Sorry, this one is longer than usual, so please be patient and read the whole way to the end. What we're thinking about here is eternally important.
Right now, when your little family is just getting started and your newborn son or daughter is all a wonder to you, it seems a bit over the top to be talking about how important it is to find a good church. But watch out! Life seems to be passing slowly right now, but it's not. In a day or two, this infant will be leaving your home for college, and then comes marriage and grandchildren. Before you can snap your fingers, your children will be all grown up and the fruit of your fatherhood will be clear.
Last week, we saw that the most important food we provide our family is God's Word. Choosing a church where God's Word is preached faithfully is how we provide them that food. Yes, we read the Bible to our family at home, but home isn't enough. We must have the household of faith, and the most important mark of a Biblical church is faithful preaching. But there are three marks of a true church, so now we move to the second:
- A true church has preaching that is faithful to Scripture;
- A true church administers the sacraments as Scripture commands;
- A true church correctly disciplines her members.
What on earth are sacraments?
Sacraments are physical things God gives us to help us in our weakness...