The Character and Function of the Church

If the church is not the new Israel replacing the old Israel, and is not the kingdom, what is it and what is its function?

The church is the spiritual extension of Jesus in the world, representing his kingdom perspective,  announcing his coming kingdom, and seeking to extend the love and blessings of that kingdom in this present age, banded together through baptism and the Lord’s Supper, under the discipline of his lordship, and proclaiming the message of the gospel to a lost and dying world.

 

The Church Is the Extension of Jesus in the world

We are His body, branches to his vine, building blocks of his temple, his lampstand in the darkness, his sheep in the field, his family in the world, his people among the peoples, a royal priesthood to the unclean, his new race of redeemed individuals. We are his ambassadors, his appointed representatives to speak his heart and mind as he seeks to reconcile all rebels to himself (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

 

The Church Represents Jesus’ kingdom perspective

Trust and obey God is the kingdom perspective, the only proper response of God’s creatures to their King (Luke 9:24). Disobedience is destructive to one’s well-being, so the sick need a physician, the lost need one to find them (Mark 2:17). Obedience is more than outward and never less than perfection (Matthew 5:17-48). Seeking God first, His kingdom and His righteousness, asking for His righteousness, hungering for it, is the path to receiving it  (Matthew 5:6; 6:33; 7:7,8). Nothing is worth more than the kingdom (Matthew 13:44,45), and it law is summed up in the Great Commandment (Luke 10:25-37), love God and love your neighbor.

 

The Church Announces Jesus’ coming kingdom

The Great Commission, as expressed in Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-48; and Acts 1:8, is to make disciple of all the nations and teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded in anticipation of Jesus’ return, his authority being with us until the end of the age.

 

The Church Extends the love and blessings of Jesus’ coming kingdom

John 13 tells us,

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

The Church is Banded together through baptism and the Lord’s Supper

^4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

 

The Church Is Under Jesus’ discipline

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

¹⁸ “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will b^] loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:15-20)

 

The Church Proclaims the good news of salvation to a lost and dying world

¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16)