What is the Purpose of the Church?
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10: 24
What is the purpose for assembling once a week to worship? Do we worship the Lord because he needs our worship? The Lord is self-sufficient and needs nothing, but he is love, therefore worship must be for our benefit. We worship by singing, praying, Bible study, hearing the message, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice, and we find encouragement, Godly advice, and receive God’s love reflected from our Christian brothers and sisters. Perhaps we can find the true purpose of worship if we determine how worship affects our life.
Empirical evidence has shown that we are created to worship, created for fellowship, and created for a mind of love and hope. Throughout the ages it has been shown that people will worship someone or something, but it is the worship of the true God who gives us a mind of love and hope. We are created for relationships from the time we are born, and our first and most important relationship is with God. Evidence has also shown that we strive to be like the one we worship and this is called modeling. The more we worship the Lord in Spirit and truth, the more Christ-like we become.
When we worship, praising the Lord in words or songs, we are comforted and we feel more secure. Anytime we praise and thank the Lord we are comforted, but praising the Lord with our brothers and sisters in Christ can bring even more comfort and peace. Praising the Lord with a thankful heart is the highest form of worship and draws us nearer to the Lord. Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8).
We are also comforted by the encouragement and support given by our Christian brothers and sisters, because the Lord speaks to us through our Christian family. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5: 12) When we associate with Godly people we become more a Godly person, because we receive love and comfort from the church, and it is Godly love that changes our hearts.
We are created to receive and give, just as God created everything to receive and to give. Trees give oxygen that we breathe and we give carbon dioxide for the trees. Oceans give moisture creating clouds that rain on the earth and the earth creates rivers and streams that feed the ocean. It is the same for us, we receive and we give, we receive when we worship and we give when we minister, both within the church and outside the church. If we stop going to church or stop ministering, we break this circle of spiritual growth. God expects his family to go out into the lost world and be a witness for Christ, and this was God’s plan for Israel – the church is the new Israel. The circle of Christian life is to worship and minister to the world. Ministering to the world drives us back into the church for God’s strength and wisdom through the Word and from our Christian family. We quickly learn that we can do nothing without Christ, his wisdom and love. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5). We gain Godly wisdom and strength from the Church which we take into the world to minister. We are driven by the Spirit, ministering to lost souls, and our heart changes as we identify with Jesus’ heart. Our changed heart reveals the true meaning of the church, our desire to become closer to the Lord. We come to know the Lord through worshipping and ministering. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. (1 John 2: 3).
Today serve the Lord by reflecting Christ to everyone and attend worship to receive encouragement, wisdom, and strength, so you can walk confidently through the week and boldly proclaim the good news of Christ. Let the worship and fellowship in the church renew your strength as you encourage and support others.
Prayer: Lord, guide me to fully worship you in spirit and truth, and give encouragement and confidence to my Christian brothers and sisters. Lord I know the more I give the more I am able to receive from you. Keep changing my heart with your love, so that I will be driven to minster to lost souls and have a strong desire to be with my brothers and sisters in Christ. In Jesus name, Amen