The Church's Purpose
by Bill Hall
via Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 6, Feb. 11, 2007
What is the purpose of the Lord's church? Is it to eradicate poverty, disease, social injustice, illiteracy from among men? It is to
bring about a cessation of war and conflict? Is
it to campaign for a temptation-free society for Christians to
live in?
If the church had as one of its great goals the eradication
of disease, the Lord could have easily equipped it to accomplish that goal. Could not the same power that enabled one
blind man to see have enabled all blind men to see; that enabled one lame man to walk have enabled all lame people to
walk; that cured many people of varied diseases have cured
all people of all diseases? And could not this same power have been given to
the church in all generations?
If the church has as one of its great goals the eradication
of poverty, the Lord could have easily equipped it to accomplish this purpose. After all, He fed the five thousand with five
loaves and two fishes. He similarly fed four thousand on
another occasion. Could not He who did these marvelous
works have enabled His church in all generations to feed,
clothe, and shelter the impoverished masses of the world
through miraculous powers?
If the Lord had wanted His church to become a lobbyist
group to apply political pressure toward a temptation and
persecution-
The church's purpose is to save souls and prepare people
for eternity -- It holds out to the impoverished the hope of
some day walking a street of gold; to the suffering a time when there will be
no pain; to the sorrowing a moment when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." It tells the
tempted and persecuted that there is value in these afflictions
that the testing of their faith is "more precious than of gold,"
and to rejoice -- It tells all to live godly lives in whatever environment they find themselves. It seeks to change people
through the coercion of legislators -- Its weapons "are not carnal, but are mighty through God." Its motivating theme: "For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul?"
When churches become involved in hospital and health
clinic work, or when they build schools for the education of
their children, or when they see as one of their great missions to provide for the world's poverty, or when they feel obligated to create social upheaval and campaign for human rights, or when they
feel called upon to express their views
on the government's use of nuclear armaments or whatever,
they have a distorted view of the purpose of the church.
.