The Three-fold Purpose of the Church
Introduction
Illustration:
A rich man was determined to give his mother a birthday present that would outshine all others. He read of a bird that had a vocabulary of 4000 words, could speak in numerous languages and sing 3 operatic arias. He immediately bought the bird for $50,000 and had it delivered to his mother. The next day he phoned to see if she had received the bird. "What did you think of the bird?" he asked.
She replied, "It was delicious."
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An Arabic proverb says
“One who doesn’t know the Falcon, Grills it”
One who doesn’t know the purpose, doesn’t understand it
Everything around us has a purpose. Most of us can quickly tell what the purpose is for most everything with which we come into contact. The Mic here has a purpose, the Bible, the guitar, the drums, the pulpit, the chairs the lights, the PA system has a specific purpose. But when it comes to explaining our own purpose, for many it is a difficult, if not impossible, task.
Without purpose, there can be no means. Purpose is the one that gives us direction in all that we do. Without purpose, one tends to get lost faster.
It’s just like going on a journey – when you know where you’re going, then we can plan for the trip. So knowing the purpose is vital to whatever we do …
Illustration – Alice in Wonderland
Alice asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you please tell me which way I ought to go from here?” The cat says, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to”- Alice replies “I don't much care where” The cat then said, “Then it doesn't matter which way you go”
Knowing the value of what we have and the purpose of why we have it, gives us a clear direction.
Today, I am going to be speaking about the Purpose of the Church.
A few weeks back, Ps. Pyn was sharing that he wanted to emphasize the church in the church.
So I thought, it would be a good sermon to prepare. So I wrote down the main points of this sermon a few weeks ago, but as many people do, I prepared this whole sermon, last night only.
Until we know what our church exists for, we will have no foundation, no motivation, no direction, and no unity.
What is a church?
Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which is Ecc – out (same as ectoplasm, ectogenic, ectozoa, etc) and Kaleo – “to call” which can be translated as “an assembly” or “called-out one”.
But the English word “church” comes from a shortened form of another Greek word “Kuriakos” which means, “belonging to the Lord”.
In Romans 16:5- Paul refers to the church as the body of Christ and not a house. The body of Christ is the church and Jesus Christ is the head.
The body of Christ is comprised of two aspects namely;
a) The universal church- this consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ globally- 1 Corinthians 12:13, John 3:16, Ephesians 5:23-27
b) The local church- these are a group of those who believe in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who worship in the same locality and probably under a single denomination- Gal 1:1-2, 1 Cor 15:9, Gal 1:13
Let’s look at the 3-Fold Purpose of the Church
Three E-tions of the Purpose of the Church
Each Main point will begin with an “E” and end with “tion”
1. Exaltation
John 4:23 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him”
Exaltation of Christ is one of the Primary purposes why we exist on this earth as a church.
Christ died for us, shed His precious blood, gave His life and rose up again for this purpose that we may exalt Him in all that we do, we may worship Him.
Worshipping God, Exalting Him, Glorifying Him …
Actually I couldn’t find any other word for Worship other than Exaltation … I wanted my Main points to sync with one another …
Perhaps the grandest statement of His purpose can be found in Revelation 4:11, where we see heavenly beings gather in His praise, saying, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." And there we have it! God created us for His pleasure, for His ultimate good will, because it is best in His estimation.
Repeat: We are the church … We are Worshippers
“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.”
? A.W. Tozer
We cannot worship God enough and be done with it. Even if we have worshipped him for 10,000 years, He will still be worthy of all the worship that all could give. That is how awesome He is …
Why is worship the church’s purpose? The answer begins with this foundational truth: Because we were born to worship. It is our reason for being. We must worship; we will worship something. We worship because that is how we were created.
God created humans to worship and demands that we exalt Him. God wants us to worship Him, not because he has a fragile ego or anything like that. He wants us to worship him because through our devotion to Him, we move closer to him, we travel a path that returns us to him. In other words, He wants us to worship Him for our sake, not for His
A.W.Tozer says, “We are saved to worship God. All that Christ has done for us in the past and all that He is doing now leads to this one end.”
Exaltation and Worship must be the purpose of the church, not only because it is our “chief end”, and not only because it reminds us why we exist, but because it is the very thing that we will continue to do for all time.
Worship will never end. It must begin with him. Worship is our created purpose, it is our present vocation, and it will continue for all time
Many talk about the great importance of Scripture, but have neglected its meaningful, creative use in worship.
Last week Ian spoke about the importance of using the Psalms in our worship and prayers and thanksgiving … Orientation, disorientation and a new orientation …
Illustration
One Sunday morning, Satan happened to be standing outside of a large Baptist Church. Inside, the people were singing, praying, and listening to a sermon. Someone passed by on the sidewalk and noticed Satan standing on the steps of the church. The passerby asked Satan if it bothered him to hear the people worshiping the Lord. With a demonic laugh, he said, “no it doesn’t bother me in the least. They get that way on Sunday, but they’ll be all right come Monday morning. It’s just a little habit they have acquired.” Unfortunately that’s true of a lot of people. Worship is supposed to make a difference in who we are and what we do.
We were created as individuals and as a church to Worship and Exalt God. This is the one of the Primary purposes that Church Exists.
Repeat: We are the church … We are Worshippers
2. Edification
Ephesians 4:11-14 (especially verse 13)
“… to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ …”
Edification is also the purpose of the church. When God planned the salvation of His people through Jesus, He needed a place to bring them in, where they will grow.
The word used for “edification” in the New Testament (KJV only, about 20 times) is oikodomé, which translates literally as “the building of a house.” (built up)
Building a house takes time, and planning. It has to be built properly for it to stand when perilious times come upon it. If not, it will be like the one in Matt.7, falling down …
As Christians we are expected to grow spiritually. Our knowledge of God should be ever-increasing, and our obedience to Him should be continually perfected. The Christian life is about "improvement." Not self-improvement or works-based improvement, but newness from God. In Christ we are new creations and we are being made new (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 3:12). We have been declared righteous and are becoming righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 1:6).
Repeat : We are the church … We edify Each other
Illustration
Cars movie – Lightning Mcqueen – climax scene – doesn’t finish the race but stops short of the line and helps another car called Weathers over the finish line – believes in team work – that is edification
We all grow together and not only individually
We are the Body of Christ and though there is our personal growth in Christ, we are also called to grow and operate as a body together
Illustration
A 3 yr old girl was lost in a huge field of wheat which was taller than her. The family called in their friends and church members to help. They searched all day and still couldn’t find her. The field was immense. Then a little boy suggested, “Let’s hold hands in a straight line and walk in the field. Then we could cover the entire breadth of the field at one go. And they found the little girl.
Our purpose in Christ is to grow and also help others grow in areas that they need help.
That is why God gave a variety of gifts and offices in the church …
Church … It’s not the local church that I am talking about here, it is global church. Or am I talking about the local church too? Yes, both …
Nowadays, there is an increase in the TV churches … online churches, streaming churches …
Don’t get me wrong .. we can worship anywhere and in any manner … But we might not get the fellowship that we need …
Hebrews 10:25 to “not [be] neglecting meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
"On the most elementary level, you do not have to go to church to be a Christian. You do not have to go home to be married either. But in both cases if you do not, you will have a very poor relationship."
Fellowship is a part of edification. We meet one another and enquire and share, pray and support and encourage one another. The experience is priceless and this we will not get online.
Our English word, “fellowship” is the translation of the Greek word, “koinonia.” This Greek word is derived from the root, “koinos,” which was a prefix in ancient Greek. If you were to add this prefix to words meaning “living,” “owning a purse,” “a dispute,” and “mother,” you would get words meaning “living in community together,” “owning a purse in common,” “a public dispute,” and “having a mother in common.” So we see that the root of the word, “fellowship,” means “to hold something in common.”
The Greek word, “koinonia,” was used to describe corporations, labor guilds, partners in a law firm, and the most intimate of marriage relationships.
From the usage of the word, we can conclude that fellowship is a word denoting a relationship that is dependent on more than one individual. It is an interdependent relationship.
Jesus is the Head of the Church and He expects His body to cooperate.
We are the body of Christ, not the body parts of Christ …
We need each other as each other needs us
Illustration
In grown toe nail – every week I have to chip a little off of my big toe, if I neglect, in two weeks, there comes a dull pain and a week later, the pain becomes unbearable. My whole body suffers.
When one member suffers, the whole body would and should.
Repeat : We are the church … We edify Each other
3. Evangelization
Matt.28 -19-20 – “Go into all the world and preach the gospel …”
This one is my favorite. Every time, this one just keeps popping in my preaching.
Without this the church’s mission in this world is unfinished. God has given the mandate to the Church. Since the Church hasn’t accomplished the mission, there has been an increased number of para-church organisations that are doing this work.
The purpose of the Church is to Evangelize.
Repeat : We are the church … We reach out
“Church is the only club that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members …”
C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity says “the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ.”
Illustration
Letter from Jesus to the Church
"Dear church: This is My commission to you - in fact, you might even call it a Great commission. You are to go to all people everywhere and call them to become My disciples. You are to baptise them and teach them to obey all that I have commanded you. Don't forget, I will be with you always to help you, even to the end of the world. I will never leave you nor forsake you, because I love you. Please don't forsake Me. With all My love, Jesus Christ."
"Dear Jesus Christ: We acknowledge the receipt of Your recent communication. Your proposal is both interesting and challenging; however, due to a shortage of personnel, as well as several other financial, personal and security considerations, we do not feel that we can give proper emphasis to Your challenge at this time. We hope you understand the place we live in and the timing of your Commission. A committee has been appointed to study the feasibility of the plan. We should have a report to bring to our congregation sometime in the future. You may rest assured that we will give this our careful consideration, and our board will be praying for You and Your efforts to find additional disciples. We do appreciate Your offer to serve as a resource person, and should we decide to undertake this project at some point in the future, we'll get back to You. Cordially, The Christians."
Jesus has no other plans to save the unbelievers except through us.
As long as there is even one unbeliever in this world, our efforts of bringing them the gospel cannot stop …
Acts 1:8 – “When you receive power, … you will be my … Witnesses”
God has given us the power to be witnesses …
Some have told me that … yes brother, I have lived my life and shone my light before men so that they would glorify God.
Jesus calls us not only to shine the light but also share the gospel with people. It is not either… or , it is both… and …
We cannot conveniently take one part of the Bible for us and say that the other part is not for me but only for evangelists. Either the whole Bible is for me or not.
A man of God once said, “When they kill me, it will be for preaching Christ, and not for staying silent” – He said, when they kill me, not if they kill me …
It is the heart-cry of God and many other people of God
Ex. 32:32 - Moses said – oh, these people have sinned, yet if you do not forgive them, then blot out my name from the book of life
John knox said – give me Scotland or I die
Romans 9:3 - Paul said, For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, …
All souls are equally precious but not all are equally strategic –
That’s why we need different strategies to reach different people. If you want to know more, approach Pastor Pyn, and we can train you to know how to reach out to the different groups that you face.
Illustration
A poll in the US – 72% of the Americans didn’t know their neighbors
Do you know your neighbors here? Have you shared with them, your colleagues, friends?
For God so loved the world, not just a few,
The wise and great, the noble and the true,
Or those of favored class or rank or hue.
God loved the world. Do you?
Repeat : We are the church … We reach out
Conclusion
The 3 fold purpose of the Church
Exaltation
Edification
Evangelization
Does that mean that all the other things that we do here don’t count. No! Every single thing that we do here falls under one of these. We Exalt the Lord not only through our worship but in front of other people shining our light and sharing Jesus with believers and unbelievers, sharing our resources for the benefit of the community of believers, sharing the good news of Jesus with others, edifying and uplifting and building up the body of believers.
