Vital Church Functions
The church of Jesus Christ is the most important
entity on earth. It is the light of the world, and the salt of the
earth. Moreover, it is the bride of Christ, the temple of God, and a
kingdom of priests. Its members are heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ. Its resources are supernatural, its privileges sacred,
and its future secure. The Lord Jesus Christ, its Builder, makes it
viable. The Holy Spirit, who inhabits the lively stones of the
building, makes it venerable. As custodian of the oracles of God, it
is immeasurably valuable.
The NT word “church” is the Greek ekklesia, meaning “called-out
assembly.” In the KJV, it is used eighty (80) times in singular form
and thirty-seven (37) in plural form for a total of 117 occurrences.
A dozen or so of these usages have in view the universal body. But
its primary usage refers to a local church or group of churches that
meet in specific geographical locations. The primary applicability
of NT church truth is local, not universal!
The universal body of Christ is currently a general assembly
(Hebrews 12:23) that, unlike its local counterpart, has never
gathered itself together into one place. The church universal (or
general) will not have the credentials of a full-fledged NT church
(an assembly of called-out ones) until the Rapture, at which time
both the dead and alive in Christ shall be caught up (gathered)
together to meet him in the air (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). When the
apostle Paul—the subject matter expert on church truth—told the
saints at Corinth that they were “the body of Christ, and members in
particular” he was referring to the local church at Corinth…not some
unidentifiable or abstract body of believers that has yet to
assemble itself (I Corinthians 12:27).
The local church has many functions, among which three are vital.
Function One: Agency for Discipleship. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus
gave what is commonly called the Great Commission. The imperative
given by our Lord was to "teach" or "make disciples." He employed
three participles to modify the command. All three carry the force
of the imperative. Go appears to be a command in the KJV, but is
actually a past participle in passive voice. Slavish translation:
"having been made to go into all the world, make disciples of all
nations." Did Jesus anticipate that His church, endued with Holy
Ghost power, would be driven into a dying world with the message of
life even as the Spirit drove him into the wilderness at the
beginning of his ministry?
The remaining two participles—baptizing and teaching—are both
present tense, active voice. These ongoing activities work in tandem
to fulfill God's sanctifying purpose for those who believe on Jesus
in response to the Gospel. This commission is indeed weighty, and
rests squarely upon the shoulders of the local church. She has been
singularly tasked to carry out the Master's mandate! Let's face it.
If we are not discipling, we are dying!
Function Two: Repository of Truth. In Romans 3:1-2, Paul explained
that the Jews were greatly advantaged in that the oracles of God had
been committed unto them. The safekeeping and stewardship of that
truth has now become the domain of the local NT church. In Paul's
exhortation to Timothy, he identified it as "the pillar and ground
of the truth" (I Timothy 3:15). A pillar is a column that supports
the superstructure. A ground is literally a foundation or basis that
provides strength and stability for all that rests upon it. Many
expositors believe Paul had in mind the temple of the Ephesian
goddess Diana…an edifice renowned for its jewel-studded columns and
awe-inspiring superstructure. In Paul's mind, however, all the
glories of this world paled in comparison to truth!
Truth is the most precious of commodities. Jesus said: "And ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
There is no greater freedom than a deliverance from the bondage of
sin. Again, Jesus prayed: "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word
is truth" (John 17:17). The process of sanctification is the highway
to holiness. The truth is God's sanctifying agent, which he has
vouchsafed to the church. The one and only hope for a lost world is
the proclamation and distribution of that truth by its custodian.
Function Three: Habitation of the Living God (I Timothy 3:15). The
title "living God" has an instructive biblical background. It is
found 31 times in Scripture: 15 in the OT, 16 in the NT. Its first usage is in
Deuteronomy 5. That context has Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai
with God’s awesome presence at the summit. There the law was
dispensed, accompanied by God’s audible voice, a consuming fire,
deafening thunder, and a nation fearful for their lives in the
presence of God’s manifested glory!
In 5:26, they asked: "For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard
the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire as
we have, and lived?" After 400 years of exposure to an amalgam of
lifeless Egyptian deities, Israel encountered a living God Who does
indeed speak to sinners, and allows them to live! He is a God of
glory and greatness who inspires awe in those to whom He reveals
Himself. It is important to see that "the living God" was a title
first ascribed to Him by men.
This lends added significance to its first NT usage. In Matthew
16:16, Peter affirmed that Jesus was "The Christ, the son of the
living God." He had experienced God in the flesh…a truth revealed to
him by the Father. From his OT background, Peter was essentially
saying this: "The living God Who revealed Himself to our forefathers
was powerful in presence, thundering in speech, awe-inspiring in His
acts, and compassionate to sinners! You’re just like Him! You must
be His Son!" Brethren, this is the God who desires to manifest
himself in the church!
These three vital functions belong to the local church. How can her
pastors stand behind the pulpit without expository fire? Why does
our preaching sound like an academic lecture series…and our pulpit
praying like admonitions to the congregation rather than addresses
to the God of heaven? Why must lost souls in search of a living God
visit our churches to find instead a lifeless routine? It’s high
time for these functions to become a reality once again!
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