The Purpose of the Church (Part 1)
A sermon preached by Drew Cunningham at Santa Cruz Baptist Church about the purpose of the Church, part 1.
The Purpose of the Church (Part 1)
The Purpose of the Church is glorifying God and that happens through 5 ministries (Worship, Ministry, Evangelism, Fellowship, Discipleship)
The Great Commandment and the Great Commission
1. Worship “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”
2. Ministry “love your neighbor”
3. Evangelism “Make disciples”
4. Fellowship “Baptizing them”
5. Discipleship “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”
Acts 2:42-47
The Ministry of Teaching: "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching”
The Ministry of Fellowship: “They devoted themselves… to the fellowship…All the believers were together and had everything in common…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”
The Ministry of Worship: “They devoted themselves… to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe…They continued to meet together in the temple courts…praising God.”
The Ministry of Service: “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need…enjoying the favor of all the people.”
The Ministry of Evangelism: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Worship: Matthew 4:10, Psalm 34:1-3
What is worship?
Worship: our affirmative, transforming response to the self-revelation of God.
Affirmative: We must worship God as He is.
Transforming: We are changed to be more like God. Jonah 3:10-4:11 (not transformed), Romans 12:2
Response: We do good works for God. Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 3:15-17, Ephesians 5:15-21, Hebrews 10:24-25, Colossians 3:16, Matthew 22:35-40
Ministry
What is Ministry?
“demonstrating God’s love to others by meeting their needs and healing their hurts in the name of Jesus”. Ephesians 4:11-16