"The Purpose of the Church"

  It seems the church is missing something. While everyone is caught up in different ideas of the church and its worship of God, something has slowly been pushed to the side and many do not even realize it. I've gotten three different emails over the last week stating the idea that the church is a hospital for the sick, not the well. That's not true. The church is the saved! The church is the body of Jesus directed by Him being the head. It is made up of people who once were enveloped by sin and death but now are free from condemnation and sin. The church is sanctified. The church is made up of saints. I see no sickness here. That's why we assemble to worship to praise Him who delivered us and made us whole. The church is the 'gospelized'!

  In all this we see that as long as people are abused in this world, people are lonely, families are crushed and destroyed, people sense that nothing will ever change, no matter what governments say, no matter who has the greatest armies, no matter how many laws are enacted, as long as there are such in this world the church needs to be preaching the gospel of salvation. That's what we've lost. People are caught up in having fairs for the neighborhood children, feeding, clothing everyone to show we care (and yet we need to show we care) but it's the gospel that will truly change the lives and thinking of people! The gospel we should be proclaiming is about a Person, our Savior! The truth of the gospel is true even if one has been born into a prison-like society where predators suppress the truth by evil and vile means. Even if the gospel is met with rejection and not believed upon, it's still God's power and true!

  Listen church, a day will come when all wrongs will be righted!! When are we going to believe that? We can feed, cloth and let ever child laugh for a day but that will not help them one bit eternally. (I want you to know I am not saying we aren't to help the downtrodden. We put emphasis on the wrong side of things!) It's the gospel the church is failing to teach. It's the gospel those apostles were sent into the world to share with others. It's the gospel that the church preached when persecutions hit in that first century. It's the gospel that will bring people into fellowship with their Creator and that's for eternity. When Jesus set foot on this planet, He could have feed, clothed and healed every single person He came in contact with but He didn't. Why? He came to save!

  We are to uphold the Lord Jesus Christ in His gospel. Only the NT Church has that message!!! As long as there is a world in awful need there will be the need for submitting to the Lordship of Jesus telling His redemptive story to each one we possibly can. As people come to believe that gospel, people from all walks of life, in difficulties or gain, they will gather with all the saints and worship the One who bought them and will be thankful for the gospel message. CHURCH, WE NEED TO GOSPEL PEOPLE!