Recently, I read the church news in a Baptist denominational paper. I noticed the number of pastors moving from one church to another. A couple of the moves caught my attention. Although I cannot judge motives, some of those pastoral moves appeared to be "career oriented." I fear that far too many pastors view churches as "stepping stones" to enhance their "ministry," so they can be "promoted" to a more prestigious church or perhaps an agency ministry. In Ephesians 3, we read "Unto Him be glory in the Church." The purpose of a church is to bring glory to God, not to develop ministry "careers."
Over the years, Fellowship Baptist Church has disappointed some people because we did not have some particular "support group." They view the church as something to meet their social or emotional need. It is not. The purpose of the church is to bring glory to God, not to make us feel good or meet our needs. If we bring glory to God, our needs will be met and we should feel good. But those are by-products. Some churches confuse these results with the purpose of their existence. This will bring dishonor to the Lord by first endorsing, then encouraging worldliness and minimizing the Bible. This is where the "consumer" church is today. It seeks to give people what they want, not what the Lord wants.
The purpose of the church is not to make an impact in the world, or change the world's mode. Again, this will happen as a by-product, but the purpose of the church is to bring glory to God. The social-activist church sees the "betterment" of humanity as its purpose. It may seek to stamp out poverty, make people more tolerant of each other, end discrimination, or who knows what else. The church that seeks the honor of the Lord will love and exalt righteousness. That church will be outspoken against the social evils of its day, because they dishonor God and His design. It will oppose the ungodly Hollywood influence and the murder of the unborn. It will expose the destructive nature of alcohol, narcotics, sexual immorality including homosexuality, and the break up of the family. It will also seek to restore those whose lives have been devastated by these sins. Only the church that seeks to glorify God will have a real social impact on the world.
The purpose of the church is not to "sell" a Savior to the world. Churches that try to make the cross palatable to the world do not know the power of that cross. The very idea of a Savior indicates our own helplessness. The cross is an offense because it shows mans utter inability to please God. Jesus said to His disciples, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." When a church tries to make Christ attractive, acceptable, and pleasing to the world, it destroys the very message the world needs. In contrast, the church that seeks His glory is not ashamed of the cross. It says with Paul, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
If the glory of God is not the purpose of our church, we will seek to please people, either ourselves or others. We cannot do that long term. We will loose out both now and in eternity.
The purpose of the church is to bring glory to God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. If we seek His glory, our greatest need will be met. We will be saved from Hell. If we seek His glory we will change the world, one person at a time. The desire for God's glory will overcome the ravages of social evils in the lives of individuals. As we seek God's glory we will help people see the righteousness of God. They will view their sin as being repugnant to God. When they see their lost condition, they will want to be rescued. "Unto Him be glory in the Church."