The Church's Purpose.
By Bill Hall
What is the purpose of the Lord's church? Is it to eradicate
poverty, disease, social injustice, illiteracy from among men? Is it 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 man 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 marvellous
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 free society in
which to live, He would have given instructions in that direction. He did not
even lead His church into a direct effort to destroy slavery, but taught the
Christian slave to be a better slave and the Christian master to treat his slaves
as he would have his heavenly Master treat him (Col. 3:22-4:1).
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 power
of the gospel, not society 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.
