ECCLESIOLOGY ECCLESIOLOGY (STUDY OF THE CHURCH)(STUDY OF THE CHURCH)

Part 2Part 2

By : Servant of the Cross The Living Spring

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

It is important for any group to be aware of their purpose for being. We choose to describe ourselves as a Spirit Filled, "Purpose Conscious" church.

We believe that our intimacy with Father produces an awareness of who He wants us to be under the headship of Jesus, through the leadership of the Holy spirit. We also believe that it is necessary that each member become conscious of what we believe is Father's purpose for us, so we will do our best to describe that in the following studies.

• ““Purpose Conscious” Church - 2Purpose Conscious” Church - 2ndnd Part Part

The Living Spring

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

There are 4 questions we ought to ask ourselves in arriving at a meaningful purpose for our fellowship. Why am I in Connaught Chapel? Because I have no other place o go?

1.What are we to be? 2.What are we to do? 3.Why do we exist?4. What does God expect?

If someone stopped you at work, at college, at University and asked you the question, "What do you believe at your church?" How would you answer? Everything we do in this church must have a purpose. There is nothing we do just for the sake of busyness or tradition(the we’ve always done it this way syndrome). There must be a purpose to it all.

• Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.

The Living Spring

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

Jesus had a very focused purpose statement for the church.He summarized the entire Old Testament, all the law, and all the prophets in one purpose statement. Mt 22:37-39. The great commandment.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

• Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.

The Living Spring

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

And then in Matthew 28:19-20a He gave them the great commission which is just as focused.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Living Spring

• Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.

What’s so Amazing about Grace?What’s so Amazing about Grace?

Thus, a good motto for our church would be:

Worshiping God, Worshiping God, Loving People, Loving People,

Making Disciples.Making Disciples.

• Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re GoingDefining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going

The Living Spring

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

The Living Spring

• Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.Defining Our Purpose- Knowing Where We’re Going.

From these great passages, (The Great Commandment -2 purposes) & The Great Commission-3 purposes) of which we may derive five instructions for the church.

1.We Exist to Worship His Majesty 2.We Exist to Demonstrate His love 3.We Exist to Communicate His Grace4.We Exist to Enlarge His Household5.We Exist to Equip His Disciples

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

At Connaught Chapel we place a tremendous amount of importance on worship.

Our worship through :

•Breaking of bread, •Singing of hymns,•Ministry of His word, •Ministry to the body, are all integrated into one offering of worship in the presence of Father.

However, each part of the whole has a specific purpose. The corporate congregational expression during our gathering time is what we would essentially label as "worship"

This "worship" is not necessarily confined to the congregational setting, although this is where it best finds it's expression.

But our entire pattern of existence is worship to God. How we live our life.

The Living Spring

• 1. We Exist to Worship His Majesty1. We Exist to Worship His Majesty

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

You worshiped when you encountered God as He is revealed to us in His Word! You worshiped when your spirit was moved by His Spirit through the proclamation of His truth.

The Living Spring

• 1. We Exist to Worship His Majesty1. We Exist to Worship His Majesty

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

" Love your neighbor as yourself.."

John 15:12-17 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

The Living Spring

• 2. We Exist to Demonstrate His Love2. We Exist to Demonstrate His Love

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

Here is the task of ministry. Sharing God's love by meeting needs and healing hurts. Every time we reach out to someone in love, we are ministering. This is the responsibility of every church member.

We have another motto at Connaught Chapel, and that is: "Every Member A Minister" Every member is expected to minister to others as an outflow of their ministry to the Lord.

The Living Spring

• 2. We Exist to Demonstrate His Love2. We Exist to Demonstrate His Love

So we get our first two purposes from the Great Commandment. The next three we get from the Great Commission.

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

"Go and make disciple..." This is the task of evangelism. This one is very obvious, but is often the hardest to do.

Romans 1:14-16 Paul describes the reason why we exist to communicate the grace of God.I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

The Living Spring

• 3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

The Living Spring

• 3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace

Romans 1:14-16 Paul describes the reason why we exist to communicate the grace of God.

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

What Paul is speaking about here is a fire that is burning within his heart. This may not be immediately apparent from this passage, but if you study the content a little more closely, you will discover that Paul is a man with a Holy heartburn. In vs. 15. "I am eager to preach the gospel.“

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

The Living Spring

• 3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace

This phrase is really two words in the original Greek text.

Prothumon Prothumon Evangelitzesthai Evangelitzesthai

The first of these words is a very active word, and it comes from the same stem as a Greek word for "fire" or "burning" The second word means to share the gospel. It is the word from which we get our word, "evangelist". In other words, Paul is saying, "I have a burning within my heart to tell the good news.

There is a fire that ablaze within my being that compels me to share the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

Every one of us has had that spark ignited in our hearts when we were filled with the Holy Spirit. Part of our purpose as a church is to allow the Holy Spirit to fan the spark into flame until it becomes a roaring fire of passion for a lost and dying world.

This is what Paul is trying to say when he says, "the love of Christ compels me!" This is why he says, "There is a burning in my heart to share the gospel of Jesus Christ." Can you say it?

If enough of us say it, my brothers and sisters, then it will be said of us as it was said of the apostles. "These men who have tuned the world upside down have come here to us"

This is why a vital part of our purpose for being as a church is that we exist to communicate His grace.

The Living Spring

• 3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace3. We Exist to Communicate His Grace

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

To bring them into the body of Christ."Go and make disciples, baptizing them…“

This is where they are incorporated into the church. The was the identifying mark of the early New Testament gathered church.

Ephes. 2:19-22 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The Living Spring

• 4. We Exist to Enlarge His Family4. We Exist to Enlarge His Family

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

Why do churches have these up and down spurts of growth?

Because there is uncertainty about what their purpose is beyond saving the lost. Great evangelistic sermons. Lots get saved. They pride themselves with the number of hands raised for Christ, but they have the same number of people this year as they had last year.

Why? Because there is a lack of purpose in this area.

2 Tim. 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others

The Living Spring

• 5. We Exist Equip His Disciple5. We Exist Equip His Disciple[20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you

This is the task of discipleship. Equipping, educating, bringing into maturity.Teaching others how to do the work of the ministry. Duplicating that life of Christ which is in us, into the lives of others.

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

At Connaught Chapel will you be careful to provide many opportunities for discipleship in your small group times?

Will you provide programs that are geared towards spiritual maturity and encourage all of our members to participate in as many of these opportunities as possible?

The Assembly do not profess to be an "easy" church to belong to, because our expectations of our members is high. That is because our Lords expectations of His disciples is high.

The Living Spring

• Connaught Chapel - A Purpose Conscious ChurchConnaught Chapel - A Purpose Conscious Church

Purpose of the church.Purpose of the church.

I. We Exist to Worship His Majesty "Love the Lord your God with all your heart" II. We Exist to Demonstrate His love "Love your neighbor as yourself" III. We Exist to Communicate His Grace "Go and preach the good news"

IV. We Exist to Enlarge His Household "Making disciples, baptizing them…" V. We Exist to Equip His Disciples "Teaching them to obey…"

The Living Spring

• Connaught Chapel - A Purpose Conscious ChurchConnaught Chapel - A Purpose Conscious Church

These are the five purposes we get from the Great Commandment and Great Commission. They were important to Jesus, they should be important to us.