Don't Be Fooled: How to Spot a Faithful Church by Its Preaching
I've spent over 20 years in ministry and missions, and what I’ve seen is this: the confusion clears when we stop following church traditions and start following what the Bible actually says.
This series is here to give you clear, biblical guidance so you can find a church that truly belongs to Jesus—not one that is built on man’s traditions.
In case you missed them, here are the previous articles in this series:
In our last post, we saw that God expects His people to gather together every first day of the week to worship Him. We also saw that we are to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The New Testament gives us several key activities that early Christians did when they came together:
They listened to preaching.
They prayed.
They gave financially.
They took part in the Lord’s Supper.
They sang psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
Today, we’re going to focus on one of the most important aspects of our weekly worship gathering: preaching, or the study of God’s word.
I say it’s the most important because it forms the foundation of everything else. If we don’t correctly understand God’s word, how can we worship Him in spirit and in truth?
Devotion to the Apostles’ Teaching
From the very beginning, we see that the early disciples devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching:
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42 | ESV)
That’s the kind of people we ought to be—devoted to the apostles’ teaching, especially when we assemble together as the body of Christ on the first day of the week. Only through that devotion will we know the will of God and truly worship Him.
Some people feel like we should listen to Jesus rather than the apostles. But here’s the thing—Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles to remind them of everything He taught and to guide them into all truth. So when we listen to the apostles, we’re listening to what Jesus wants us to know.
We have a full article on Paul versus Jesus that you can read here if you would like to learn more.
God Expects Us to Follow the Apostles’ Teaching
In 1 Corinthians 14:37, Paul writes:
"If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 14:37 | ESV)
He wasn’t giving suggestions—he was delivering commandments from the Lord. The apostles didn’t just make things up; there was a consistent standard of teaching:
"Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed." (Romans 6:17–18 | ESV)
This standard was taught in every church. Paul wrote:
"That is why I sent you Timothy... as I teach them everywhere in every church." ( 1 Corinthians 4:17 | ESV)
We see this consistency in other passages as well:
“As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.” (1 Corinthians 14:33–34 | ESV)
“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…” (1 Timothy 2:8 | ESV)
"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches." (1 Corinthians 7:17 | ESV)
"If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God." (1 Corinthians 11:16 | ESV)
The same teachings were shared in all the churches of God. Not only that, but we are also told to hold to the traditions of the apostles:
"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter." (2 Thessalonians 2:15 | ESV)
We’re not to hold to denominational traditions, pastoral preferences, or even the church fathers. We’re to hold to the apostles’ traditions—and since they’re no longer with us physically, that means holding to what they wrote in Scripture.
What About Non-Apostles?
Even non-apostles were instructed to follow the apostles’ pattern:
"Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:13 | ESV)
"What you have heard from me... entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." (2 Timothy 2:1–2 | ESV)
This shows that there was a clear, consistent teaching—a pattern—that every congregation followed. While the application might differ based on local situations, the truth of God’s word remained the same.
Guarding Against False Teaching
Sadly, many ministers have not held to this pattern. Christians are warned to guard themselves:
"…watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them." (Romans 16:17–18 | ESV)
"…keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition..." (2 Thessalonians 3:6–7 | ESV)
“...charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine... certain persons... have wandered away into vain discussion.” (1 Timothy 1:3–7 | ESV)
“...evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13 | ESV)
"…if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6–9 | ESV)
If there were so many false teachers when the apostles were still alive, how many more do you think there are today? It’s a sobering thought.
Our Solution: God’s Word
Thankfully, God has given us the solution—His unchanging, revealed will in the Bible:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1 | ESV)
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16–17 | ESV)
God’s word equips us for every good work. That includes knowing how to worship Him and how to identify a faithful church.
That’s why every preacher and teacher must not go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6).
What’s Next?
Imagine sitting in a congregation where the teaching is straight from Scripture… where you’re growing, worshiping in truth, and confident you’re following Jesus—not man’s traditions.
So here’s a 3-step plan to move forward:
Test everything by Scripture — not feelings, not opinions, not church traditions.
Look for a church where the preaching comes from the Bible
Keep reading this series as we walk through each part of biblical worship.
If we don’t stay anchored to the apostles’ doctrine, we’re wide open to false teaching—just like Paul warned.
So as you search for a faithful church, don’t just ask what feels good—ask: Is the preaching based on Christ’s and His apostles’ teaching?
In the next post, we’ll look at another part of biblical worship so you can keep comparing what you hear to what the Bible actually says.
