"The Purpose of the Church Among the World"

  There were 8 of us in a discussion. Men whom are men of the word holding it with all their heart and with attitudes of humility. We were discussing the purpose of the church of the Lord. What was realized and agreed upon was this: if the church among the community we live offers nothing but more advice on how to live rightly, if it offers nothing more than a call to treat people right, if it offers little or nothing more than ways to make us more attractive, if it offers nothing more than how to make our marriages and families better, or the giving out commodities,  if this is all we focus on, we need to shut the doors! We ought to close the doors and quit pretending that we are offering something distinctive, something that can't be gained anywhere else! We ought to close it up because on these terms we are only offering what every other socially useful group is offering (and many times using their material) while they deny the gospel call of God in Christ Jesus!

  What is more alarming is the church of our Lord is not in the 'business' to compete with other religious movements which many have sought and pronounced. The 'business' as the one body, the church of Jesus Christ, is to be a bearer of God's story of redemption!! We aren't here to help societies and nations to live up to some moral code. We aren't here to stand for freedom rights and political awareness. Too many in the community around are standing on these issues. These are not what the life of the church is built upon.

  When God made His covenant with Israel, He warned them that this covenant was based on who He is and not on their success of military, economics, government or any thing else. That was not the basis of the God's people. God warned His people not to buy into the nations around about what they worshiped, spoke and followed. But Israel slowly drifted into the mind sets of the nations around, picking up their habits and thinking. God sent the prophets calling His people to repentance reminding them about the Exodus, the Wilderness, the Passover and the Almighty who was their God. In all the commandments given, they were embedded in the redeeming work of God on their behalf. This is why they sang, prayed, studied because they had a story of redemption from the Holy One. The lives they lived were not an attempt to live up to some moral code to be shared equally with the entire human race. It was a life lived in the image of God, a life bearing witness to God! They weren't speaking about themselves but about their God, the God who in holiness created them to be His witnesses to the lost world around (Isa. 43:9-13).

  We as God's children, Christ's church are not to forget our 'Exodus' from sin. We are not to forget our baptism in union with our Lord and Redeemer. We are called to eat His Supper just as Israel was called to eat their Passover. It doesn't matter if the world pokes holes in it. It is our redeeming relationship to Jesus that makes us who we are and we have a story to tell...HIS STORY!

  The NT church is the creation of God and in and through it (even with our many flaws) we are to hold up a life saving message before the face of all people. The church was not to accommodate and sink itself so that we can become another 'nice' moral group, with 'nice' messages on how to make your marriage stronger (but it will do that), or that you will find prosperity in life and happiness in our assemblies! This isn't the message that has been entrusted to the NT church of the Lord. We are not placed here simply for social dynamics! Any hope, joy and happiness that is distinctively found in Jesus rests completely on the Gospel of God. The NT church like the OT church (Israel) fails and grows weaker when this is forgotten. The church will suffer the loss of identity and purpose and the world around us will suffer loss because of it!

  We are here simply because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's how we originated and that's how we are sustained. Our study of Scripture (Bible study) is not about getting more information or merely understand what an writer meant. It is about being shaped and sustained by our oneness with Jesus and Him crucified which results in His body. We must be careful that we aren't swallowed up by the drifts and cultures of the community we find ourselves in. We are in Jesus as His body to teach and speak in the presence of the entire human family God's gospel of redemption found only in Christ Jesus!