scripture, and that message preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. So if an organized gathering of believers is to be much more than just a quote organization, centrally and foundationally, the gospel message of Jesus Christ delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit must be the message. It must be the theme and the focus of everything it does. And not a watered-down message either, but the hard-hitting, bold gospel message of Jesus Christ. Now, what's key in this is really twofold, and the Bible lays it out very clearly for us. First, in John 3, Jesus was answering Nicodemus' question about being born again when Jesus presented the simplicity of the gospel message that is the foundation of all activity again in the local church. And Jesus said this for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condem the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemed , but whoever does not believe is condemed already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Now, why would God do such a thing? He sent his son to die for us so that we would put our faith in Him but why? Well the Apostle Paul answers that in Romans 5 very clearly. He says this, but God demonstrated his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were still sinners, God sent his only son. Simply put, while we were dead in our sin, the one and only Son of God gave his life for us, paying the ultimate sacrifice for our sin, so that through faith we give our lives completely to him, repenting of our sin, which means to turn away from it, and we live our lives wholly for him in complete surrender to him and his holy word. And if that wasn't clear enough in John 14 to give us complete clarity as to who he is and what our message must be, Jesus says this: He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And we could actually say it with this emphasis: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So the true local church exists to preach this message boldly and unapologetically. The message of man's fall into sin and God's great love to send his only son Jesus, who came and sacrificed his life on the cross for us in our place. We give our lives to him and live according to his word because he is the way. He is the only way, not a way, but he is the way to God. This is the gospel message of Jesus Christ that absolutely must be the foundation of everything that we do in the local church. And we must preach it and we must preach it boldly in everything. It's the goal, it's the mission, it's the message. Now, what is also important not to miss in John 3 is in verse 2. It's the second key. The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus begins with Nicodemus saying, We know that you are the teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him. Nicodemus emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' message. In a similar fashion, uh the Apostle Paul preached the gospel with power and said to the Corinthians, And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith may not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. That's in First Corinthians 2. So the pure message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the local church. Again, we exist to preach it with boldness and in the power of the Holy Spirit. So if a local church is to be recognized as part of the local church, all resources, programs, all events must be grounded and founded on the intentional and bold preaching of the gospel message of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. If it's not, then our good works, well, they may have some basis in faith, but they are likely failing to truly point people to true repentance, to surrender, and to true relationship with Jesus Christ, which is all that matters. And it's the only thing that will matter when we stand before the Lord. So again, if an organized gathering of believers is to be much more than just an organization, then centrally and foundationally, the gospel message of Jesus Christ, delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit, must be the message, the theme, and the focus of every single thing that it does. So be bold and be unwavering in the biblical gospel message of Jesus Christ and preach it in the power of the Holy Spirit to everyone you know. It is the mission of the local church. If we are his church, we are preaching the message of Jesus Christ and we are preaching it boldly according to scripture. Lives hang in the balance. So if you claim to be the church, his church, then preach Jesus. Preach the unadulterated gospel message of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and make him known. Hey, you've been listening to the Cornerstone Perspective podcast. Thank you for listening and share with your friends.