The church, her mission, her purpose and her message

Ephesians 3:8-12

Does the church still have a purpose in the world today?

The mission of any organisation is defined by it’s members. The church is the “called out ones” who belong to Jesus. The mission of the church is eternal. The church is the bride of Christ that comes out of Jesus Himself. Jesus prayed for us not to be taken out of the world because we have a mission here. The Christian’s job is to bring God to light. We are a part of the manifold wisdom of God and are sent into the world to display His wisdom.

The church does not exist ‘primarily’ to protest injustice in the world. When we see these things we are broken by them because we serve a holy God. When we preach the full gospel of God we address eliminate these things. We should not bury our head in the sand. The problem is sin itself. The Gospel is the solution to sin (Romans 1:16-17). The Christian’s mission is to declare the Gospel. We need to reconcile the world to God through declaring the Gospel.

The mission of the church is:

To be members of the household of God – The only dwelling place of God on earth is the church. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have made their home in us. The church is the dwelling place of God.
To benefit it’s none members – There are many examples of this in the history of the world. Do not confuse what the Gospel is with what the Gospel does.
To primarily benefit it’s members – We are called to grow into the fullness of Christ. We are called to feed ourself? Will Bassett posed the question, “Is there bread in house of bread?” Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep. Jesus did not want Peter to neglect the church in the preaching the Gospel to the world. Revival in the world begins in the house of God.
To enlighten the world and heaven to the plan of God – We are called to be a prism through which the light of God comes through to be dispersed to the world in which we live. Even the angels look at us and praise God. The manifold wisdom of God is made known to the world and to the principalities and powers in heaven. There was a problem in heaven – how could a just and Holy God forgive sin? The cure for sin and plan of God was Jesus (John 3:16) and the church’s purpose is to reveal this cure for sin. There is no hope for the world outside of the plan of God in Jesus.