The Purpose & Mission of the Church

In recent days I have been prayerfully examining the purpose and mission of the church. This process has been centered on several key passages of Scripture directly dealing with the church.  This is the first of at least three blog posts where I will begin to deal with these matters. 

 In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul says “… I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” There are three things that we need to understand from this passage. 

First, the church is where God dwells. Jesus dwells in us, his temple/household, through His Spirit. His people are His “household” and should not be confused with the physical structure where the church may gather. 

 Secondly, the church is the church of the living God. God is alive and well. In Christ He defeated sin, death and Satan. He is currently ruling and reigning from His throne in heaven and from the throne of our hearts. 

 Thirdly, we see that the church is “the pillar and support of the truth.” The Church must be Word-saturated, Word-centered and Word-driven in all we do. When Jesus came to the earth He was full of grace and truth. He gave the truth to the church as our foundation and guide so that we would dispense it to the world.

Another passage I have been reflecting on is Ephesians 3:10,21. Paul explains: “so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” 21“ to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Here we again see how vital wisdom or truth is to the church. Verse 10 shows that a primary purpose of the church is to be a dispenser of wisdom/ truth. We are not called to dispense human wisdom or cleverness, but the wisdom and truth of God. This wisdom/truth is described in the preceding verses as the gospel or the “unfathomable riches of Christ.”

This truth is to be dispensed both to the lost and dying world (verse 8) and to the demonic forces who have been allowed to rule and have authority for a short time. For the demonic there is no future hope only temporary satisfaction. Those who are lost and without Christ, there is hope in Christ and in His gospel alone. We are called to proclaim both Jesus’ victory over darkness and hope for the nations.

In verse 21 we see that God is glorified in both Christ Jesus and in His church. We are to be the people who constantly live our lives to bring glory to God. Jesus is our example of how to live a life that glorifies God supremely, but not only that, He has given us His Spirit to enable us to live a God-centered and God-glorifying life.

When we try to apply these and other passages of Scripture to our church we must be cautious. As the old saying goes “the Devil is in the details.” I have found that to be my experience regardless of what church I attended or served.  The question we must ask ourselves when considering ministries, programs, activities or decisions is what would bring God maximum glory. If we ask this question first we will guard ourselves against making an idol of traditions and against the sin of selfishness. By asking this question in a sense we are saying not our will, but Yours be done; knowing that the Lord’s will is that which brings Him most glory.

The follow-up question must be how does God’s Word direct us in making this decision. If the church is the “pillar and support of the truth” then we must make decisions that are informed by clear biblical teaching. We might ask is the ministry, program or activity, we are considering, central to accomplishing the mission and purpose of the church.  The answer must be rooted and grounded in prayerful consideration of the Scriptures.

Another question we should ask ourselves is whether or not this ministry, program, or activity is the best use of our time, talents/gifts and treasures. In a nutshell if we do this are we convinced that we are being good stewards with all that the Lord has given to us. You could also ask is this the most effective and efficient way to accomplish the purpose and mission of God. We do not want to be wasteful or careless, but wise stewards who carefully consider the cost.

To be continued…