Why Church? Part 1
Author: Pastor Kalen Brown
As I sit down to muse upon this topic, I find myself getting really jazzed about being a part of the greatest movement on the face of the earth: the Church! The multifaceted nature of the church is extensive. I think we can do ourselves a disservice by focusing on only one aspect of the Church and miss the grander vision of its purpose. I have seen people stop being a part of their Local Church over the years and heard comments like; “I am taking a break from the church”, or, “I am taking a sabbatical from church.”, often because they have been disappointed or disenfranchised with their experience of one flaw or aspect of church.
That is not to say there are not issues in church life, that goes without saying, we are a community of imperfect people. I am sure every church during different seasons of its life has fallen short of being unified, holy, pure or uninfected by the world and sin. Historically we can see times of the Church being a poor example of what the grace of God can produce. It has certainly been an imperfect instrument of the fulfillment of God’s purposes and has failed in many ways to be the reflection of the Lord. But, if we are not careful, we end up making decisions concerning church life that go contrary to the will of God.
God will have a Church that will be a powerful instrument in His hands! His Word has declared it! God will have a people that will come to the fullness of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).
We tend to look at God’s plans for the church in terms of our limited perspective, and frame of reference. Let’s compare it to a parade. If you are looking at a parade from a knotted hole in a fence you might see a clown and conclude that the parade is like a circus. Or, if you see a horse and a rider trotting by you might think the parade is much like a rodeo. The reality is a parade is not a circus or a rodeo. The only way to get a better understanding is to change your perspective. Stand up and look above the fence and see the parade from a higher perspective and you will see it from the beginning to the end! The Church is more than just one or two relationships, a place to go for a religious experience or a place to hear a good homily.
Over the next few months, we are going to take a look at the doctrine of the Church. The whole thrust of the New Testament is the Local Church. Each book demonstrates how God uses the Local Church to bring His people to maturity and further the kingdom of God. There is no plan B! The Church is His plan. Can we get excited about what He is excited about?
