Three Purposes of the Church
We are the Church • Sermon • Submitted
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Good morning yet again you fine people of Ogle County. I hope you are all enjoying this amazing weather here in Northern Illinois…Welcome again to Leaf River Baptist Church, it is such a joy to get to be here this morning. Welcome to those of you joining us online. We are very honored that you have chosen to spend some time with us as we search the Scriptures this morning. We would also like to invite you to join us any Sunday morning here at 930am for our live worship and fellowship as well as our Bible Study that happens immediately after the service every single Sunday starting today…Yes, you heard me right as we are coming to the end of April we are excited to have our live Bible Studies returning this morning. It is such a blessing to know that we get to join together and study the Word together and grow together in a small group type environment. You know, much smarter people than me have said this, and I will repeat this…life change happens more in circles than it does in rows. That means that the smaller groups whether it is a in house Bible study or a Bible Study that happens here on Sundays is where our lives are truly challenged and changed to reflect God’s glory more and more. That is why I am so excited about our Bible Studies that we are starting back up here. We do also have two in home Bible studies that happen in Mount Morris and in Oregon. If you are interested in those just connect with me or one of the Elders and we will get you connected to that group. I promise you will be blessed to be a part of one of these groups.
So, that is all pretty exciting and pretty great to think about these Bible studies happening within the life of the church here. It is always fun to get to hear about what is going on around the church here. For instance, the kids are being taught right now in Kid’s Church and then the teens will be eating waffles soon as we discuss our next studies…Then later this summer we start to think about Leaf River Days and how we can be a blessing during that time. We will also think about other ways we can potentially serve the community around us. I’ll tell you, it is so exciting to begin to think about how we can bless others around us. It is so great to be able to think about these things. We think about ways we can serve others, we think about different Bible Study classes, we think about different ways to worship and fellowship together. It’s almost like we get to think about having a purpose or a goal.
You know, I get to talk to alot of people and many times it is in times of struggle for people. Sometimes it involves anger, or distress and one of the first things I typically attempt to point them too is to answer the question; “What is my goal?” What is my goal…well alot of people will tell me some financial goals or some emotional goals or even some personal goal of having a good life, or something to that effect. Well, there is something really interesting about Scripture, and if you have been paying attention, I actually believe that Scriptures literally give us guidance in every single question, or area in life. Well, when one of the things that Scripture tells us is a goal that we, as believers, should be focused on. So, I would like to share with you this morning what that Scripture is. Many of you will already know this passage, and if you have been paying attention over the last couple of years you will at least recognize the concept in this passage. Let’s look at that passage. First however, I want to remind everyone that we do have Bibles available in the back, and if you do not have one that you can understand at home, please feel free to take this and make it your own. You can also find all of our passages on the Screen and on your phone using the YouVersion Bible app and follow along with all of the notes and Scripture this morning for yourself. Now, with that said, let’s take a look at
So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
So, no matter where you are, your goal, or your aim, or your focus should be to please God. Let’s look at another passage together
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
So, no matter what you do, your focus is to bring glory to God. You know another word for aim, focus, goal is purpose. In other words, it is our purpose to please God, it is our purpose to bring glory to God. It is so good to have a purpose. Actually, Billy Sunday said best,
"More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent."—Billy Sunday
Purpose is so incredibly important if you are going to move forward and live a life worth living. Well, you know…it is also important as a church to have purpose. We started a series last week called “We are the Church” and in this series this year we are looking at what and who the church is. last week we talked about the nature of the church and how there is a visible and invisible church as well as local and universal church. Well, this week I would like to talk about the purpose of the church because having purpose and understanding that purpose is so incredibly vital to the growth of not just LRBC, but the Capital “C” church as well. So, this morning we are going to look at three aspects of the church, or better said…three purposes of the church. The first purpose of the church that we will look at this morning is...
Exalting God
Exalting God
Exalting God, this seems pretty self explanatory, right? Well, I would think so. After-all, if I am told that whatever I am doing as a Christian should bring glory to God, it just makes sense that as a church we should bring glory to God as well…So, if that is true, then as a church our purpose should be God-centered and not man-centered. |
whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
To God be the glory and dominion forever! Whatever we do is done by the strength of God so that he can be glorified through everything that we do. Did you catch that? Through everything that we do. We are not called to bring glory to God only in certain aspects, but in everything…Did you know that even the guys that come out and cut the grass are doing that for the glory of God. Last year when we went through the lobby renovation, that was done in order to bring glory to God.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We are proclaiming the excellencies of God!
Now, one of the primary ways in which the church exalts God and proclaims the excellencies of God is through worship and praise. Whenever the church gathers, worship ought to be the ultimate priority. I mean in everything that we do, we should be worshiping God. But what is worship? Well, worship is when we acknowledge who God is and give him the honor for what he has done. We read in
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
and
Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!
We can look throughout all of Scripture and we will see this same theme of giving God the honor and exalting him in every aspect of life. Then we read in Romans 12 that worship is obedience to God. In other words, when we are obedient to God then we are presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable…or holy and pleasing. You see, the same goal that we have as believers extends into our corporate body as a church.
Therefore, the question that we must ask ourselves in everything that we do....is this pleasing to God? We must ask in everything that we do as the church…is this exalting God?
Well this next purpose that we are going to talk about is definitely something that should bring glory to God You see another purpose of the church is...
Edifying Believers
Edifying Believers
Church is a place where believers join together and commit to each other that they will support each other and lift each other up when we are down. The church is a spiritual family and in a family one of your goals is to help each other…it’s also Biblical. Look over at...
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
So it says pretty clearly here that when we come together we are to do things that are for building up…That means that we actually avoid things that will tear each other down, right? Ok, so let me ask you a question…Is it building up, or tearing down to hold someone accountable for their words or actions? (building up)…Exactly, is it actually tearing down to allow someone to sin or do harmful things and not say anything about it. That is the type of thing that Progressive Christianity teaches, and that is the type of thing that is completely unbiblical.
There are so many commands in Scripture that tell us to do things like love one another in Romans 12, or welcome each other
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
You see, even the seemingly small task of greeting someone at the door is being directly obedient to the Lord. Imagine if we had a team that was dedicated to the task of making every feel welcomed and loved here at LRBC. That type of ministry exist in many churches, and there is no reason why we can’t focus on that here as well.
What about ...
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Through love serve one another…Did you really hear that? Yes, I know you heard the words and you have likely read these words, but did you really hear these words. To put it another way, did you hear these words loud enough that you will actually think in terms of what is the most loving way that I can serve my brother or sister in Christ. This is really how we should be focused in every aspect of how we interact with others. Actually, I love the way Andy Stanley says it.
What does love require of me?—Andy Stanley
What about
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
we are called to both be kind and forgive each other, right. That means that if I am holding onto something as a believer within LRBC, then I am not fulfilling my purpose of edifying others. This is actually important, becuase as a church, it is my desire, and I believe you feel the same way, to fulfill our purpose as a church in this exact location. That means that we have to actively be engaged in things like speaking the truth in love and being encouraging to one another.
You see, the biblical context of these commands indicates that they are primarily intended to govern the believer’s relationship to fellow Christians within the church. By putting these teachings into practice, we fulfill the second Great Commandment, to love one’s neighbor as oneself, thereby edifying the body of Christ and exemplifying the love of Christ to a watching world. Look at...
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This makes gospel transformation visible and verifiable, so that the message is proven to be as powerful as it claims. This significantly helps us to fulfill the last purpose of the church this morning...
Evangelizing the Lost
Evangelizing the Lost
John MacArthur says that,
A church that is passionately pursuing the glory of God will likewise have a strong emphasis on evangelism, both locally and around the world.—John MacArthur
I’m not sure if you have ever heard of a little thing called the Great Commission, but that is actually what Jesus is teaching the disciples there in
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Go therefore and make disciples…In order to make a disciple, you have to talk to people about Christ, right. That is called evangelism. Evangelism means “the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness.”
The Great Commission shows us that true evangelism involves making disciples and not just convincing unbelievers to make decisions, not just praying a prayer with someone. This is a common issue around the globe. People will go on a mission trip, or they will decide to go and tell others about Christ. They will pray with them at their door and then they will never see or hear from them again. They will never even think about that person again, becuase they did their job…the person prayed....that means its all good now, right? Wrong! That is the mindset that has allowed so many nonbelievers think that they are following Christ. They prayed a prayer sometime, but never actually learned what surrender means and so they never actually surrendered to Christ.
You see, as sinners respond in saving faith to the message of the gospel, they are to be welcomed into the church through baptism and discipled by the church through sound teaching. The pattern of disciple making was established by Jesus himself, as he made disciples during his earthly ministry. His example is to be continued by his people. True Christ followers become “fishers of men” meaning that those who become his disciples are themselves becoming disciple makers.
Now, I want to paint a little picture for you. Imagine that you are sitting at home and someone comes to your door and knocks…Your heart jumps as you weren’t expecting anyone to be coming by. You look out the window and you see a young man or woman in slacks and a white shirt with a tie. Immediately you think...“Oh no…I don’t want to talk to the mormon missionaries” Maybe you get a little annoyed because you have a sign on your door that says no soliciting. Why would they bother you like this…You get frustrated, maybe you call your town mayor or village president to ask them to do something about this. Actually, I can remember working in apartment complexes and I would have to routinely ask people to leave becuase they were breaking the rules in telling people about what they believed. Actually, it was kind of funny one time…a group of people ran away and there was a van that drove up and they all jumped in real quick so they could get away from the mean manager…It was like a high speed crime, except it wasn’t a crime, I was just going to ask them to leave politely. Anyway, I’m sure you have all seen this scenario play out either at your home, or at least in the movies or something like that. Well, did you know that the Christians used to be as impactful as that? It used to be the Christians that would go around and tell people about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Take a look over at
saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
You see here we have the Sanhedrin, remember they are the counsel that rules over the Jewish people. So you have these men and they are concerned about loosing power, especially because these pesky Christians keep telling everyone about the person named Jesus. In other words, these pesky Christians kept witnessing. They were told to stop witnessing, but they kept doing it. They may have occasionally changed how they witnessed, maybe even moved to various locations in order to witness, but they never stopped witnessing. They talked about Jesus alot more than just at a worship service…no their whole life was a worship service. Paul and those that went with him were also accused of turning the world upside down with this teaching...
And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
You see, the early believers was characterized by telling others about Christ. Look at
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
You see, here Jesus says that the disciples will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth…What does that mean for us today? Well, if the earliest of followers of Christ were told this and they obeyed with passion, well, we should follow through with that same passion today. The church, our church, LRBC, should be characterized by that same passion for telling others about Christ as the early followers of Christ had.
Now, the New Testament teaches us in 2 Tim 4:5 that the responsibility of evangelism is the church leaders. Speaking of the qualifications of leaders, Paul says,
As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
But it doesn’t stop there, it is also the responsibility of Christian individuals. Look at what Peter says
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Always being prepared to make a defense. Always being prepared to tell others about the hope that you actually have. So if the leaders of the church are responsible to share, and individual Christians have the responsibility to share, then it is easy to see that this is one of the churches purposes
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
As a church our job is to proclaim his excellencies…to everyone…How awesome is that. Obviously the salvation of sinners is something that brings tremendous joy to the Lord. The salvation of sinners is something that brings God glory. The salvation is sinners brings more joy in heaven than anything else. Look over at
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Evangelism is of primary importance to the church. So, what if a church doesn’t value telling others about Christ or attempting to truly make an impact on the communities around them the way that the disciples did? Well, I believe that is a church that will experience decline and that is a church that will struggle in various ways becuase they are not seeking to accomplish one of her main purposes.
Reflection
Reflection
So, here is a little encouragement or potentially a little challenge. Im talking for these next few minutes specifically to those that are members of LRBC, or those that wish to become members of LRBC. We want to be a church that is growing and glorifying God through everything we do. That means we have to have purpose behind everything that we do. We will not fail as a church due to lack of purpose. We will understand our purpose and move towards fulfilling that purpose God has given us...
So, can we say that we are accomplishing the purposes of the church. Well, that is easy, let’s look at the purposes and lets ask these questions...
Are we exalting God? Well, I like to think we are exalting God when we come together and worship and praise as well as pray together. The more we know about God, the easier it is to exalt his name...
Are we edifying believers? You know, I think partially we are accomplishing this one. I think that starting back our Bible Studies are going to give us more opportunity to do this. However, do we need to have structured Bible Studies to be able to grow and help each other focus on Christ? Not really, so maybe this is an area we need to grow in as a church. In order to edify each other, we must grow together...
Are we evangelizing the lost? Well, this is a question you have to answer yourself before we can answer as a church? Are you personally evangelizing the lost? In other words, are you personally telling others about Christ? If you are not personally fulfilling this purpose, then it is easy to see that as a church we will not fulfill this purpose. However, if you personally are fulfilling this purpose, then you can encourage others here to fulfill this purpose. As people are truly invested in fulfilling this purpose, do you know what will happen? We will become excited about the opportunity to fulfill this purpose corporately. That means things like the Christmas parade that we did back in December are exciting, right? When we look at opportunities this summer to impact Leaf River we get excited about it and we jump into the opportunity to serve our neighbor together. We have the attitude of, “I get to go tell others”...
Now, as we close this morning, I do have to ask you to answer these above questions yourself. Are you exalting God? Are you edifying other believers? Are you evangelizing the lost? In order for LRBC to grow and fully become the church that God has placed us here to be, we have to answer all of those questions in the affirmative personally so that we can then answer those questions as a church. After being here for two years I can say I am understanding more and more the pulse of the church, and I am telling you that these are some areas that we need to, as a church focus on growth. That means that individually we each need to focus on growth in these areas as well. We need to Know God…Grow together…Go tell others… It’s easy when we break it down…Let’s pray
—PRAYER—