I know that I've written on this recently, but this is the era that I am in right now. So for that reason, I want to dig even a bit deeper on this subject.
I don't know about you, but I am exhausted with what today's culture has turned the Church into.
Somewhere throughout time, we traded a living movement for a weekly event. We exchanged participation for spectatorship, discipleship for programming, and dependence on the Holy Spirit for carefully managed experiences.
When I read the book of Acts and then look at much of what we call "church" today, I can't help but ask: How did we get so far from where we started?
According to the New Testament, the purpose of the Church is surprisingly simple. Everything else the Church does should serve these core purposes
1. Glorify God & Proclaim the Gospel
The Church exists first for God's glory.
"To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations..." (Ephesians 3:21) The Church is not primarily about meeting our preferences, growing an organization, or entertaining people. It exists to magnify Christ.
Paul described the Church as entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–20). The Church is about sharing the gift of salvation:
Jesus died for our sins.
He rose again.
Repent and believe.
The Kingdom of God has come near.
Evangelism isn't one ministry among many. It is part of the Church's identity.
2. Make disciples
Jesus' final command was not "build churches." It was: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." -Matthew 28:19–20
This is the Church's central mission:
Bring people to Christ.
Teach them to obey Him.
Equip them to disciple others.
A healthy church reproduces disciples, not merely attendees.
3. Build up and send out believers
The Church equips Christians to mature. Ephesians 4 says pastors and leaders exist: "...to equip the saints for the work of ministry..." Notice the goal isn't for leaders to do all the ministry. It is to prepare every believer to minister.
So how do we do this?
Love one another
Jesus said: "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:35 The Church should be known for sacrificial love, forgiveness, generosity, unity, and service.
Demonstrate the Kingdom of God
Jesus didn't merely preach the Kingdom. He demonstrated it.
· He healed the sick.
· He delivered the oppressed.
· He fed the hungry.
· He forgave sinners.
· He restored the broken.
Then He told His disciples to continue His work... The Church is called to reveal what God's Kingdom looks like on earth.
Worship and pray
The early Church devoted itself to worship and prayer. Acts 2 records believers gathering to:
· pray,
· worship,
· break bread,
· study the apostles' teaching,
· and encourage one another.
Prayer wasn't a side ministry; it was the engine of the Church.
So what is the Church?
The Church is not a building. It is the people of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, sent into the world to continue the mission of Jesus.
If you reduced the New Testament Church to its simplest form, it would look something like this:
Salvation.
Discipleship.
Multiplication.
That's essentially what happened in Acts:
People heard the Gospel and were saved.
They were taught to obey Christ.
They were sent to do the same for others.
Another version might be:
Reach the lost.
Equip the saints.
Advance the Kingdom.
Or even this:
Evangelize.
Disciple.
Mobilize.
Paul warned the Church, "Do not quench the Spirit." Yet how often have our traditions, schedules, fear of discomfort, or desire for control done exactly that?
Perhaps we simply need to return to the pattern that Christ established- a people fully surrendered to Him, filled with the Holy Spirit, committed to prayer, devoted to making disciples, and willing to let God lead, even when it goes against everything else that we have always done and accepted as being right.
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
The Early Church
