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"Will the real New Testament church please stand up?"

The internet is replete with churches and denominations that claim to be the New Testament church. Further investigation, however, reveals that there is a significant disconnect between their understanding of doctrine and practice. While their doctrine might be congruent with the apostolic teaching of the New Testament, their practice clearly does not originate from the apostolic tradition of the New Testament. 
 
Without scriptural precedent, there are many today who rightfully question the practice of the modern religious church. Inconsistent with New Testament revelation, its practice can be difficult to explain, rationalize or reconcile. Indeed, it often provides more questions than answers.  

For example:
What is the purpose and mission of the modern religious church?
As demonstrated by spending and predominant activity, what is the primary emphasis of the modern religious church?
Why does the modern religious church have a “service”?  What is it designed to accomplish?
What is the origin of church buildings, pews, pulpits, and “services”?
Why is teaching the primary ministry of the modern religious church?
Who is responsible for protecting and preserving the doctrine of the modern religious church?
Has the modern religious church “service replaced the personal presence and ministry of Jesus Christ to His body”?
Why has the celebration of the Lord’s Supper become a somber ritual?
What happened to spiritually gifted “every member ministry”?
What happened to loving, corrective church discipline?
Why are most modern religious churches unable to fund outreach and missions?  
Why is the typical modern religious church unable to report one new conversion annually?
Why is the modern religious church largely ignorant about its spiritual enemy and his schemes?
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Questions about the practice of the modern religious church are plentiful. They exist because modern church practice is very different from the practice of the church described in the New Testament. Some of the differences can be clarified as follows: 
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Religious Church
New Testament Church
Source:
  • Human/Earthly.
  • Divine/Heavenly.
Nature:
  • Temporal.​
  • Eternal.​
Origination on Earth:
  • Fourth-century. 
  • First-century.
Description:
  • "Mixed-Marriage" (Pergamum).
  • Simulated Church.
  • Organized Church.
  • Institutional Church.
  • Traditional Church.
  • Cultural Church. 
  • Temporal Church. 
  • "Desired" (Ephesus).
  • Ecclesia or "assembly".
  • Organic Church.
  • Bride of Christ. 
  • Body of Christ.
  • Pillar and Support of the Truth.
  • Holy Priesthood.
  • Chosen Race.
  • Holy temple of the Lord.
  • The dwelling of God in the Spirit.
  • Eternal Church.  
Basis:
  • Human tradition. 
  • Eternal Covenant:
  1. Initiated between the members of the Godhead in eternity before the foundation of the world and fulfilled in time. Redemptive in nature, its stipulations included the willing death of the Son, His subsequent resurrection by the Father, and the application of its benefit to humanity by the Spirit. 
Calling:
  • Human conscience. 
  • Called by God before the foundation of the world:
  1. Called out from the condemnation and wrath of God. 
  2. Called together to enjoy God through intimate, shared life community. 
Function:
  • Organize religious activity for God. 
  • Facilitate shared life fellowship with God. 
  • As a consequence:
  1. The vindication of the nature of God to the angelic host. 
  2. The repopulation of the kingdom of God. 
Form:
  • Physical congregation. 
  • Inorganic; complex.
  • Function follows form:
  • Established by mankind, the form of a physical congregation was necessary to organize religious activity for God. 
  • Spiritual body. 
  • Organic; simple. 
  • Form follows function:
  1. Created by God, the function of facilitating shared life fellowship with God necessitated the form of a spiritual body. 
Purpose:
  • The organized practice of religious activity for God. 
  • The practice of shared life fellowship with God.     
Mission: 
  • Increase adherents.  
  • The cultivation and protection of shared life fellowship with God. 
  • As a consequence:
  1. The revelation and sharing of divine life on earth through gracious overflow.  
  2. The church serves as a divinely animated witness of God (Acts 1:8).  
Fulfillment of Purpose and Mission:
  • By mankind for God.
  • Through works of the flesh. 
  • By sight. 
  • By God for mankind. 
  • Through works of the Spirit. 
  • By grace through faith alone. 
Doctrine:
  • Human in origin. 
  • Subjective.
  • Relative. 
  • Preserved by human leadership and tradition. 
  • Divine in origin.
  • Objective.
  • Absolute. 
  • Preserved by God in accordance with collective submission to divine headship by fullness of the Spirit, the interdependent counsel of brothers and sisters, undergirded by the support of servant eldership. 
Body: 
  • Human beings united by common religious interest.
  • Comprised of "laity". 
  • Animated, formed, and cultivated by mankind. 
  • Co-equal brothers and sisters united by the indwelling life of God.
  • Ordered equality:
  • Equal in status.
  • Ordered in authority. 
  • Animated, formed, and cultivated on earth by the Spirit of Christ.
  • Animated through His work of regeneration, indwelling, and leading; formed by His baptizing and sealing; and cultivated on earth according to His fullness.  
Citizenship:
  • Earthly. 
  • Heavenly. 
Leadership:
  • Human headship manifested through professional "clergy".
  1. Decision-making by well-intended "clergy" and/or ruling eldership, often without scriptural qualification. 
  2. Sometimes supported by congregational vote. 
  3. Inequality between leadership and body ("clergy"/"laity" distinction). 
  • Esteemed above all else, the headship of Christ manifested by the fullness of His indwelling Spirit in the co-equal brothers and sisters.
  1. Decision-making by the Spirit-filled, prayerful consensus of the brothers and sisters.
  2. Supported by the gracious counsel of scripturally qualified servant eldership.
  3. Scripturally qualified deacons provide support to eldership.
  4. ​Equality of authority between church leadership and body. 
Source of Life/Animation/Power:
  • The effort of human life for God (mankind for God). 
  • Finite power. 
  • The effort of divine life for humanity (God for mankind).
  • Infinite power (the incomparable power of the indwelling life of God).
Works:
  • Prepared by mankind in time. 
  • Temporal.
  • Dead, physical works performed for God by human effort. 
  • Prepared by God beforehand. 
  • Eternal.
  • Living, spiritual works graciously fulfilled by God in cooperation with human faith. 
Governance:
  • Federal or democratic - governance for God. 
  • By human headship.
  1. Standing in proxy for divine headship.
  • ​By the external rule of law, characterized by reward for obedience and punishment for transgression. 
  • Theocratic - governance by God. 
  • By divine headship. 
  1. Joined federally and naturally to the headship of Jesus Christ. 
  • ​By the internal rule of indwelling life, characterized by lavish grace. 
Manifestation:
  • Predominantly manifested in static, impersonal, nonreciprocal large group meetings in special buildings in one location. 
  • Occasionally inclusive of law-based small groups. 
  • Predominantly manifested in dynamic, intimate, interactive, intergenerational small group community that moves from house to house in unlimited locations. 
  • Occasionally inclusive of life-based, large group gatherings for a specific purpose. 
Practice:
  • The observance of shared interest, religious activity for God (characterized almost exclusively by teaching about God). 
  • The nonreciprocal ministry of temporal life by select individuals to a largely passive audience.
  • Demonstrated through a prearranged liturgy. 
  • The celebration of life shared with God.
  • The interactive ministry of eternal life by the Spirit through the gifted involvement of every member of the body.
  • Evidenced by purposeful prayer; intentional community interaction; the Lord’s Supper as a full, celebratory meal; the fellowship of the Spirit; participatory praise and worship in song; the equipping of the saints; spiritually-gifted interactive ministry to one another; the joyful giving of material goods and finances to meet actual needs; corrective spiritual discipline; cooperative discipleship; and team-oriented outreach. 
Giving:
  • Giving to support religious activity. 
  • Giving predominantly if not exclusively for building and salary expenses. 
  • Disbursement determined by leadership minority. 
  • Cooperative giving with Christ by grace through faith.
  • Giving to support life-based ministry for the cultivation of life-based community.
  • Disbursement determined by prayerful consensus by the co-equal members of the body.
  • Predominantly local.
Growth:
  • Earthly, temporal, and physical.
  • Inorganic and linear.
  • The addition of individual adherents through organizational development and promotion.
  • Heavenly, eternal, and spiritual.
  • Organic and exponential. 
  • The multiplication of shared life community on earth.
Measure of Success:
  • Growth of attendance.
  • Growth of life-based community. 
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According to eternal plan, God began planting the seeds of reformation for the church on earth more than 1000 years ago. His reformation of the church was designed to occur through five interdependent stages. Progressive in nature, each stage of reformation would demonstrate the selfless love, unfailing mercy, and absolute justice of God.

The five stages of divine reformation were initiated by the restoration of access to divine truth (approximately AD 1000 to 1500). It was foundational for the second stage, known as the Protestant Reformation (AD 1517-1648). It served to reform church doctrine but had little to no influence on the reformation of church government, function and form, or practice.

The third stage of church reformation occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries. Characterized by the progressive reformation of church government, it was accomplished by two “Great Awakenings” and a number of “revivals.” They encouraged the church to turn from dependence on state government and its rule by priesthood or clergy and turn to greater dependence on the indwelling Spirit of God and His governance by the rule of indwelling life (zoe).

Initiated in the mid-20th century, the fourth stage of divine reformation addressed church function and form. As a result, the church began a gradual return to facilitating the practice of intimate fellowship with the Spirit of God through the form of a spiritual body.

Historically speaking, the reformation of access, doctrine, and government came first. They provided the foundation for the reformation of church function and form. It clarified the need for the reformation of church practice.
Initiated by God in the late 20th century, the reformation of church practice remains a work in progress. Concordant with the eternal plan of God, it will soon be completed.
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Each stage of the progressive reformation of the church has served the eternal purpose of God. They have allowed Him to reveal the attributes of His nature in heaven and on earth in a decisive manner.
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Many books have been written in the last 75 years about the original practice of the New Testament church. Included is the “The Real New Testament Church.”
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“The Real New Testament Church” examines fundamental church doctrines such as kingdom and covenant; law and life; works and grace. It reveals the original function, form, purpose, mission, and manifestation of the church on earth. Further, “The Real New Testament Church” explores the life of the church, its divine calling, the relevance of the “kingdom of heaven” parables, church composition, the critical importance of women, and more. 

Corresponding with its exploration of early church doctrine, “The Real New Testament Church” investigates the original practice of the early church. It discusses topics of relevance such as church governance, the application of apostolic teaching and tradition, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, giving, and church growth. “The Real New Testament Church” also furnishes an in-depth discourse on spiritual warfare, church reformation, and many other matters of practical importance.

“The Real New Testament Church” provides a view of the church largely unadulterated by religious tradition, organizational strategy, and cultural influence. Therefore, it offers solid answers to questions often left unanswered by traditional theological systems.

If you want to learn more about reforming the church to New Testament standard, please follow this link to "The Real New Testament Church". Without financial obligation to the reader, it provides a comprehensive view of early church doctrine and practice.