What is the purpose of the local church - the reason for its existence?

It is not essential to our salvation. Like the dying thief we may all enter paradise without experiencing fellowship with any other believer.

Membership in it is not eternal. In this regard it is unlike the Church composed of all who believe from Pentecost to the Rapture against which even the gates of Hades do not prevail. An individual may be associated with those of the same precious faith who live in his area immediately following conversion, but very swiftly that relationship may be terminated. Something as natural as a move to another locality will do it. This may happen several times during a lifetime and then finally, at death, the believer's ties to any local congregation are severed as suddenly and thoroughly as the links that an unconverted man might have with his lodge, a university fraternity or local golf club. Looked at in this light our association with a local church is no more significant (though its aims ate surely loftier) than any other earth-time relationship.

Her priority is not evangelism. Before you turn away in horror please hear me out. I do not mean that the believers should not be on fire to bring others to the Lord. I do not mean that all of them (us!) should not be dedicated to the spread of the gospel. But we need to face up to the fact that the Scriptures do not give any account of any local church as a gathered company engaged in evangelistic endeavour - not throughout the whole of the book of Acts. Nor do we read of any exhortation in the New Testament letters charging the local church with that responsibility. Again, in the seven messages the Lord gave to John to the churches in Revelation 2&3, while there is plenty of evidence that most of these churches were in an unhealthy state, yet there is no reprimand for their not preaching the gospel! It simply cannot be demonstrated from the New Testament that such a responsibility was ever committed to an assembly gathered together.

Is it self-edification? Certainly that is a major part of the church's reason-to-be. Eph 4:12-16 makes that clear. But note it is not simply that her members should be nurtured for their own sake. It is the body of Christ that is in view. The knowledge of the Son of God is the aim and "the whole body" is to "grow up in all aspects into Him which is the Head, even Christ." Clearly, the Lord is seeking a body that complements Him as the Head. We can be sure that the enemy will do everything to get the members of a local church side-tracked when such a God-glorifying end is in view.

Divided loyalties. Perhaps what has already been said will suggest a couple of reasons why some Christians show less commitment to the life and testimony of a local congregation than they do to a parachurch organisation to which they may belong. The aims of societies formed to promote the distribution of the Scriptures, evangelism among children or to help street people (unquestionably very worthy causes) eclipse in their thinking any loyalty owed to a local church. Such projects seem far more strategic to them. This is very sad and shows that the local church has fallen on bad times. Clearly we need to derive our understanding of the significance of a local congregation from Scripture and not from the outlook and conduct of many of its members. Then, out of devotion to Christ we ought to teach our brethren by our example and in our conversation what the local church ought to be for Him.

Looking at the Scriptures. Matt. 18:17. Note the divinely granted authority the church has as a body and that her decisions are ratified in heaven. (This cannot be the church 'universal' in action here. There is no way an offended brother could notify that Body. Nor do we have any indication elsewhere in scripture that the one giving the offence can be excommunicated from that great congregation). The local company is granted very onerous responsibility. It is a body that has to be respected for its God-given authority. It represents the Lord's interests and ought to be regarded accordingly.

We might understand the above passage more readily if the "Church Universal" was in context but clearly this is not the case. That church is beyond the reach of the devil and any in his employ. The local church is not. Yet the most awesome sanction is brought to bear upon any who would "destroy" a local testimony to Christ. Look at I Cor 3:10-17 and note how the reason for the dire punishment spoken of is that the failing congregation is nothing less than "the temple of God." Do we understand what that means?

Acts 11:23. No doubt the most provoking thing to Satan is that in this world, in the very arena where he was defeated, the local congregation is called upon to express worship and a consistent loyalty and devotion to Christ that can only be paralleled by that experienced by husband and wife in marriage. (That is, as God intended marriage to be). Note that the word "cleave" here is a love word. Cf. Gen. 2:24. (N.A.S.B. = "remain true to"). Above all other calls upon her attention and time the newly formed church was to demonstrate an exclusive loyalty to Christ.

The above devotion is to be expressed by every local company. It is to mirror the holy relationship that exists in perfection between Christ and His Bride spoken of in Eph, 5:25-27.

II Cor. 11:1-3 spells out the motivation behind Paul's ministry at Corinth (and by extension his establishing of local churches everywhere) - it was that the church might be pure. He jealously guarded the assembly against false teachers by cultivating in the local company the affection of a betrothed virgin. It is this kind of devotion to Christ that provides the most effective antidote to the seductive influences of the enemy and all the blandishments of a world under his control.

Revelation chapters 2&3. Our Lord regards with the utmost distaste any substitution of service of the most exalted kind for the affection which He rightly deserves and for which He constantly looks. It is abhorrent to Him when a church leaves its first love. For that reason the "deeds" that he normally recognises, "toil and perseverance" that He would own as appropriate in their place and great discernment ("You put to the test evil men...those who call themselves apostles") coupled with real "endurance" for His Name -- all these are but shoddy replacements for the affection He looks for from the local Body. She has left her first love and He threatens to remove the candlestick. Perhaps if we had been part of the church at Ephesus we, like them, would have seen such activities as a mark of the devotion our Lord desires. He thought otherwise. How prudent we are when we measure ourselves, not by what others regard as an expression of faithfulness but by the standard He gives in His word.

We close with the words of Jeremiah 2:1-3 "...I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, the love of your betrothals, your following after Me in the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy unto the Lord..." Human nature has not changed. Have not we forgotten our calling?

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