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The Real Purpose of Church

Mikuláš Török, 2.8.2009

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Ephesians 1:3-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.

Church is often considered to be a social institution, which should take care about those in need and provide "social service" to its members. This is one of the Church's activities; however, the main purpose of the Church completely differs - at least according to the God's Word.

 

Apostle Paul sent a letter to Ephesus, in which he stated what the purpose of Church was (Eph. 1:3-6). God completely revealed His intention: He decided, He wanted to have His own special people in order to have a close relationship with them. Angles are above the human in many regards, they are completely devoted to God and they serve Him, but this wasn't sufficient for God. He desired to have some one similar to Him. And He pledged to spend the eternity with human.

 

And He decided so even before the foundation of the world, not as a reaction to human's fall into sin. Why? Simply because he wanted - "according to kind intention of His will" (v.5). 

 

The final purpose of a life of a human is - according to God's intention - to become a God's son/daughter for the eternity. Everything else is just means to reach this goal.

 

Even a tiny deflection from the path towards this goal and from understanding this goal has serious affects to the life of a human. As well as the goal of decision to have children is a common life of parents and children in love, as well as the goal of marriage is a common life of married couple in love, the goal of the creation of man is the common life with God in love as well.

In order to keep the family functional, it is necessary to - simply said - carry out some activities, which by themselves aren't the real goal, but only a means. It's similar with the Church and our Lord. As well as in a family, we want to live to bring joy to others and they mean something to us, also in the Church, we want to live like that to our brothers and sisters and God.

 

There is nothing more important than "letting" Jesus Christ to change one into a state, in which he can enter the communion with Him and live in it. In order to come into the goal, which was set by God - to become a born-again God's child, and come into the eternity to spend it in the closest possible relationship with God.

 

Yes, the Church is here to preach the God's Word; however, this is not the single goal. Nor the goal is to fulfill the number of church members (who may later leave the church and be replaced by new members). Preaching the gospel and the God's Word is "only" a means for people to become God's sons and daughters and to walk all the way into the final and eternal communion with God in His Kingdom.

 

This is the main God's intention with the Church. And this intention should be also in the focus of the Church. The more this is in the focus, the more Biblical the Church is.

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