What is the purpose of the Church? what is the purpose of Christianity, what does it mean to have Jesus as a foundation stone in our church and personal lives? Christianity itself means Christ like, therefore we are to be like Christ. So when we lay a foundation it should be built upon the principles of Christ. He was a Light to the world, our lives should be a light unto the world.
Now we might think the end goal of Christianity is to reach the lost, we often here these things, it is all about the lost, therefore we are to sacrifice for such a cause. But as we focus on the end goal do we break the commandments of God in the process. The Bible says the end goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls, but our souls are not what is born again, this is our spirits, therefore we are working out our soul salvation. Thus the end goal of faith brings soul salvation, which is to be conformed to the image of Christ. Put another way it means I am becoming like Christ, Christ-like, aka a Christian.
What does it mean to be like Christ? is it to follow the golden rule, the law of Christ, the Law of the Spirit, the greater commandments? We are given a new commandment to love one another as Christ has loved us. Oh how great is his love, if I understand such love for me do I not return it to others? The scriptures speak of the world, those outside the body of Christ, these will know we are disciples of Christ by our love for one another. They will know Jesus is of the Father, the Son of God, by our Unity, such is "how" the Light of the World is manifested by the Church. It is being displayed through us, and it gives testimony that we are His children and that we love like he loves. We can be deceived into believing it is our works of righteousness, when in fact it is a display of the Light within us that is a great witness. Such a witness is displayed in love.
Paul writes that when we are in such a unity, those outside, who come around the church and experience God in our midst will fall on their knees before him. Such is the greatest evangelistic tool we have in the body of Christ. Sadly this is not how the world sees Christianity. They see how we mistreat each other in the body and they are a law unto themselves; in their own hearts they judge lawfully; hypocrites, self-righteous, and judgmental people who mistreat their own kind. Such mistreatment is not love but pride and selfish acts disguised as teachings of sacrifice or hidden under teachings of authority that is not Christ like.
Now the church tends to teach that it is all about the end goal, spreading the gospel, reaching the lost, and you are to sacrifice for the greater good of the end cause. If you are mistreated, or even evil things are done to you, you are disgraceful to seek justice or to speak against such, you are accused of not having a servants heart, of coming against authority, etc... The idea is that you are to sacrifice your feelings and emotions for the common good. Even if evil is done to you. Does such not sound like the church before the Reformation and a bit like socialism? this is predominate thinking within the church. Up against the Light of truth we hold such strongholds.
The end goal of Christians is to become like Christ, to be a Christian. A Christian is a light to the world that is in darkness. To be like Christ is to be obedient to the commands of Christ. At the good pleasure of his will God chose for his manifold wisdom to be made known through the Church, a covenant of Grace through faith in Jesus. Now we have believed that this is primarily through proclaiming the good news. But we see the fulfillment of the manifold wisdom of God is in the covenant of Grace, which emphasizes relationship with God almighty, and it is in that which the Law is fulfilled; treat others good, obedience to the golden rule.
Not in proclaiming the good news will they know I am a disciple of Jesus but in how I love my brothers, including the least of these or how I exalt the poor in my church James would say. Such sitting of the poor up front in the church is symbolic of their exaltation, in how I bear the burdens of those in need, how I lift their burdens, such lifting of burdens fulfill the law of Christ. Such is fulfilling their needs through what God has blessed me with. When a church turns away its poor, those of its very family and household, how can it be a light to the world? surely it is not nor does it truly seek to glorify God, such a church I do not want to be a part of.
One must be able to care for his own household if he wants to be fit to be a minister. This speaks to immediate family but I say also to the household of faith which is the Church, and a minister must care, pastor his own household correctly, or he is not fit to be a minister. So to not care for those members of your own congregation, is to turn away a brother in need, such is a sin, and in your own household not caring, is a disqualification from ministry.
It has become very clear to me, in this country the poor are despised and rejected. We see an African American community predominantly caught in a cycle of poverty. We further drill down into the issue and we see the suicide rate of our service men at an alarming rate, which just attributes to a seemingly hopeless situation of a society that cares not. We see the poor people of this world, despised and rejected, treated as dogs, oppressed by those who would exploit them, who seek not their cause. We see good men caught in the middle, who do I serve? the haves or the have nots. Hopefully we stand for equality and justice for all. And more importantly, we ask if we are like Christ, and will we rise to the occasion or will we be one that acts like the world. Surely, Christ is for the least of these and I stand with Him.
Can the world look for the light through the doors of the church? sadly we see it much like the world, the poor are despised and rejected, being turned away from the household of faith. Is this my Jesus I ask? We can call it being good stewards, financial accountable, or we can say it is a sacrifice we all have to do for the greater cause. But the truth is loudly proclaimed in scripture and in our actions of how we treat one another, in how we love one another, in how we are obedient to Jesus and the greater commandments. It is shown in how we fulfill the Law of Christ, lifting the burdens of others, instead of adding to them as the Pharisees did, piling on heavy burdens without lifting a finger to help, only condemning.
Jesus understands the poor and afflicted, he was afflicted and despised among men. He came among his own people, and they despised and rejected him. A prideful father would have said, how dare you treat my Son this way, do you not know who I am? no, the Son asks for mercy, forgive them for they know not what they do. A prideful people speaks as if they are gods, they can not admit wrong, nor accept wrong. Democracy without godly morality is one that doesn't value human life, such is seen in how it treats the poor, in disgraceful, unspeakable things done in secret. Capitalism without morality is a greedy one which serves the love of money. We can call it treating all people the same but such is a lie, your treatment is based upon what you have or have not.
The Bible states the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. You can not serve God and the love of money. When the church serves not its own, when it cares not for its own household, for the least of these, it is not a light to the world. In Revelations Jesus sits at the door of a church knocking, let me in he says, and I will come in and dine with you.
Thy Will Be Done
"Be obedient to my word."