Worldwide, the image of a church is one of the most recognizable symbols of faith. Most people know, or at least have some idea of what a church is. There’s a church in almost every city in the united states. but what is a church’s purpose? To answer this question, let’s start at the definition of the actual word church.
According to a website called “Bible Hub”, the original Greek word used in the Bible for church actually means “assembly”. In Matthew 16:8 Jesus says, “on this rock I will build my church.” If the original word meant assembly and nothing more, then the church is simply Christ’s assembly.
Alright, we’ve broken the word “church” down a bit, but what is the actual purpose of Christ’s assembly? To figure this out, let’s look at what the original assembly of Christ, the disciples did. From this I think we can derive four main purposes of the church which are:
1. Ministry
2. Teaching and learning
3. Fellowship
4. Worship
Ministry, our first purpose, is one of the first things that comes to my mind when I think of what the disciples did. The disciples faced jail and death for sharing their faith, but they still did it. It must be an important part of following Christ to minister the good news if the disciples did it despite their persecutions. In the same way, the church is called to share the gospel with others. It’s an important part of any church. But in order to share the gospel with others we have to know it, which brings me to the second purpose of the church, teaching and learning.
Once again, the first assembly of Christ shows a great example in teaching and learning. The disciples learned from Jesus and taught what they had learned to other believers. We too are called to learn from the Bible, from our pastors, from our experiences, and from each other, and to share these things that we learn.
A third purpose of the church is fellowship. The disciples were all great friends, especially the apostles, at least most of the time. The trusted each other, they laughed and cried with each other, and they followed God together. Likewise, we should be in fellowship with each other at church! It’s a great place to make friends and meet people. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and as a family we should support and improve each other.
Now let’s look at our fourth purpose of the church. In Matthew 28:16-17a it read, “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him.” Worship is the very important in churches. Just like the apostles we too should worship God. Worship is the only act of obedience we will continue in heaven, which shows how truly special it is.
So in review we have four main reasons the church is created:
1. Ministry
2. Teaching and learning
3. Fellowship
4. Worship
Keep this in mind as you act as Christ’s assembly, or if you haven’t joined a church yet, find one! In Luke 14:6 we are reminded that Jesus himself went to church on the sabbath. It’s an important part of the Christian faith, and it’s also a very rewarding part of the Christian faith. I look forward to Sundays, you can too!
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