What is the purpose of the church? I have had this conversation with a close friend of mine a few times before. He strongly holds that church is a place for Christians to learn about God and be equipped for their work outside of church. He generally can back up his arguments with scripture. I tend to argue toward the church being a place where people of all walks of life can come and hear the story of Jesus. My argument is based on personal philosophy and gut-feelings about how the church body should mimic the teaching styles of Jesus.
The debate is always respectful and usually goes something like this. My questions are represented by the second in each series.
For the Sinner or the Saved? For the believer or the unbeliever?
Do we go to church to learn about God because we are believers? Or do we go to wrestle with our unbelief?
Do we go to church because we believe? Or do we belief because we have been changed by the story of Jesus we learned at church?
Is church supposed to be a members only club or an open invitation for all?
Personally I believe God can work in and through us regardless of our understanding of the church and what it means live incarnate. My hope for church is that we give God plenty of room to work in the lives of people no matter where they are on their spiritual journey. I fear when we make church a place that is centrally focused on our on spiritual needs, we unintentionally loose sight of all that God can be.
The Church is a hospital for sinners. It is also a participation in the heavenly banquet and the heavenly worship. The Church exists to be a worshiping community, rightly oriented to to the Holy Trinity, and through that orientation we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
ReplyDeleteBut, to address your question, the Church is -- in a sense -- for members only AND an open invitation. Only the initiated (the baptized) may partake of the Mysteries/Sacraments, but all are welcome to attend and be initiated.
I would agree with you that most logic involving Christ and his church is paradoxical in nature. That is part of the infinite nature of God. So it is true that most qualifying statements for God's intentions for us will tend to be BOTH AND conditions rather than EITHER OR conditions.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is a somewhat misguided discussion. After all the goal is not to find the perfect conditions for a church. Or to seek out what the church in its pure form should look like. But to focus to the life of Jesus which that allows the church to be his bridegroom.