Marks of the New Testament Church
Text: Matthew 16:18
Series: Restoration Sermons
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository
Learning Objectives
By the close of this lesson the hearer should be able to:
- Name the marks of the New Testament church as a whole and the marks of its members.
- Use those marks to keep a congregation true to the New Testament pattern.
- Examine his own life against the marks of a New Testament Christian.
Thesis
The New Testament church has identifying marks — undenominational, congregationally governed, missionary, made up of converted and worshipping and united and pure members — and every member should know them well enough to help keep the church true to the pattern.
Burden
A congregation drifts the way a ship drifts: slowly, quietly, and never on purpose. The safeguard is for the members — not just the preacher or the elders — to know what the New Testament church looks like, so they can tell when their own congregation is sliding off the pattern. The outline wrote these marks so that ordinary members could hold the church steady. That is the burden here: not to admire the early church from a distance, but to carry its marks and keep our own congregation matching them.
Introduction
We can know the New Testament church only from the New Testament itself; nothing else reveals it. It bears certain marks, and every member ought to know them well enough to help keep the church true to the pattern. The outline divides them into two: marks of the church as a whole, and marks of its members.
I. Marks of the Church as a Whole (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28)
- Undenominational. The church existed for several hundred years before any denomination was formed; Paul and Peter were members of nothing but the "body of Christ." A church that belongs to no denomination is not odd — it is original.
- Congregational in government. Each congregation was self-governed under Christ. Christ is the Head of the whole church; in each local church, elders took the spiritual oversight (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2) and deacons ministered to needs (Phil. 1:1; Acts 6). There was no organization larger than the local congregation and no head but Christ.
- Missionary. Each church was planted by the missionary zeal of another, and together they carried the gospel "to the ends of the earth" of their day (Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:23). A church that has lost the will to evangelize has lost a mark of the New Testament church.
II. Marks of Its Members (Rom. 6:3; Acts 2:42)
- All were converted to Christ. Every member had believed on Him as the Son of God, turned from sin, and been baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27). There were no unconverted members; conversion, not heredity or formality, made one a member.
- All worshipped God regularly. They met on the first day of the week to break bread (Acts 20:7) — the weekly Lord's Supper — and "continued steadfastly" in the apostles' teaching, prayer, praise, and edification (Acts 2:42). Their praise was the congregation's own singing, offered as God authorized. Worship was a settled habit, not an occasional event.
- All were united in love. They were "of one heart and soul" (Acts 4:32), and their fellowship was not broken by differences of mere opinion. Unity in the faith held even where opinions varied.
- All maintained a standard of purity. The impenitent were withdrawn from (2 Thess. 3:6); Jesus was both the standard and the source of their purity; and they all "looked forward" to His second coming (Titus 2:13; 2 Pet. 3:11-12), which kept them living ready. A church that will not discipline and will not watch for the Lord has let two marks slip.
Application
Hold your congregation to the marks, and hold yourself to them. As a church: are we wearing only Christ's name, governed by our own elders under Christ, reaching the lost, gathering each first day for the Supper, united in the faith above our opinions, and keeping ourselves pure? As a member: have I been truly converted — believed, repented, baptized into Christ? Do I worship steadily, love my brethren past our disagreements, live pure, and watch for His coming? The marks are a mirror; use it on the church and on yourself, and help keep both true to the pattern.
Conclusion
The New Testament church is undenominational, congregationally governed, and missionary; its members are converted, worshipping, united, and pure, watching for their Lord. These marks are not high ideals to admire from afar; they are the working description of the church Christ built. Know them, wear them, and help keep your congregation matching them.
Invitation
The first mark of a member is conversion to Christ, and that is where the gospel meets you now: believe that Jesus is the Son of God, turn from your sins, confess Him, and be baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins (Rom. 6:3; Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:27). That obedience makes you a member of the body — not of a denomination, but of the church Christ built. Come and put on the marks of a New Testament Christian today. Come while we sing.
Word Study
| English Term | Greek Term | Basic Meaning | Usage in This Sermon | Sermon Significance | Key Texts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseers / elders | episkopos / presbyteros | the same men under two terms | the shepherds who give spiritual oversight in each self-governing congregation | the shepherds who give spiritual oversight in each self-governing congregation | Acts 20:28 |
| Continued steadfastly | proskartereō | to persist devotedly | the steady, habitual worship that marks the New Testament Christian | the steady, habitual worship that marks the New Testament Christian | Acts 2:42 |
Scripture Interlock Table
| Theme | Boles' Outline | Supporting Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| Undenominational, the body of Christ | I.1 | Matt. 16:18; Col. 1:18 |
| Congregational government; elders, deacons | I.2 | Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2; Phil. 1:1 |
| Missionary to the world | I.3 | Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:23 |
| Members converted and baptized into Christ | II.1 | Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27 |
| First-day worship; Lord's Supper | II.2 | Acts 20:7; 2:42 |
| United in love above opinion | II.3 | Acts 4:32 |
| Purity, discipline, watching for His coming | II.4 | 2 Thess. 3:6; Titus 2:13 |
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Converted from H. Leo Boles, Outline 25. Doctrinal audit: core-framework — undenominational body of Christ; congregational autonomy under Christ with elders/deacons; conversion (faith/repentance/baptism into Christ) as the only door to membership; first-day weekly Lord's Supper; congregational praise (a cappella singing as authorized worship, noted); discipline of the impenitent; watching for the one second coming. No correction. Style audit: OCR cleanup ("TESTAMENTCHURCH"→"Testament Church"; "l'\'IEMBERS"→members; references normalized).
