Thoughts on the church

I've been learning a ton about the church. It appears Jesus' Bride is not lacking in complexities. Often imbalanced. Typically selfish and hurtful. Although this may be the case much of the time, the Bride of Christ is also unwaveringly beautiful, elegant, and loving, and of such high worth and honor that to look upon her instantly brings thoughts of how majestic her groom must be. The Bride and Body of Christ is given much worth because of Christ, Himself, who has brought His own presence into the church. The church is the place where individuals with the presence of God within them through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit come together as one to reflect their Savior-God in fellowship, service, and outreach, and respond to their Savior-God in worship and instruction.

It is in the church that the world around us sees the presence of God, active and alive today. And it is in the activities of the church where the world gets its impression and understanding of who God is. This is why every local church's activities must be centered upon Christ and acting on the principles of Biblical Ecclesiology (the study of the church). A church should be centered in Christ expanding in 3 relationships: 1. with God in worship and instruction, 2. with other believers in fellowship and service, and 3. with the community/world around them in outreach of good works and good news.

There are a few concerns I have in observing my generation and younger.

1) We confuse the fact that we can have fellowship and edification with each other as an extension of the church, with church itself. Church is not a small group. Not your roommates. Not a discipleship relationship. In some ways it is, because of the gathering of people who are believers in Christ to encourage one another in following Him, but in other ways it misses some qualifications that are very important to a church - usually, the one it misses is: elders. They are our spiritual authority, whether we know them or not.

2) We become imbalanced by overemphasizing or under-emphasizing certain activities of the church. They are all important and all must be emphasized as an integral part of the church. See the diagram - an upward call of worship, downward call of instruction, inward call of fellowship/service and an outward call of outreach in good works and good news. Four different people will say in unison four different purposes of the church: “The purpose of the church is worship! The purpose of the church is Community! The purpose of the church is Teaching the Bible! The purpose of the church is Mission!" I think these are the activities of the church and the purpose of the church is Christ for we are His bride & body.
3) Lastly, we all too often treat all the activities of the church as a way to spiritually benefit. To RECEIVE rather than GIVE. But each function and activity of the church is meant to foster an opportunity for each member to give of themselves to God (Love God) and others (Love others). In worship we give an offering of praise to God as we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). In instruction we learn of God so that we may be equipped and adequately prepared for every good work in which we give to others (Eph 4; 2 Tim 3:16-17). In fellowship and service we seek to give to one another as we mutually build each other up and stir up love and good works (Heb. 10:24-25). In outreach we seek to give to our communities as light and salt and share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ alongside our good works.

Those are my thoughts. Regardless of their validity or accuracy, I'm learning a ton and I'm excited to be thinking about such a beautiful thing as the church of Jesus Christ, His temple, bride, and body.