What Does the Bible Say Is the Purpose of the Church?
Understanding the purpose of something is important in evaluating its worth. When it comes to the church, we know that this entity is important because God says it is. Nevertheless, for the individual Christian, knowing the purpose behind the church can help him to appreciate, enjoy, and benefit from its presence in his life.
This article will not attempt to cover all there is on the topic of the purpose of the church but rather will focus primarily on one of its functions. To get started though, it could be helpful to explain the purposes in brief. When thinking about the purpose of the church, it can be easily understood and explained through the upward, inward, and outward ministries.
For starters, the church exists as a place of worship to God, and in this, God is glorified. This is the upward ministry. Second, the church is in place as an instrument of nurturing care for believers. The believer goes to the church and is cared for and is built up into maturity. This is the inward ministry. Finally, the church exists to go out into the world, witness to the lost, and share the gospel. This is the outward ministry.
With this in mind, the focus of this article will be on the inward ministry, the ministry of believers one to another. The biblical backing for the belief concerning this inward ministry comes from Ephesians 4:9-16.
The purpose of the church given by Christ
At the outset, Paul establishes a primary truth of the purpose of the church. He shares about Christ, the God Who both descended to the earth and ascended into heaven. In doing this, he points us back to both Christ’s ministry and His ascension.
Paul reminds his readers of the ways in which Jesus walked the earth. As Jesus did so, He spent time with other people. This time that He spent with other people was not just a “killing of time” sort of thing. Rather, the time that He spent with others had purpose.
Some of His most purposeful encounters, if that can even be said, are the times that He spent with His disciples/apostles. He knew that His time was short, even at the beginning of His ministry. Although He continued to say that His time had not yet come, it was looming in the distance beyond the horizon.
Jesus knew that when He left, the ongoing ministry of the church would be carried out by flawed humanity. Scripture says, “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things” (Eph. 4:10). Prior to the ascension of Christ, Jesus commissioned His disciples to carry on the work of the kingdom in Matthew 28 in what is known as the Great Commission.
However, Jesus also promised that He would not leave His people alone (He would not leave them as orphans). In the Great Commission, He promised that He would be with the disciples, and in the same way, the modern church are also recipients of this promise.
Jesus promised that He would send His Holy Spirit to equip the saints for the ministry of the Lord. In the Old Testament (OT), there was a time when Moses needed help because the work was so great. God took the Spirit from Moses and poured it out on 70 other Israelites so that they could share the burden for ministry and be equipped to do so.
In the New Testament, Pentecost is the equivalent of this OT event on a much grander scale. All Christians receive the Holy Spirit and are equipped for the ministry of the Lord. In this, Jesus fill all things with Himself, and the ministry of God moves forward.
However, we see that there are certain individuals who are especially gifted to carry on the work.
The purpose of the church given through ministers
Scripture says, “And he gave some, apostles, and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). Here is the list that Paul gives for those who are called to lead the church and care for the saints. In simple terms, these are the ministers of God. Whether or not some of these positions have died off is not the focus of this article. The goal is simply to say that God has risen up specific individuals to care for the saints.
This grouping of people is found within the church. It is also important to know that these ministers are not better than anyone else. They are people just like everyone else within the church. They do not have a halo around their head, nor do they no longer need the grace and forgiveness of God and others. Scripture says, “And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh in all… But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (1 Cor. 12:7, 11). Simply put, the Holy Spirit is the One Who gifts people with their abilities to carry out their positions, this is for the good of others, and the Holy Spirit chooses as He wills.
It is because of this fact that Paul could say, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hadst thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7). Paul makes the point clear. He says there is no room for boasting in the positions that are had within the church. He says there is no room for boasting based on the gifts that someone has. They all come from God.
The purpose of the church given to the body of Christ
After this point, Paul moves into the focus of the ministry. He says that those ministers that were just listed are in place within the church to build up the body of Christ. This building up is described by Paul as maturity. It is the goal of the church to care for those within its walls and to bring about a maturity in each and every individual believer within its care.
It is not the goal of each individual church to build up the believers in other churches across the world. Yes, that can be a good thing and some are called to do that. However, there is an inward ministry of one to another that is to be done in each and every individual church. A pastor, for instance, cannot be a shepherd over a church that he is not present in. Shepherding, by its very nature, involves a present and active pastor who will faithfully lead his congregation first and foremost by his example.
While the goal is stated (maturity), and it is said who is called to bring this about (the ministers), it is as though the initiator (Christ) is revisited at the end of the text. Surely, all things were created from Him, through Him, and to Him. Paul tells his readers that they are to be built up into a state of maturity but that this maturity is Christlikeness.
What does Christlikeness look like? How can we know if we are on the right track? Paul makes it clear and boils it down to one fine point. Scripture says, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ… maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:15, 16b). Paul says love is the key to building others up in the body of Christ.
As was said elsewhere, it is knowledge that will puff someone up in pride. In the same way, so will thinking of oneself more highly than he ought to. But it is love that will build up both oneself and those around him.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the ways in which You have showed me grace. You are truly a gracious and forgiving God. Help me to appreciate Your church more and to be content with whatever position You give me in it. Help me to be a vessel for use in Your kingdom. Thank You for Your church and for giving me such a great resource so that I could be cared for in my faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.