How to be The Best Church On Earth
It isn’t a perfect building, flawless worship, impressive programs, or even a great preacher. Jesus said there is something far more powerful that shows the world who His followers really are: the way we love one another.
In How to Be the Best Church on Earth, good friend of Joy Church Bend, and Pastor of Joy Church Eugene - Jake Schmelzer - challenges us to move beyond simply attending church and become people who actively help build a church that is healthy, growing, and full of love.
John 13:35 says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” And 1 John 4:20 reminds us that our love for God should be visible in the way we love the people around us.
Ephesians 4 gives us 8 practical ways to live that out:
1. LEAD A LIFE WORTHY OF YOUR CALLING Ephesians 4:1 says you have been called by God. Calling is not reserved for pastors or a few gifted Christians. You were made on purpose and for a purpose.
2. ALWAYS BE HUMBLE AND GENTLE Ephesians 4:2 calls us to humility and gentleness. Instead of asking, “What am I getting?” ask: How can I serve? Who can I encourage? How can I make someone else’s life better? A healthy church is built by people more interested in serving than being noticed.
3. BE PATIENT WITH EACH OTHER Ephesians 4:2 also calls us to patience. Instead of only praying, “God, get me out of this,” sometimes we need to ask, “God, what do You want to form in me through this?” Trials can develop endurance, character, hope, and deeper faith.
4. MAKE ALLOWANCE FOR EACH OTHER’S FAULTS BECAUSE OF LOVE People will disappoint us. Friends will fall short. Leaders will make mistakes. So will we. Healthy relationships require space and grace for imperfect people. Love makes room for patience, forgiveness, generosity, encouragement, and second chances.
5. MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO STAY UNITED IN THE SPIRIT Ephesians 4:3 does not say make some effort. It says make every effort. Unity requires us to resist offense, gossip, division, and the temptation to walk away when relationships become difficult. Church is not simply something we consume. It is a spiritual family we invest ourselves in.
6. BIND YOURSELVES TOGETHER IN PEACE Ephesians 4:3 calls us to bind ourselves together in peace. Biblical community requires commitment. We choose to stay connected, forgive, serve, grow, and walk through life together.
7. REMEMBER THAT WE ARE ONE Ephesians 4:4-6 says there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. Our unity is rooted in something greater than personality, preference, background, age, politics, or opinion. We belong to Jesus, and we belong to one another.
8. BRING THE SPECIAL GIFT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU Ephesians 4:7 says Christ has given each of us a special gift through His generosity. Although we are one, we are not all the same. God has placed something in you that His church needs. Discover your gift. Develop your gift. Bring your gift. Give it with your whole heart. When believers live this way, Ephesians 4 shows us the result: A church that is healthy. A church that is growing. A church that is full of love.
KEY TAKEAWAY: The best church on earth is not built by a few gifted people doing everything. It is built when followers of Jesus know they are called, walk in humility and gentleness, practice patience, extend grace, fight for unity, commit to one another, remember that we are one, and bring the gifts God has given them.
CALL TO ACTION: Read Ephesians 4 this week and ask the Holy Spirit: Where do You want to work in me so I can better love, serve, and invest in my church? Maybe it is humility, patience, forgiveness, unity, commitment, or finally using the gift God has placed in you. Don’t just attend church.
HELP BUILD IT.
