A Note from Michael Gossett | October 16, 2026
A Healthy Church:
A Church That Belongs to Christ
Scripture describes the church in a way that is truly thought-provoking. The Bible calls us the household of God, the bride of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the body of Christ. Each description reveals something beautiful about who we are, but together they remind us of a truth that should shape everything we do as a congregation: The church belongs to Jesus Christ.
That may seem like an obvious statement, particularly for those of us who have spent much of our lives in church. Yet I wonder how often we consider the implications of that truth. If the church belongs to Jesus, then He has the right to determine what we believe, how we are organized, how we worship, what we prioritize, and how we carry out the mission He has entrusted to us. Our responsibility is to faithfully submit every area of church life to His authority.
The Apostle Paul gives us one of the most magnificent descriptions of Christ's supremacy in Colossians 1:15-20. Speaking of Jesus, Paul writes: “He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:18, CSB)
This is incredible! The One who created all things, sustains all things, and reconciles sinners to God through the blood of Christ is also the Head of the church. The church exists because of His grace, belongs to Him through redemption, and continues under His sovereign care.
This gives us an essential principle for understanding the health of any congregation: A healthy church is a church where Christ has first place in everything.
Christ Is the Owner of His Church
When Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 16:18, He made a promise that has sustained the church for more than two thousand years: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Wow! What a thought for us to consider today. Nothing will overpower His church.
Notice the personal language Jesus uses. He calls it my church. Those two words establish something foundational about the identity of every local congregation. The church is Christ's possession because He purchased it through His blood.
Paul reinforces this truth in Acts 20:28 when he reminds the elders in Ephesus that the church belongs to God, who obtained it through His own blood. Peter likewise describes believers as a people belonging to God, called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
Everything we possess as a church, including our buildings, ministries, resources, opportunities, and influence, has been entrusted to us by the Lord Jesus. We are stewards of what belongs to Him, and faithful stewardship requires that we continually evaluate whether we are using His gifts according to His purposes.
This perspective should cultivate tremendous humility within all of us. It reminds pastors that the people they shepherd belong to Christ, encourages ministry leaders to view their responsibilities as sacred trusts, and challenges every member to approach church life with gratitude and a willingness to serve.
It also helps us hold our traditions and preferences in their proper place. Every congregation develops customs and practices that become familiar over time, and many of those traditions represent meaningful expressions of faithfulness passed down through generations. We should appreciate that heritage while remembering that our ultimate allegiance belongs to the Lord who purchased us. When Christ is recognized as the rightful Owner of His church, our greatest desire becomes honoring Him with everything He has entrusted to our care.
Christ Is the Authority Over His Church
The New Testament goes beyond describing Jesus as the owner of the church by declaring that He is also its Head. In Ephesians 1:22-23, Paul explains that God subjected everything under Christ's feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church. This language communicates authority, but it also reveals the relationship between Christ and His people. Just as the human body depends upon its head for direction and coordination, the church depends upon Jesus for its spiritual life, unity, and growth.
Paul develops this imagery even further in Colossians 2:19, explaining that the entire body grows with growth that comes from God as it remains connected to Christ, its Head. Our spiritual vitality is inseparably connected to our relationship with Him. For this reason, the authority of Scripture must remain central to the life of a healthy church. Jesus exercises His lordship over His people through His Word, which reveals His character, communicates His commands, and directs us in the truth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that God's people may be equipped for every good work.
Throughout Baptist history, this conviction has been foundational to our understanding of the church. The First London Baptist Confession of 1644 affirmed the authority of Christ over His gathered people, while the Second London Baptist Confession of 1677/1689 emphasized that Christ gives His churches everything necessary for their worship, discipline, and faithful ordering according to His Word.
These confessions reflected the conviction that the church must continually submit its beliefs and practices to the authority of Scripture. That same conviction remains essential for us today because the health of a congregation depends upon its willingness to receive God's Word as the final authority for faith and practice. This means we should continually ask whether our ministries reflect the priorities of Scripture, whether our worship is shaped by biblical truth, whether our teaching faithfully communicates the whole counsel of God, and whether our decisions demonstrate genuine submission to the lordship of Christ.
A church that belongs to Jesus should increasingly resemble the priorities and character of Jesus.
Christ Is the Life of His Church
One of the greatest dangers facing any congregation is the possibility of maintaining the appearance of spiritual vitality while gradually losing sight of the One who gives the church its life.
Churches can develop excellent programs, beautiful facilities, effective systems, and impressive opportunities for ministry. Those things can be tremendous blessings when used faithfully, but none of them possess the power to produce spiritual life. Jesus makes this clear in John 15:5 when He tells His disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” A branch possesses no independent ability to produce fruit because its life comes from the vine. In the same way, the church possesses no independent ability to produce genuine spiritual transformation apart from the power and presence of Jesus Christ.
We can organize ministries, develop strategies, construct buildings, and create opportunities for people to hear the gospel, but only Christ can bring sinners from death to life. Only Christ can transform hearts, sanctify believers, restore broken relationships, and produce lasting spiritual fruit.
This is why prayer must remain central to everything we do as a congregation. Prayer is one of the clearest expressions of our dependence upon the Lord, reminding us that the work of the church ultimately requires the power of God. The early church understood this dependence. Acts 2:42 describes believers who devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Their spiritual vitality was rooted in their devotion to the Lord and their confidence in His power. As the gospel advanced, the Lord continued to add to their number those who were being saved, demonstrating that the growth of the church ultimately belongs to Him. Charles Spurgeon understood this truth when he described the prayer meeting as the church's powerhouse. His ministry was marked by extraordinary preaching, but he consistently emphasized that the effectiveness of gospel ministry depended upon the blessing and power of God.
I want us to remember this at Green Acres. We have been entrusted with tremendous opportunities, and I am deeply grateful for the ministries, facilities, and resources God has provided through the sacrificial faithfulness of previous generations. Yet the greatest need of our church will always be the presence and power of God working among His people. As we seek to reach our community, disciple the next generation, strengthen families, and send the gospel to the nations, we must remain deeply dependent upon Christ.
Christ Determines the Mission of His Church
If Jesus is the Owner, Head, and Life of the church, then it follows that He alone has the authority to determine its mission. Thankfully, He has not left us to wonder what that mission should be. Matthew 28:18-20 says, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” Notice how Jesus grounds the Great Commission in His own authority. Because all authority belongs to Him, His followers are commissioned to carry the gospel to the nations, baptize those who believe, and teach them to obey everything He has commanded.
This means the mission of the church is inseparably connected to the lordship of Christ. The One who purchased the church has also commissioned the church, and our responsibility is to faithfully pursue the purposes He has established. Throughout history, churches have faced the temptation to measure their effectiveness according to standards that may have little to do with the priorities of Jesus. Attendance, buildings, budgets, and programs can provide helpful information about the life of a congregation, but they cannot independently determine whether a church is spiritually healthy. A congregation may possess tremendous resources and still neglect the mission Christ has entrusted to it, just as a smaller congregation with limited resources may demonstrate faithfulness in making disciples.
The church in Laodicea provides a sobering reminder of this danger. In Revelation 3:17, Jesus confronts a congregation that considered itself wealthy and in need of nothing, yet He describes its true spiritual condition as “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” Their evaluation of themselves was dramatically different from the evaluation of Christ. That passage should encourage every congregation, regardless of its size or history, to examine its priorities in light of Scripture. We must continually ask whether we are faithfully proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, equipping believers, caring for one another, and advancing the kingdom of God.
At Green Acres, we express our mission through a simple statement: Transforming lives with the truth of Jesus. We desire to connect people to Jesus and His church so that they may grow in His likeness and multiply for His purpose. These commitments are rooted in the Great Commission and remind us that everything we do should contribute to the work Christ has assigned to His people.
Our worship gatherings, Connect Groups, discipleship ministries, outreach efforts, missions partnerships, and opportunities for service should all contribute to this greater purpose. Even the facilities we build and the resources we steward should be understood as instruments through which we seek to accomplish the mission of Jesus. The greatest question we can ask about any ministry is whether it is helping us faithfully accomplish what Christ has commanded His church to do. When His mission becomes our priority, we begin to evaluate success through the lens of eternity.
Christ Is the Glory of His Church
There is one final truth that brings all of these principles together. The church exists for the glory of Jesus Christ. Paul concludes his magnificent prayer in Ephesians 3 with these words in Ephesians 3:20-21, which says, “Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Consider what Paul is saying. God intends to receive glory through His church throughout every generation. The local congregation, with all its imperfections, weaknesses, and ordinary people, has been chosen by God as a means through which His greatness and grace are displayed to the world. This is an extraordinary privilege, but it also places a sacred responsibility upon us. Everything we do as a church should ultimately direct attention toward the glory of Christ.
When we gather for worship, our desire should be that people leave with a greater understanding of the greatness of God. When we preach the Scriptures, our aim should be to exalt Christ and faithfully communicate His truth. When we serve one another, our actions should reflect the humility and love of our Savior. When we reach our community, our desire should be that people come to know the One who alone can save them. Even the way we relate to one another should demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel.
Jesus told His disciples in John 13:35 that the world would recognize them as His followers by their love for one another. This means that our unity, humility, forgiveness, and willingness to serve are all part of the testimony we bear concerning the Lord Jesus. The church should be a place where people encounter the beauty of Christ through the truth we proclaim and the love we demonstrate.
This also changes the way we think about our individual roles within the congregation. Every member has been given gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities that contribute to the health of the body. 1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that the church is composed of many members who belong to one body, each possessing an important role in the life of the whole.
When every member seeks the glory of Christ above personal recognition, the church becomes a beautiful testimony to the grace of God. Our differences in background, personality, preferences, and gifts become opportunities to demonstrate the unity that only the gospel can produce. The church belongs to Jesus, and our greatest privilege is to make much of Him.
A Church That Belongs to Christ
When I think about the future of Green Acres Baptist Church, I am filled with gratitude for what God has already accomplished, and anticipation for what He may yet do among us. For generations, faithful believers have prayed, sacrificed, served, given, and proclaimed the gospel so that people might come to know Jesus. We are beneficiaries of that faithfulness, and we have now been entrusted with the responsibility of stewarding this ministry for the generations who will follow us.
This Sunday...
I love our church family, and that includes you! I truly believe the greatest days of ministry are still ahead of us! With this in mind, I want to remind you of the opportunity we have this Sunday to vote on the Worship Pastor Candidate that is being brought forth UNANIMOUSLY from the Worship Pastor Selection Committee and our Executive Staff. I cannot wait for you to meet him and by God’s grace, and your vote of affirmation on Sunday, to begin working together with him. I truly believe that the Lord has directed this process. This candidate has met with staff, deacons, choir, orchestra, band members, led worship for our Senior Adult Wednesday Morning Bible Study, and much more. And this Sunday, he will be leading us in worship. Come excited for God’s direction, and ready to worship the Lord and hear from His Word.
I will be preaching Luke 17:11-19, the healing of the ten lepers. Ten desperate men stand at a distance and cry out for mercy, and Jesus heals every one of them as they go on their way. But only one of them, and Luke is careful to tell us he was a Samaritan, an outsider, turns around, comes back, throws himself at Jesus' feet, and gives thanks. Jesus asks the question that hangs over the whole scene. Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Church, all ten of those men were healed, and only one of them came back whole. Let’s continue to take steps together of growing in our faith and in the likeness of Jesus.
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00.
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett