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bits from bob....
What is the church about? What is the purpose of the church? Is the church a repository for the saved? (Eph. 5:23) Is the church a reservoir of blessings to be used by Christians or is it a conduit by which blessings flow to the world? Is the church a support system and family, or is it an outreach organization?
God ultimately wants his human creation to see him, find him, and know him; to honor, love, and respect him; to respond to him and thus become like him by his power and Spirit. Christians live their lives by that reality-establishing healthy relationships vertical and horizontal, adopting lifestyles that reflect his glory.
God desires that the church be involved in this process. God gives the church the opportunity to participate in his eternal purpose. How do you understand the church? Are we on a treasure hunt or a life-saving mission? We are first on a treasure hunt; but we are also called to share the treasure.
The church must understand "what business it is in." We are not in the entertainment business, we are not in the benevolence business (except that being benevolent makes us like God and is a reflection of him), we are not in the general education business, we are not in the secular needs-meeting business. We are not in the self-gratification business. We are in a spiritual business. We are in the blessing business. We are in the treasure (salvation) business. We are in the same business God is in. If we are not about that task, how can we justify the tasks we accept? Is it accurate to say that some churches appear to be in no "business" at all?
Does the church feel guilty when it fails to evangelize? Jesus gave the Great Commission, "go make disciples of the nations." God desires that we teach others. Why is it so difficult?
Being what God wants us to be makes doing what God wants us to do a lot easier. Discipleship (for us and for others) is natural. Evangelism is natural. Matthew 28 says, "As you are going…." Being precedes doing. How can we restore as part of the life of the church that we are primarily about doing what God put us here to do, as individuals and corporately? At least part of the answer is in becoming what God calls us to become.
As we balance being and doing, we need memorable ways to communicate the church's values and vision, mission and purpose. What does God want to accomplish in the church? What is God's purpose for the church? Read the New Testament with this question in mind (at least Acts to Revelation). Consider these five activities of the church that help it fulfill its purpose.