am020308-WHY THE CHURCH - Acts study
WHY THE CHURCH?
(Why the Body of Christ?)
There are Christians today who asking themselves “Why the Church?”; why the body of Christ? They would say perhaps there are other alternatives to accomplishing our purpose. We need to be more embracing and tolerant of other theological perspective. Rather than seek to clarify truth maybe truth is not so dogmatic but perhaps the issue is really about spirituality.
Is the church, the visible, bodily, expression of Christ broke? I think so; not because it has out lasted its use or purpose or that it needs a new purpose but because it no longer understands its purpose.
But, before we fix what may be broken, we must be sure we understand the church’s purpose before we begin to make adjustments. Point is this: if we know and understand God’s design for the church, we can evaluate where the modern day church is off track and make adjustments. But, if we biblically can’t answer the question “Why the Church?”; we will just adjust God’s design for the church and this will be disastrous.
Illustrated by a malfunctioning computer
So ‘Why the Church?” We all understand that the church, the body of Christ, consists of all authentic disciples around the world and the outward expression is when they meet together in local assemblies. The church is a vital part of God’s flow of history and is essential to the conclusion of human history at the end of time.
In the beginning, God created mankind for the sole purpose that men and women would experience the life of God. They would experience this life while ruling over the earth as God’s representative. God could never be more glorified than when men and women experience their greatest pleasure in any day would be in living out God’s life.
So God purposed to rule over His creation through….
choosing man to be His representative……
Obviously, Adam was this first representative; yet, he chose to no longer be God’s representative by disobeying God. It is at this time that God begins His redemptive plan of bringing mankind back into relationship with Him. There would be the need to have men and women who could tell how mankind could be restored to a relationship with God. There were other men like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but it was Moses who was used of God to establish His kingdom on earth. This is clearly seen in the choosing of Israel and establishing Moses as God’s representative. Then came Joshua, the Judges, the Kings, prophets; yet, Israel as a nation became so disobedient that God put an end to His historical kingdom in approximately 586 BC. because their was no leader to be find that God could use to represent Him.
At this time many of the prophets such Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zechariah begin to speak specifically of a future kingdom in which there would be a man on earth, representing God to mankind and mankind to God. This final king of Israel would be one who was perfect; He would be apart of the human race, His rule would be in relationship to the earth, and He would be God’s chosen representative who speaks and acts for God and represents the people to God. This man is the God-man, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, the King of the Jews. You hear this about Christ from the wise men after His birth and you hear this from the chief priest at the end of His earthly ministry when He had offered the kingdom.
John 19:15
So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
So Israel was God’s chosen nation to be a light to the rest of the world. They were called to be the example of what it means to find one’s greatest pleasure is in living for Christ. The king of Israel would be God’s chosen representative on earth. This is purpose is seen clearly in Matthew 6
Matthew 6:9-10
9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
So Christ is crucified, buried, and rose the third day and He is coming again from Revelation 19 as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
So ‘Why the Church?” The church, the body of Christ, is the continuation of God’s purpose on earth between His two comings. The church is actually the visible, bodily representation of Christ on planet earth. Living out the life of Christ before the world that they may come to repentance and belief and experience God’s life.
Acts 1:1-3
1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, (the book of Luke) 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. (the Spirit was the source and power of Christ’s ministry) 3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God (God ruling over His creation)
Luke 24:45-49
45 (To Emmaus disciples walking with the resurrected Christ) Then He (Christ) opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 “You are witnesses of these things. 49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit); but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Acts 1:4-11
4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised (Holy Spirit), “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
God’s design and purpose from the beginning was for mankind to experience the very life of God as they ruled over the earth as His representative. God will bring this to pass in the future Millennial Kingdom where Christ will rule and reign with the Church and Israel for 1000 years.
The Church’s purpose is essential to God’s plan. The purpose of the Body of Christ is as follows…
1. Make authentic disciples everywhere
Witness of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and coming again to establish His kingdom
Proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins through Christ.
Yield to the power of the Holy Spirit in everything
Every authentic disciple once exposed to these truths desires to obey. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to motivate us to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Challenge:
1. An authentic disciple desires to please God
2. An authentic disciple desires to witness of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and coming again
3. An authentic disciple desires to proclaim repentance and forgiveness through Christ
4. An authentic disciple desires to yield to the Holy Spirit