comes to what church we go to. We think about the pros and cons of this church
or that church because we don't have a perfect church and especially in certain
areas that you might live in there could be a shortage of good churches so you
have to decide what your priorities are. You have to decide what's the best
option right? Where am I gonna go to church? And when we evaluate churches do
we emphasize what God emphasizes? Well if we want to know what God thinks about
churches all we have to do is look at Revelation chapters two and three and in
Revelation chapters two and three he has a message to seven different churches
and he evaluates them he talks about the pros and he talks about the cons and you
know what every single one of them he starts out by saying I know thy works
that's the most repeated thing in that passage and if you would flip over to
that passage I want to show you something in particular look at chapter
two of Revelation the fact that God brings it up first that's emphasis I
know thy works the fact that he repeats it seven times that's emphasis I know
thy works the fact that he said do the first works but look down if you would
at Revelation chapter number two the message to Thyatira it says in verse 19
I know thy works and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy works
he already said works he brings up the works at the beginning and then he
brings up the works at the end and then listen what he says and the last to be
more than the first so the first thing he mentioned is works the last thing he
mentioned is the works and he says the last is more than the first I think what
he means by that is you're increasing in your works that's on the good side for
this church look if God is just repeating works and bringing up their
works all the time that tells me that when God looks at a church one of the
things he's looking at first and foremost paramount is the works so that
tells me that if a church crosses every doctrinal T and dots every doctrinal I
but they're not doing the works but they're dead they're not reaching the
city for the gospel they're not knocking any doors they're not winning any souls
to Christ you know that tells me that's not a good church because they're
failing the first test the works he'll remove the candlestick I'd rather go to
a church that was a little off doctrine Ali and I'm not talking about doctrines
that are deal-breakers like the gospel or you know having obviously having the
King James Bibles in essential having salvation by faith that's non
negotiable but I'm talking about other doctrines secondary doctrines you know
Bible prophecy interpretations or just other issues about you know the music or
the you know the style of the church or you know the first thing I would look at
is do they practice soul winning because I'd rather go to a church that was a
little off on minor doctrines that was a strong soul winning church than a church
that just crosses every T dots every I they're just dead on on Bible prophecy
but there's no soul winning there's no work being done they just sit around
being right just they just sit around just man we're so right we got our
doctrine perfect let's just talk about how right we are no let's get out there
and win somebody to Christ because what God emphasizes is the work that we're
doing that's what God