Firstly, it could be said that, the central purpose of the church is to be holy, and this came through Christ’s holy atoning work, 1 Pet 2:9. This holiness is first, so that the church is able to stand before God. So, the believer’s standing, both individually and collectively, is in Christ holiness. Then secondly, this is so that the church can live in practical holiness, Heb 12:14.
Another purpose is to be a worshipping community. That is, the
church is to show the worthiness of God who is to
receive all honour. Genuine worship focuses on
the God and not on the church, Jn 4:23-24. As God alone, is
worshipped, believers are blessed and spiritually strengthened,
through worship is a lifestyle. So, every aspect of a churches
life should be characterised by a desire to worship and glorify God,
1 Cor 10:31.
An additional purpose is that, the church is to be a family in
unity and participation with one another. The following are some
of the areas concerning this,
·
Salvation:
Phil 2:1
·
As
the Body of Christ: Eph 3:9
·
Unity
through the Spirit: Phil 2:1
·
Generosity:
2 Cor 8:4
·
Suffering: Acts
4:23; 5:41
·
Sharing
the gospel: Acts 4:31
·
Prayer: Acts 2:14,42;
4:31; 12:5,12; 13:3; 16:25
·
The
Lord’s Supper: Acts 2:14
·
Eating
together: Acts 2:46
A final area dealt with here is the sharing of
the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people around
us and making disciples. Christ in
His commissioning deployed the church to preach
the good news. This was to be done both at home and around the world,
Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8. The world needs the good news about Jesus, which we
have received. So, we need to give it away to those around us so that they can become disciples.
So, coming back to the opening question “What’s your understanding of
the church?”
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