Thread: The Perfect Church

1689 LBC 26.3
The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error...

WCF 25.5
The purest Churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error...

Have you ever fallen into the "perfect church" trap? Many have. They delay joining a local body of believers under the guise that the perfect church is just one more Lord's Day away. But no matter how many churches they visit there is something not quite right about that wannabe perfect church. Maybe the singing is/isn't EP, perhaps the pastor preaches too long/too short, it serves grape juice instead of wine, the pastor does/doesn't wear a robe...I can go on, but for the sake of brevity I'll end it here.

The point is that there is no perfect church. There are credos and paedos who refuse to join the only good Reformed church in town because it doesn't share their baptismal conviction. The alternative is no church or a long, long drive to a church that they have to settle for. In the meantime there are churches, made of up of dear saints, that will never know the joy of our fellowship, and vice versa.

If you ever find yourself in looking for a new church home, perform your due diligence, but remember that there is no such thing as a perfect church.

I'm in process of due diligence. I'm still undecided. Both are confessional. I desire for my wife to give me a heartfelt evaluation to weigh out where we will fit best, but it is too soon to make that call.

Originally Posted by Rich Koster

I'm in process of due diligence. I'm still undecided. Both are confessional. I desire for my wife to give me a heartfelt evaluation to weigh out where we will fit best, but it is too soon to make that call.

Rich, you have my prayers.

Doesn't OPC stand for Only Perfect Church?

Theognome

It's helpful to understand God appoints the circumstances, even of the church.

As God elects, effectually calls, regenerates, gives faith, justifies, He adopts us into His Body. To live apart from the (visible) body is to deny what God has done.

God has His purposes at different seasons to grow you, for you to minister to others, to serve, to be humiliated, all toward the end of His Glory.

Being in a(n) (imperfect) church is part of that.

Originally Posted by Theognome

Doesn't OPC stand for Only Perfect Church?

Theognome

Thanks for that laugh!

There is at least one person at every church I have regularly attended who will state that things were perfect until I showed up.

Originally Posted by Theognome

Doesn't OPC stand for Only Perfect Church?

Theognome

Yes . . . Yes it does.

....and the moment anyone joins that perfect church it then becomes imperfect.....well, to the Body of Christ who is being sanctified until we see His face!

Originally Posted by Theognome

Doesn't OPC stand for Only Perfect Church?

Theognome

As Pastor Larry Wilson of Covenant OPC in Indianapolis is fond of saying...

"In the OPC, we not only believe in the doctrine of total depravity, but we practice it, too."

Blessings,

KC

I don't know who to quote with this quote...

"If you're waiting for the perfect church don't join it you'll ruin it".

I am currently in a weird situation as I am attending an Evangelical Free Church(see my signature) which brought me up in the faith and secured my acceptance of the doctrines of grace as well as a more covenantal view of Christ and redemption. Sadly, this denomination does not allow Amils or Postmils to be members, because of this I have the opportunity to pick any Reformed church (plus I am not tied down to this location right now because I have no job..again...) and although there are many solid Confessional denominations there are always things that freak me out , my studies of the various Confessional denominations so far lead me to either RPCNA or WPCUS but both have flaws, I KNOW!!! I'll just start a NEW DENOMINATION, THE PERFECT ONE!!! yeah...as if... I think there are way too many denominations already....I really have no point to this reply except, I agree.

A man was stranded alone on a deserted Pacific island for years. Finally one day a boat comes sailing into view, and the man frantically waves and draws the skipper’s attention. The boat comes near the island and the sailor gets out and greets the stranded man.

After a while the sailor asks, “What are those three huts you have here?”

“Well, that’s my house there.”

“What’s that next hut?” asks the sailor.

“I built that hut to be my church.”

“What about the other hut?”

“Oh, that’s where I used to go to church.”

Sometimes the things that make the church "imperfect" are the very things that make it impossible for you to join.

Wife and I recently discovered a confessional, conservative lutheran church. That is the best you can get around here. Their views on soteriology and the sacraments are unacceptable in my eyes, and since I cannot accept them, the pastor won't let us become members.

Originally Posted by Hawaiian Puritan

A man was stranded alone on a deserted Pacific island for years. Finally one day a boat comes sailing into view, and the man frantically waves and draws the skipper’s attention. The boat comes near the island and the sailor gets out and greets the stranded man.

After a while the sailor asks, “What are those three huts you have here?”

“Well, that’s my house there.”

“What’s that next hut?” asks the sailor.

“I built that hut to be my church.”

“What about the other hut?”

“Oh, that’s where I used to go to church.”

That is TOO funny!!!