[UntoHim]

What is a true local church? If you asked this question of most evangelical Christians, I believe the vast majority would answer "you mean a Christian church at a certain location?" They might very well ask "what church?"

If the scripture writing apostles, lets say John, Peter and Paul, were suddenly to appear today, how might they answer this question, "what is a true local church?" Now while I wouldn't pretend to know for sure exactly what they would say, I think we might have some clues in the epistles these men wrote to the original local churches. I think they would firstly answer this question with a question of their own: "What is taught in this local church?" "What is the gospel they preach?" "Let us go and see what is taught in this local church, then we will answer your question."

Now some of you may have a different take. You might say that these apostles would ask "who appointed the elders of this local church?....If they were not appointed by any of us we will not accept them as a local church". While I can't prove that they wouldn't make this kind of declaration, I think the biblical evidence points us more towards what I have proposed. I believe if these apostles came to a meeting of the Local Church (LSM) they wouldn't necessarily have a problem with the fact that everything is Lee. Lee taught this, Lee taught that. I don't believe that would disqualify that church in their eyes as a true local church. What would disqualify them in their eyes, I believe, would be the strange and unfamiliar teachings. What would disqualify them would be the preaching of a different gospel.

Would these apostles be confused about, if not highly offended, by the fact that they would find numerous different Christian churches in any given city or locality? I believe they would be incredulous, if not downright furious. But I don't believe that their answer to the situation would be to force them all to meet as the one true "church in any town", much less tell them they had to meet in one meeting hall. To be sure, they would not start their own church meeting, and then declare that all other churches in that locality were illegitimate. I believe they would do exactly what they did in establishing the original local churches in the first century - Teach and preach the true gospel wherever they were welcomed. They would correct and admonish where there was a need for correction and admonishment. To be sure, they would decry any false gospel, and any and all strange and unfamiliar teachings. Finally, they would surely call for the resignation or ouster of any elder, pastor, teacher or ministry leader who was patently unqualified, or became disqualified by his words or deeds.
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