Series Details
The church belongs to Jesus and to no one else. She is His bride. But if a local church strays from its holy calling, that church risks losing its very identity.
What can a church do, then, to remain pure and deep? God’s Word has the answer.
In this important series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll casts a clear, biblical vision of what comprises a healthy church. Learn these essential truths and timely applications in this nine-part series that will inspire church leaders and congregants alike!
In a culture that is increasingly secular and a church that is often drifting toward entertainment or legalism, there is an urgent need for a “wake-up call.” In this 9-part series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll returns to the foundational blueprint of the New Testament church. By emphasizing the Lordship of Christ and the essential marks of a healthy community, Chuck provides a roadmap for local churches to move away from “the long drift” and toward a vibrant, contagious, and deep spiritual life.
1. The Church: Let’s Start Here (Matthew 16:13–19)
- Overview: Sets the foundation by declaring that the Church belongs to Jesus and no one else. The Church is built on the confession of Christ as Lord, not on human personalities or clever marketing.
- Key Fact: The existence and purpose of the church rest entirely on the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ.
- Scripture: Matthew 16:18 – “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the symbols of Hades will not overpower it.”
2. Challenges, Struggles, Solutions, Priorities (Selected Scriptures)
- Overview: Addresses the modern “identity crisis” of the church. Chuck identifies the specific cultural challenges that cause churches to lose their way and points back to the priorities of the early church in Acts.
- Key Fact: When a church confuses its mission with cultural trends, it risks losing its power to transform lives.
- Scripture: Acts 2:42 – “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
3. Distinctives of a Contagious Church (Selected Scriptures)
- Overview: What makes a church “contagious”? It is not high-production value, but the presence of genuine love, uncompromised truth, and a spirit of joyful resilience.
- Key Fact: A contagious church doesn’t just attract a crowd; it impacts a community through the visible transformation of its members.
4. Worship: A Commitment . . . Not a War (Part One)
- Overview: Tackles the “worship wars” that have divided many congregations. Chuck argues that worship is a heart-commitment to God, not a matter of musical style or personal preference.
- Key Fact: True worship is vertical (directed at God) and should never be sidelined by horizontal arguments over tradition versus contemporary trends.
- Scripture: Psalm 95:6 – “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
5. Worship: A Commitment . . . Not a War (Part Two)
- Overview: Continues the study on worship, focusing on the “spirit and truth” required for genuine encounter with God.
- Key Fact: Worship is an active response of the soul to the greatness of God, which transcends the “performance” aspect of a service.
- Scripture: John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
6. What Must the Church Realize? (Selected Scriptures)
- Overview: A sobering look at the spiritual reality of the Church’s position in the world. Chuck encourages churches to realize their role as a “lighthouse” in a dark culture.
- Key Fact: The church must realize that its primary influence comes from being different from the world, not similar to it.
7. How Should the Church React? (Selected Scriptures)
- Overview: Provides a strategic response to cultural hostility and internal apathy. The church is called to react with grace, boldness, and a renewed commitment to its first love.
- Key Fact: The church’s reaction to a wrong world should be “right living” and a fearless proclamation of the Gospel.
8. The Church on a Long Drift (Revelation 2–3)
- Overview: Uses the letters to the seven churches in Revelation to illustrate how a healthy church can slowly “drift” into lukewarmness, legalism, or compromise.
- Key Fact: The “long drift” is usually subtle and occurs when we stop being vigilant about our spiritual health and doctrine.
- Scripture: Revelation 2:4 – “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
9. It’s Time to “Restore the Years” (Joel 2:25)
- Overview: The series concludes with a message of hope and restoration. No matter how far a church has drifted, God is able to restore what has been lost through genuine repentance and renewal.
- Key Fact: Renewal is always possible because the Potter is still at work on His human clay, and He delights in “restoring the years that the locust has eaten.”
- Scripture: Joel 2:25 – “Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten.”
