10
09
2008
Session 4: The Purpose of the Church: What is the Church Supposed to be Doing?
Posted by: carrie in Fall 2008Fall 2007 Online Certificate Students:
View all sessions below. Then log all your comments, questions, discussion question answers, criticisms, or thoughts below.
NOTE: This is not the place for general discussion and questions. Go to the foyer for general discussion and refer to the FAQ on the right for question. Time spent in the comments section will apply toward your one hour of community time per week. To download audio sessions, visit the course homepage on the TTP site. The next session will be posted each Wed.
_____________________________
What is the purpose of the Church? Part 1 [11:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download What is the purpose of the Church? Part 2 [13:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Why is the Church here and not in heaven? [22:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download What purposes are limited to those that can be accomplished only on the earth? [13:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Powered by FireStats
September 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
EE -Week 4 – Group Discussion Questions;
1. Split into pairs and take time to fill out the “Chart of Importance” in the Workbook. Rate each purpose using ratio of 0–10. Use “10” sparingly, reserved only for those purposes which you believe are most important to the Church. This will be used throughout the group discussion time. (Take no more than ten minutes on this).
– 1= 3 ; 2= 2 ; 3=7; 4=4; 5=6; 6=8; 7=8; 8=4; 9=6
2. Share with the group which purposes you rated a “10.” Explain.
–I did not rate any one reason a 10.
3. The Westminster Catechism says that the “chief end of man” is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “glorify” as “to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration.” How do you think the Church is to glorify God? Be specific.
–By keeping God’s commands given to us in His Word. Sharing The Gospel with those who do not know Him or have a personal relationship with Jesus, teaching on the meaning of love and how to give all praises to God. This also includes our tithes and offerings.
4. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hedonism as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.” The Christian hedonistic purpose assumes that God wants man to enjoy life and His creation. It assumes that the greatest joy that a person can have is by worshipping and enjoying God. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to man? Explain.
– Sure, to a point. He does want us to enjoy the pleasures of life, but we learn that the pleasures He has in store for us here on earth are not the pleasures of sin.
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to the Church? Explain.
–Absolutely, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, sing praise…” I think one of the purposesof the church is to teach us how we can have joy in glorifying God and His creation.
How can local churches help and hinder this purpose?
–Legalism, clickieness, teaching hell-fire& brimstone as their main focus. Looking down on the raising of hands and clapping during worship or applauding God’s glory to a speaker or singer.
5. Unbalance seems to be a major hindrance to the church fulfilling all aspects of its purpose. Have you been a part of a church were one of these aspects was elevated to the neglect of the others? Explain giving detailed examples.
–Yes. I currently am a member of a non denominational church whose purpose is reaching out to the lost, dechurched, unchurched, hellbounder. I would not call us “seeker sensitive” because we mention Jesus at least every 5 minutes in the service. So yew, we are a 9 on evangelism (we don’t go out and jump out of bushes for a 10…
What was the effect? Discuss.
–Very effective, we saw over 1100 folks give their life to Jesus last year alone, over 400 of them were baptized, and many are going thru the 101 membership classes and joining home groups.
6. What are some steps that local churches can take to become more balanced in their purposes?
–I think the term “some” is appropriate here. A lot of the churches here in the bible belt just won’t change. But, several of them are adding contemporary services, Latino services, outreach programs etc.
7. How was your thinking challenged the most by the lesson? Explain.
–Challenged by trying to decide what is important to me. Where do I want to spend the bulk of my ministry time. Leaning towards one area more than others, or balancing my efforts.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Group Discussion Questions:
1. Split into pairs and take time to fill out the “Chart of Importance” in the Workbook. Rate each purpose using ratio of 0–10. Use “10” sparingly, reserved only for those purposes which you believe are most important to the Church. This will be used throughout the group discussion time. (Take no more than ten minutes on this).
1:9, 2:8, 3:9, 4:8, 5:9, 6:8, 7:8, 8:7, 9:10
2. Share with the group which purposes you rated a “10.” Explain.
All other purposes fall under the category of “Glory to God in Whatever We Do”.
1 Cor 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
3. The Westminister Catechism says that the “chief end of man” is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “glorify” as to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration.” How do you think the Church is to glorify God? Be specific.
The church glorifies God by holding firm to His Truth. To hold to His Truth entails preparing and educating His people to live lives which uphold His Truth and to serve as a catalyst for others to see and hear God’s Truth.
4. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hedonism as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.” The Christian hedonistic purpose assumes that God wants man to enjoy life and His creation. It assumes that the greatest joy that a person can have is by worshipping and enjoying God. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to man? Explain.
Yes, he Jesus Christ promised that if we seek him and obey His commandments that he will give us a fulfilled life. A fulfilled life in a close relationship with God obviously results in a joyful life.
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to the Church? Explain.
Yes, We are commanded to fellowship together and worship God. By obeying and showing love to one another joy will be given to the those that make up the church.
How can local churches help and hinder this purpose?
Love and unity in carrying out God’s commands leads to a joyful church,
Discord and disunity within the local church body is anything but joyful.
5. Unbalance seems to be a major hindrance to the church fulfilling all aspects of its purpose. Have you been a part of a church were one of these aspects was elevated to the neglect of the others? Explain giving detailed examples.
Two churches that I have attended lacked in the area of discipleship. Each enjoyed spreading the news but neglected to train up those who came through the doors.
What was the effect? Discuss.
Those folks who lacked discipleship training fell away left for whatever reason.
6. What are some steps that local churches can take to become more balanced in their purposes? Good question. I think it depends a bit on the location and age of the local church.
Sometimes one purpose might need to be stressed over another such as exists in a very small start-up church. Later a more balanced approach might be pursued as more members join together.
7. How was your thinking challenged the most by the lesson? Explain.
Question 6 . I haven’t had to grapple with how to become a balanced church as my church is just struggling to get off the ground. Challenge right now putting together a Sunday School.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Discussion Questions 4
1. Fill out the “Chart of Importance” in the Workbook. Rate each purpose using a ratio of 0-10. Use “10” sparingly, reserved only for those purposes which you believe are most important to the Church.
A. The Church is here to take part in relationships with others (communal purpose). 8
B. The Church is here to fight against sin (holy purpose). 8
C. The Church is here to worship God (doxological purpose). 10
D. The Church is here to represent Christ’s ruling authority (authoritative purpose). 8
E. The Church is here to represent Christ’s mercy and love (sociological purpose). 8
F. The Church is here to spread the Gospel to the lost (evangelical purpose). 10
G. The Church is here to help people grow in Christ (discipleship purpose). 10
H. The Church is here to enjoy God and the world that God has created (hedonistic purpose). 7
I. The Church is here to glorify God in whatever we do (panoramic purpose). 9
2. Share which purposes you rated a “10”.
Although I placed tens for worship, evangelism and discipleship and a nine for the panoramic purpose, every one of them is important. The smallest things we do for God done in the right way and with the right motivation are all valuable. The other items that I did not list as tens (with the exception of the panoramic purpose) all support the three items I listed as tens in one way or another.
3. The Westminster Catechism says that the “chief end of man” is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “glorify” as “to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration.” How do you think the Church is to glorify God? Be specific.
We glorify God by our worship, obedience and as we give ourselves fully to Him. As we gather together, united in fellowship, we are to edify each other so that the world can see Christ in our daily walk and witness.
4. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hedonism as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.” The Christian hedonistic purpose assumes that God wants man to enjoy life and His creation. It assumes that the greatest joy that a person can have is by worshipping and enjoying God. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to man?
It’s a part of our human nature that we seek enjoyment and properly done it’s not a bad thing. Sin has corrupted this God given desire and often sinful pleasure is the chief aim of many people’s lives. But God wants us to have joy and peace in Him and to appropriately enjoy life and the world He has given us. For those who are His, this enjoyment will find its total fulfillment when Jesus returns.
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to the Church?
I believe one of the best ways this is displayed is in the use of hymns and music. Many of the old hymns (if we would appreciate them more) have a richness of depth and emotion that are meant to help us worship God and fill us with joy as we praise Him through song.
How can local churches help and hinder this purpose?
There are many ways to help and hinder and it’s kind of difficult for me to stress which things do the most harm and the most good. Rightly dividing the Word of truth is essential. Another thing that strikes me as fundamental is maintaining a balance of emphasis between the justice and mercy of God. If we only come down hard on sin we can easily become discouraged; if the emphasis is too much on God’s love, I’m afraid the message can become more “fluff than stuff”, without proper substance and depth.
5. Unbalance seems to be a major hindrance to the church fulfilling all aspects of its purpose. Have you been a part of a church were one of these aspects was elevated to the neglect of the others? Explain giving detailed examples.
A church I once attended did not give enough attention to discipleship training, or it seemed to me, to thorough Bible study.
What was the effect?
Many of the members were doctrinally weak and some who joined soon left.
Membership was slowly dwindling.
6. What are some steps that local churches can take to become more balanced in their purposes?
Like many things in life, we sometimes need to step back and take an inventory. It is vital that the church leaders recognize the importance of balance. Prayer and an honest look at how the church is doing in this matter are necessary things that must be done. Then concrete steps must be taken to guide the church into a more balanced way of doing things.
7. How was your thinking challenged the most by the lesson?
The challenge for me was trying to assign a level of importance to the nine items in the “Chart of Importance”, because every one is very important. If a church is lacking in one, for example, the sociological purpose, the witness of that church (evangelical purpose) is diminished. They are all interrelated and each one affects the others. It would be best for our churches to be “firing on all cylinders” (to use an automotive term) for them to run smoothly as God intended.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 am
1. Split into pairs and take time to fill out the “Chart of Importance” in the Workbook. Rate each purpose using ratio of 0–10. Use “10” sparingly, reserved only for those purposes which you believe are most important to the Church. This will be used throughout the group discussion time. (Take no more than ten minutes on this).
1.=8 2.=5 3.=10 4.=3 5.=7 6.=9 7.=10 8.=6 9.=9
2. Share with the group which purposes you rated a “10.” Explain.
I rated the doxological and discipleship reasons as a 10. I did this becuase I believe that the Great Commission calls us to grow disciples and I believe one of the main points of the entire Creation and our role in it, is to worship God. He alone is worthy of worship and Creation and humanity’s part in it is to bring Him glory and worship.
3. The Westminster Catechism says that the “chief end of man” is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “glorify” as “to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration.” How do you think the Church is to glorify God? Be specific.
I think the Church is to be the body of Christ. The term Christian means “Christ-like” so we as the church, are to be “Christ-like” on earth. Although this is something we can not achieve on our own, we are to be led by the Spirit to be Christ’s representatives on earth until He comes again.
4. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hedonism as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.” The Christian hedonistic purpose assumes that God wants man to enjoy life and His creation. It assumes that the greatest joy that a person can have is by worshipping and enjoying God. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to man?
I certainly do. I think we are to delight ourselves in the Lord. I think God uses very personal adjectives to describe His relationship to several people throughout the Bible. Enoch walked with God, Abraham was a friend of God, we are come to Him as little children and so on. I think this implies a close, personal relationship that wants us to enjoy Him.
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to the Church?
To some extent, I think there is. When I think of roles of the Church, I think part of what the Church should help us do, is learn more about God, what His will is for our lives, and what great hope He has for us. These facts should bring about an enjoyment in God.
How can local churches help and hinder this purpose?
I think how a local church teaches the Word will help or hinder this purpose a great deal. A legalistic church may emphasize keeping rules as satisfying God and not lead to a very enjoyable relationship. An emerging church may not emphasize holiness enough and let people enjoy the world more than the Lord.
5. Unbalance seems to be a major hindrance to the church fulfilling all aspects of its purpose. Have you been a part of a church were one of these aspects was elevated to the neglect of the others? Explain giving detailed examples.
I think the church I go to now emphasizing teaching above all else. I believe that we are committed to great teaching, however, we do not emphasize service or evangelism very well. It was just recently that we decided to even have elders, so as to better serve the physical needs of the church and community, so I believe a good faith effort to bring better balance is now underway.
6. What are some steps that local churches can take to become more balanced in their purposes?
As with many groups or churches, a certain type of person is attracted to a certain type of church and we tend to believe our preferences are most important. I go to a Bible church that values teaching. We have incredible teaching. We attract people who love teaching. In fact, this past Sunday, our elders went on a retreat, including our teaching pastor. A lot of people were not at church because our teaching pastor was gone. I think this demonstrates how people prefer a certain style or person over an overall church experience. I think we like what we like and don’t want to be in a situation where we may not like the church service we prefer. I think we make moral decisons based on preferences a lot.
7. How was your thinking challenged the most by the lesson?
I think understanding balance is important. I also have realized my statement “I think we make moral decisions based on preferences a lot” is telling for me. I way too often look at the way someone else is doing church or worship and say ‘that is wrong’ rather than understanding that person’s point of view.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Ecclesiology and Eschatology - Session 4 - Group Discussion Questions
1. Split into pairs and take time to fill out the “Chart of Importance” in the Workbook. Rate each purpose using ratio of 0–10. Use “10” sparingly, reserved only for those purposes which you believe are most important to the Church. This will be used throughout the group discussion time. (Take no more than ten minutes on this).
1. The Church is to take part in relationships with others (communal): 6
2. The Church is to fight against sin (holy): 7
3. The Church is to worship God (doxological): 10
4. The Church is to represent Christ’s ruling authority (authoritative): 9
5. The Church is to represent Christ’s mercy and love (sociological): 9
6. The Church is to spread the Gospel to the lost (evangelical): 10
7. The Church is to help people grow in Christ (discipleship). 10
8. The Church is to enjoy God and the world that God has created (hedonistic): 8
9. The Church is to glorify God in whatever we do (panoramic purpose): 8
2. Share with the group which purposes you rated a “10.” Explain.
I thought the “10s” should go to the three areas that best describe the ministries of the Church that Grudem emphasizes: Ministry to God, believers and the world.
3. The Westminster Catechism says that the “chief end of man” is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “glorify” as “to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration.” How do you think the Church is to glorify God? Be specific.
We glorify God by worshiping Him with songs, hymns, prayers, lifting up of His Name, proclaiming the Gospel, caring for the poor and broken hearted and in general representing the continued presence of Christ on earth.
4. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hedonism as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.” The Christian hedonistic purpose assumes that God wants man to enjoy life and His creation. It assumes that the greatest joy that a person can have is by worshipping and enjoying God. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to man?
Yes. John Piper’s defense of this idea in his book: Desiring God, is rather convincing. Piper takes the Westminster Confession’s purpose of man: “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” and turns it to “glorify God by enjoying Him forever”. With Piper’s subtle change we see the purpose of man is an equation that can go in either direction. Glorifying God = Enjoying Him or Enjoying God = Glorifying Him. Pleasure that does not glorify God is not a part of man’s purpose. The Garden of Eden seems to be our best example of this; where we see Adam and Eve glorifying God simply by enjoying God’s presence and the blessings He gave them.
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to the Church?
Yes. As a body of believers whose purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him, the Church will be the community in which this happens.
How can local churches help and hinder this purpose?
An over-emphasis on sin and the fallen nature of creation and the need to address these issues will tend to minimize the enjoyment of God for many in the Church. Emphasis on the good news of the Gospel, the truly amazing nature of the grace of God and the powerful work of Christ will enhance our enjoyment of God. Powerful worship, praise and visible acts of mercy in the community will also enhance our enjoyment of God.
5. Unbalance seems to be a major hindrance to the church fulfilling all aspects of its purpose. Have you been a part of a church were one of these aspects was elevated to the neglect of the others? Explain giving detailed examples.
I belonged to a local church that over-emphasized social justice in the community at the expense of biblical preaching and teaching. The need to nurture the believers in the church with the Word of God was neglected. The end result was a slow but steady decline in membership.
6. What are some steps that local churches can take to become more balanced in their purposes?
I think each local church would be well served by a periodic, independent review of their mission statement, worship services and ministries. A survey of the membership to see if the leadership and members are on the same wavelength could go a long way to revealing imbalances and weaknesses, as well as, strong points of the church.
7. How was your thinking challenged the most by the lesson?
Going through this lesson made me realize how the secular world tends to view Christian churches as places of condemnation and joylessness. What a stark contrast to what we are called to be; a place where the God is glorified and we enjoy Him! We offer “good news” and that needs to be the light we are shining in the world.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Group Discussion # 4
2. Share with the group which purposes you rated a “10”. Explain.
Acts 2:42-47. The last words Jesus spoke to us before His ascension is found in Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; and Acts 1:8. Evangelism is our chief mission. Gut, if we live rightly, worship authentically, and glorify God in whatever we do, we will be evangelistic. If we are obedient to Micah 6:8 we will live righteously, we will take care of social concerns, we will be worshipful.
3. The Westminster Catechism says that the “chief end of man” is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever”. Webster’s Dictionary defines “glorify” as “to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration.” How do you think the Church is to glorify God? Be specific.
Yes, in all we do, worship means to “ascribe worth” to God. We do that in what we call worship services. But we also “ascribe worth” to God as we care for the needs of those created in His image; as we share with the “lost” how to be saved; as we teach and disciple men and women; children, youth, and adults. We worship God as we fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hedonism as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.” The Christian hedonistic purpose assumes that God wants man to enjoy life and His creation. It assumes that the greatest joy that a person can have is by worshipping and enjoying God. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to man? Explain.
I can understand the objection to the use of the word hedonistic. I immediately think of one who builds their life around pleasure and self-satisfaction. Certainly God created this earth for mankind and in “subjecting it” we are to enjoy it. But, Christ came as our example and He had “no place to lay His head”. Matt. 16:24-25 does not picture a self-indulgent lifestyle that the word hedonist presumes. The emphasis of Psalm 37:4 is not “and He will give you the desires of your heart”; but rather, “Delight yourself in the Lord”.
Do you believe that there is a hedonistic purpose to the Church? Explain.
Are we to enjoy God and the world He created? Yes! But we find that enjoyment of God as we worship, study, fellowship, and serve. The picture Christ gave as an example is that of a slave washing feet. If I do all to the glory of God, then washing feet brings indescribable joy. If I am singing, preaching, or teaching for any other reason, I have become “as a noisy song or a clanging cymbal”.
How can local churches help and hinder this purpose?
From my experience in today’s church, far too many sing the praise song “It’s All About Me, Jesus” rather than “It’s All About You, Jesus”. People pick churches based on what it offers them rather than how can I serve God in this place. We are quickly offended if we are not recognized or our ministry seems unappreciated. Our job needs to be to educate our church family on the need and joy of a holy lifestyle. We find our greatest joy as we grow in holiness (II Cor. 7:1). Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship” does not picture a self-absorbed, miserable man, but rather, a joyous servant. I understand the concept you are seeking to present, but I fear it is too easily misunderstood.
5. Unbalance seems to be a major hindrance to the church fulfilling all aspects of its purpose. Have you been a part of a church where one of these aspects was elevated to the neglect of the others? Explain, giving detailed examples.
I’m not certain that I’ve served a church where balance has been achieved. Growing up, the church we attended emphasized evangelism and internal fellowship to the neglect of its sociological purpose. Our church is very involved in social concerns but we are not where I feel we need to be in discipleship.
What was the effect? Discuss.
The church in which I grew up stressed evangelism to the extent that doubt was fostered in the minds of many. Our church is constantly in need of workers and finding disciple, committed teachers and helpers is a never ending task.
6. What are some steps that local churches can take to become more balanced in their purposes? We review what we are doing quarterly and seek to involve the church family in the process. We live in a society that wants to receive and not give; and the church mirrors that society rather than to attempt change.
7. How was your thinking challenged the most by the lesson? Explain.
My objection to the use of “hedonistic” reflects the self-centered society in which we live; in the church and outside the church. As I was writing these answers, I received an email from a senior adult who asked if I would go with him to a home that is in need of repair. My function will be to encourage and minister physically while our senior adult evaluates how work can be done to repair her ceiling. We also got a call from a lady, not a part of our church, who needs a ride to work. (Matt. 9:37-38) We are a working church that quickly meets social needs, and we are a worshipping church. We must cultivate a spirit of discipleship.