Jack Hibbs : The Difference Between a Real Church and a Religious One

If your life has truly been transformed, you carry a constant, daily awareness that you belong to God and are part of His family—every day, 24 hours a day. When we become both hearers and doers of God’s Word, we won’t even need to force ourselves to “preach” Christ. Instead, we will show Christ through the way we live—and people will notice.

They will look at you and ask, “What’s different about you?” And God’s invitation is simple: walk with Him openly, so your neighbors and unbelieving friends can see what a life with God looks like.

When they ask, “Where does this hope come from?” you can confidently say, “Follow me as I follow Him—because God is real and He can be experienced.”

This message may not feel comfortable. It’s not the kind of teaching designed to entertain or make everyone feel at ease. You might feel tempted to ignore it—but if you’re willing to face the truth, it will challenge you in the best way.

God is calling us to take action—starting close to home. If God called the Apostle Paul to reach the ends of the earth, then in today’s world, many believers have barely brought the gospel to the end of their own street. We need to step it up.

Time is short. This is a moment for repentance, urgency, and commitment—making sure every neighbor has heard the truth. And we must do this together.

So if you’re ready, let’s continue this Bible study in the Book of Romans, picking up where we left off. The focus is clear: one family, one and all—what it means to belong to the family of God, how we should live, and how that identity should shape our actions.

Today’s teaching is like a spiritual family conversation—a direct, loving challenge from God’s Word. It is a call to become real, living, breathing children of the Most High God, and to live out everything that comes with that identity.

We are now in Romans 15, beginning at verse 14.

After prayer and reading, the study continues with a reminder: although many people think Romans is ending, the book’s conclusion actually spans two full chapters—Romans 15 and 16. Chapter 16 includes many personal greetings, but Romans 15 contains Paul’s final major push on doctrine.

And doctrine matters.

Doctrine is biblical teaching—the truth that helps believers understand what they believe, why they believe it, and whether their faith is genuine. If we cannot explain or defend what we claim to believe, we should ask ourselves if we truly understand it at all.

Jesus said, “I will build my church.” No pastor, committee, or group builds the church. Christians do not build the church—we cooperate with Christ, and He builds it.