: the reason why something
is done or used : the aim or intention of something
Product: noun prod·uct \ˈprä-(ˌ)dəkt\
: something that is the result of a process[1]
Let me
ask you a question: What is the purpose of the church? Why does it exist? What
is the “aim or intention”, to quote Mr. Webster, of the body of Christ? And
before you answer you can’t say “to glorify God” or “reach the nations” or
something churchy like that.[2] I would like for you to
think about it and give me a specific answer. Also, I would like you to support
your answer from the Bible, (of course). What can you point to in order to show
the exact purpose of the church?
While
you’re thinking about let’s get even more specific. What should be the product of the church? What should be
the “result of the process” of the body of Jesus Christ? If the church were a factory, what should you see coming out of the end? If you went to the Coke building and
went around to the back you would see bottles of sweet and delicious Coca-Cola[3] being loaded onto trucks
for delivery. If you went to an IPhone factory you should be able to see IPhones
at the end of the production line. The purpose of a Coke factory is to produce
Coca-Cola. A phone factory should produce phones. So what should exit the back
door of the church factory? Even more troublesome would be to ask what is
the church actually producing?
Maybe you
feel like you have the answer already in your mind. Maybe if you can’t resort
to a Christianese answer, you’re suddenly not so sure. Keep in mind the answers
you are probably thinking of, i.e. to glorify God, reach the nations for
Christ, are not bad answers, but I would challenge you to provide an answer
based on the sum total of the New Testament writings and provide supports for
your answer. Could you do it?
The goal
of these articles will be to explore the answer to the question: what should be
the purpose and product of the Church? Now I can already hear you asking,
(because I have enormous ears), the following questions: “Why do I need to
know? This seems like a boring question that only people who like studying
theology would ask.” “Why does it matter? My church is doing quite well thank
you very much?” Or “Who cares? I would rather hear about how I can be a better
husband[4] or how I can survive my
work without going off on my boss.”
I understand your concerns and I think these are valid
questions. Why does it matter what “the purpose and the product” of the church
is when I’m dealing with much more down to earth issues? Why should I, a
regular Joe[5]
care about something that only seems to concern pastors, preachers, and super-smart
people?
The answer is: the purpose and product of the church was
and is very important to God and to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ gave his life
for his bride, the church. God spent the entirety of the Epistles in the New
Testament talking about and to the church. The apostles wrote about how the
church should function, what it should look like, and what it should believe.
The simple fact of the matter is that the identity, beliefs, and behaviors of
the church are of utmost importance to God; therefore it should be of utmost
importance to us, his children.
Furthermore, as Christians we live and function within
the church on a regular basis. Shouldn’t we know what we should be expecting
each day, week, month and year? Shouldn’t we be alert and unsatisfied if the
church we are a part of is not acting in accord with the designs and purposes
of God? Shouldn’t we pursue God’s very best as a member of the body of Christ?
We certainly want to pursue God’s best as husbands and wives, parents,
employees, and children of God. We take time to study the Bible, read books, and
receive counseling and discipleship to make sure we are in line with what God
wants for each area of our lives. Why wouldn’t we make the same effort to
ensure the very body of Christ with which we associate ourselves is walking in
line with the designs of its creator?[6]
Therefore in these articles we’ll try to walk together
through the pages of the New Testament, particularly the Epistles, to determine
what the purpose and product of the Church should be, according to God. My aim
is not so much of a dry and boring Bible study, but an invitation for you, the
reader, to discover with me through God’s living word what God wants from His
Bride.
First off, some clarification is in order. My goal is to
determine what should be the purpose and product of the Church. I am not going
to spend time addressing the make-up, offices, or identity of the Church. These
are worthy discussions and studies to be sure, but they are separate studies
altogether. Secondly, I am going to try to get down into the heart of the
answer to the question about purpose and product. Therefore we’re going to have
to review carefully the verses in the New Testament to make sure we are looking
at those passages which actually speak to the answer we seek. There are large portions
of the Epistles which cover attitudinal or behavioral aspects of the Church but
do not speak directly to the purpose and product of the Church. We will not
take those passages into consideration. For example, 1st Corinthians
14 deals with the issue of tongues in the church. Paul is spending time on a
very important issue that affected, and still affects, the church of God.
However, this passage does not necessarily speak directly to the purpose of the
Church. There are also other passages about giving, loving each other, or
obedience to society’s laws, (just to name a few), which are also important
behavioral issues but don’t necessarily speak to or answer our question. In the
same way there are various passages about how a Christian should think about
himself, the Lord, the Second Coming, etc. These are no doubt incredibly
important and foundational issues, but they won’t answer the question proposed
in this article. So we’ll have to be selective as we study to make sure we’re
looking at the most pertinent verses and passages to answer our question. As
always, it is up to you, dear reader, to be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) and
test to see if what I have said correctly lines up with the Word of God.
So there you go. We’re off to see the wizard…I mean,
we’re off to seek out what God desires from his church. I hope we both leave
this endeavor encouraged, challenged, and maybe even uncomfortable with what we
find. Do you think you can handle it?[7]
[1]
Thank you, Mr. Webster
[2]
This is my article so I make the rules.
[3] I
am a Southerner, i.e. I love Coke.
[4]
Wives would like to know how their husband can get better too.
[5] Or
Joann
[6] So
yeah, it’s kind of important.
[7] Do
you see what I did there? I threw that in to mess with you competitive types
and keep you reading. You learn how to do these things if you’re a savvy
journalism major.
