Why Does the Church Exist?….
Why does the church of Jesus Christ exist? What is it’s ultimate purpose? Why has God created it and why has God left it in the world in the first place?
The church is a community of believers redeemed by Jesus Christ’s precious blood and it has a threefold function:
1. The church is a WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY
2. The church is a WORKING COMMUNITY
3. The church is a WITNESSING COMMUNITY
Putting these three elements together, the church is to exalt the Lord and it is to evangelize the world and it is to edify, build up its members.
Absolutely everything in the New Testament commands the church to do falls under these three headings!
So what? Now as an individual believer, we each need to understand the purpose of the church and each of these three functions it is to fulfill.
Today I want to look at the first of these three elements, a WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY.
The ultimate purpose of mankind is to worship God and enjoy His creation. The greatest commandment is to love God with your total being and then to love your neighbour as you love yourself – Matthew 22:36-40.
The church’s foremost calling is to exalt the Lord, to magnify His character, and to glorify Him before all creation.
What is worship? Worship is the honour and adoration directed to God. Worship is the dramatic celebration of God in His supreme worth in such a manner that His “worthiness” becomes the norm and inspiration of our lives.
We worship God when we give ourselves completely to God in the actions and attitudes to life!
This week may you present your life wholly unto God and in your thoughts, your actions, every move and motion, to the glory and worship of His holy name!