The Purpose of the Church

 Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 

Focus verses: "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10: 24-25
  
What is the church?
The church, also known in scripture as “the body of Christ” (Colossians 1:24, Ephesians 5:23), it is not the building we gather in on Sunday morning, although that is what we often think of when we consider the church. The church is made up of the believers in Christ, those who believe that Jesus Christ came to earth and died for our sins, and trust Him as the way to receive forgiveness for the sins we have committed, so that we can have a relationship with God. Together we encourage one another as we go through life, build each other up as we seek to follow Christ. 

What is the purpose of the church?
Ultimately our purpose is to glorify God with our lives (1 Corinthians 10:23-33). As the church our role is to bring glory to God. As we see in our main reading that we are not each given the same role, we have different purposes within the body. The Lord has given each of us different personalities, skills, talents and spiritual gifts. When we compare ourselves to others we tend to get discouraged because we might get jealous of someone else’s gifts and not be happy with our own (v. 15-16). Instead we see that not everyone can be an eye (v. 17) we each have our own strengths to bring to the body of Christ. In the same way we should also be careful not to think of our gifts as better than the gifts of someone else (v. 22-23). What we as humans might consider as insignificant could be the most honorable. We need to make sure that we as the body of Christ are not divided (v. 25). There needs to be respect for one another, if there are any arguments we need to make sure we are not holding a grudge towards any believers. It is important that we remember that they are human too, they make mistakes just like you, we should be quick to forgive one another. If we are distracted with hatred towards one another this keeps us from fulfilling our purpose as the body of Christ. Our purpose is to suffer together and to rejoice together, we are the church so we don’t have to go through life alone, we need one another (v. 26). God has given each of us a different role so instead of getting jealous we need to learn what our gifts are and to use them to give God the glory. If you are unsure of what your spiritual gift is you can ask someone who knows you well that is a spiritual leader over you, maybe a parent, your youth pastor or a close friend. 

Pray:
God thank you for creating us differently and for a purpose. Help me to recognize the spiritual gifts you have given me. Show me how I can use these gifts to glorify you Lord. Help me to use the gifts to encourage other believers and in sharing the gospel with those who don’t have a relationship with you. Remind me that you have given me different gifts for a reason and that you would keep me from being jealous of others’ gifts. I love you Lord. Amen. 

written by Haley Kinsman

 

POST NOTE: Will you meet with believers regularly no matter if it's two hundred or just two or three?    Meet together to fellowship, read scripture, worship, testify and pray. 

God’s Purpose For You

Scripture Reading: Esther 4

Focus Verses: Esther 4:13-14  “Mordecai sent this reply to Esther, "Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed.  If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.  Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

The story of Esther was brought to my attention recently.  Throughout the Bible God has used specific people for specific purposes and tasks.  And the book of Esther is a perfect example of that.  As a Jewish orphan, who lived with her uncle, Esther's life changed dramatically because she was found to be a beautiful woman.  She and other beautiful women were brought to the palace of the king.  After the King was so delighted with her, he chose her to be queen.  There was a plot to have all the Jews killed, and Esther was a Jew, but the king didn't know.  Esther risked her life to come before the king to ask him to save the Jews from this plot, which he did.  This was a brave thing Esther did, because she could have been killed for coming before the king like she did.  But she knew this was the right thing to do to save the lives of many Jews.

God has a specific purpose for each one of us.  Maybe He hasn’t called you to save the lives of a group of people, but He has a specific plan and purpose for your life, that’s why He created you.  God doesn’t create something or someone without a specific purpose.  Have you ever considered this?  God didn’t create you to live in the years of the 1600's or the 1800’s.  God created you to live for such a time as this.  He has something for you to do now, big or small.  God has you living now because He has some unique ways that you are qualified to make a difference in His Kingdom now.  So get busy and do what He’s calling you to do.  If you’re having trouble understanding God’s calling on your life maybe you should talk with a trusted Christian friend or pastor to help you understand the purpose God has for you.  God does have something specific He wants you to do.  And if you don’t do it God will find someone else to do it.  Just like if Esther did not go to the king on behalf of the Jews, then God would find another way to save them.  So find out the purpose God has for you and get busy.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries