Jesus Christ established His “church,” a group of believers who carry out His will and mission to reach the lost on earth. On Peter’s confession of faith, that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah,” the Lord proclaimed Peter’s revelation from God would be the foundation upon which any church stands. Meetings of believers take place in a church building, but the believers themselves are Christ’s church, not the building.

What is the purpose of church? There are several purposes. One is to come together to grow in the faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do this by listening to Sunday School teachers who use the Bible to share what it says, and pastors who explain the Word of God to us as we follow along in our Bibles and take notes on the preaching.

Another purpose is to remember Christ’s sacrifice for us Jesus allowed His body to bear our sins on His sinless one to pay our personal sin debts. He shed His blood to pay those debts, for “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.” Only His sacrifice was acceptable. No one else could pay this price for us. We also remember through communion that He promised to return and take us with Him to live throughout eternity under His perfect reign.

God wants believers to play our active part in building His Kingdom. Since the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to each believer when they pray and accept Christ as their personal Savior, Jesus expects us to use these gifts for the building up and equipping of the saints (anyone who is a believer through faith in Christ), to aid in the work of the gospel and growth of believers, so we carry out His work on earth as it is in heaven. We support one another, pray for one another, and encourage each other to continue in doing good for each other and those in the world around us. Believers are to glorify God in all we say and do.

Does this mean that every believer is now perfect and without sin? No! It means Christians acknowledge their need for Christ’s payment of their sin debt, not His. He is sinless. It means because we now are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, Christ in us empowers and motivates us by His love for all people to join in this gift He’s provided for sinners. Christian believers become Christ’s hands and feet, mouths and bodies through which He lives and loves all He created in His image in the beginning. Believers, as His ambassadors, carry out what He did when He walked this earth. This is our mission for the Lord.

Are Christians perfect and sin no more> No! Believers are sinners who acknowledge Jesus as their Savior, but until each one enters heaven, s/he will fall short of Christ’s standard for perfection. Thus, daily we need to seek His guidance, strength, and forgiveness so we can keep on walking in faith in His will.

Through the church, believers learn how to use the gifts given them by the Holy Spirit. As we practice using these gifts and allow God to work through us using them, we show our faithfulness with these resources He gave us. In the new kingdom, I believe He will reward us according to how faithful we used the gifts to determine how He will entrust us with them in His eternal kingdom.  Are you utilizing these precious gifts in this world for Him now? If not, why would you expect Him to allow you to use them for Him throughout eternity?

In this world, people spew out hatred, criticism, deceit, violence, and struggles daily! Is is any wonder Christians who are targeted more and more as stupid and undesirable need the support of other believers as much as possible? Every where we turn, we’re told we are intolerant, bigots, old-fashioned, weak-minded, ignorant, and obsolete. Through encouragement of the Word, shared experiences, wisdom from other believers, learning of God’s Word, and prayer, believers receive the “food” they need to continue on walking in this world of darkness while shining light into the hearts about Jesus Christ as being the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

These are some purposes of the church. What about you? What encourages you to continue seeking the goodness and hope you once treasured? Let me know how you cope with the world situations and life struggles of our day? What does church do for you? Better yet, what do you do for your church? Thanks for stopping by!