The Church
Who is the Church?
When the word church is said today too often the minds of many people think of a 
building. But the church is not a building nor is it an organization but it is a people. A blood washed, called out people that meet to worship and honor God. God is not impressed with huge monuments built for His name sake. II Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” The church is the body of Christ with Jesus as the head, and she will only remain the church when she stays connected to Christ. If the church loses or strays from Christ and His headship then she will cease to be a church, even if there is “a form of godliness.” (II Tim. 3:5)
What is Gods purpose for the Church?
God has left His church with the command to, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Mt.28:19-20). This is not just a call to make converts but there is a responsibility that goes along with that and that is to make disciples out of the new believers. That is where the importance of the church is realized. The church, who are the called out ones, must meet for the purpose of worshipping God, but another main function is to build up the body of Christ, that is why God “… gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:” (Eph. 4:11-13). Peter was told by Jesus Himself with great emphasis to “feed My sheep” If the church will keep herself pure and separated from the influence of the world, and preach and teach conformity to Christ, then and only then will the church be able to go out and fulfill that Great Commission.
