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WHAT KINDS OF THINGS SHOULD THE CHURCH DO? Matthew 28:18-20 . . . Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” One of the primary jobs of the church is to make disciples and to teach people God’s truth. HOW IS THE CHURCH SUPPOSED TO FUNCTION TOGETHER? Romans 12:3-6 . . . Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. Ephesians 4:16 . . . Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
God intends the different members of the body to find their places and to function in their areas of ministry, so that the body can be spiritual healthy. Ephesians 4:1-6 . . . Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. God especially desires unity and peace in the church, because this accurately portrays the truth about God and our faith. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH? Acts 2:47 . . . Each day the
Lord added to their group those who were being saved. The church is a gathering-place for those who are saved by faith in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 . . . Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you Christians are that temple. One of the purposes of the church is to exhibit God’s holiness to its members and to the world. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 . . . The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ’s body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit. The church exhibits the unity and reconciliation between different people which is possible in Christ by his Spirit. Ephesians 4:11-12 . . . He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
The church exists in part to equip God’s people to do God’s work and to encourage them in their faith. Revelation 19:7-8 . . . Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest white linen. The church is Christ’s bride-a picture of the intimate fellowship which God’s people will enjoy with him. |
