Every group needs to have a purpose, and this purpose needs to be well-known by the members of that group. Without some sense of purpose, some reason to exist which all hold in common, the group becomes rudderless, wandering from here to there but not quite sure why. And there will be many opportunities for conflict. Clarity here is important for the health of the group and for successfully achieving the goals of the group. This purpose for the group can change as the group matures. In fact, the purpose ought to grow and develop over time. But whatever it is, it needs to be known and understood, at least to some extent, by all in the group. It is a way of saying, 'This is why we are a group'.
We at Faith Reformed need to have a purpose, and it needs to be something relatively clear to all of us. I'd like to propose a purpose. It may sound odd or too basic, but I think that it fits. Our purpose is to be a church - as Jesus defines it. (It is, after all, His Church.)
There are reasons why I think this is important. Being able to explain what it means to be a church and rooting that explanation in the Bible is something that too many Christians cannot do. One reason for this is that no one has taught them. So, there are unspoken assumptions about what it means for them to be a church, but these assumptions haven't been explicitly rooted in the Scriptures. As a result, too many churches simply pursue a purpose that is just some tradition from the past. Then there are those churches are trying to run away from such traditions of the past - and are simply establishing new ones as they go. It would be naive to think that we at Faith Reformed are untouched by any of these cultural influences. We also follow some traditions and try to distance ourselves from others. Having traditions is inevitable. But what's critical is evaluating these traditions by the Scriptures. What we need are traditions that are biblical, or, more accurately, traditions that are in the process of becoming more and more bibilical. The goal is to be a church according to how Jesus has defined that. So, over the next weeks I hope to write out some ideas on what I understand the Bible to say about what it means to be a church. To be sure, my understanding of Scripture will be influenced by a certain set of traditions. But I hope that what I write will, nonetheless, be helpful in discerning one way to work at being the Church that Jesus has established and works through.
There are reasons why I think this is important. Being able to explain what it means to be a church and rooting that explanation in the Bible is something that too many Christians cannot do. One reason for this is that no one has taught them. So, there are unspoken assumptions about what it means for them to be a church, but these assumptions haven't been explicitly rooted in the Scriptures. As a result, too many churches simply pursue a purpose that is just some tradition from the past. Then there are those churches are trying to run away from such traditions of the past - and are simply establishing new ones as they go. It would be naive to think that we at Faith Reformed are untouched by any of these cultural influences. We also follow some traditions and try to distance ourselves from others. Having traditions is inevitable. But what's critical is evaluating these traditions by the Scriptures. What we need are traditions that are biblical, or, more accurately, traditions that are in the process of becoming more and more bibilical. The goal is to be a church according to how Jesus has defined that. So, over the next weeks I hope to write out some ideas on what I understand the Bible to say about what it means to be a church. To be sure, my understanding of Scripture will be influenced by a certain set of traditions. But I hope that what I write will, nonetheless, be helpful in discerning one way to work at being the Church that Jesus has established and works through.