In my last post I posed the question, "What is the Church? What is the role of the Church in this world?" My inspiration for asking this question is my recent study of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian who was executed by the Nazis for his role in the German resistance during World War II. For those who are interested in reading the article, here is the link.
In this post, I want to take the opportunity to attempt to answer this question for myself by studying what the Scriptures say in regards to the Church. Specifically, I want to look at how the Church is supposed to interact with this world. This list is in no way meant to be a comprehensive list, it is merely a start to help me find a beginning point for future thoughts or topics.
The Church Serves to Spread the Gospel
I began my search with Jesus's commission to the disciples following the Resurrection.
Jesus's last recorded act before the ascension is to commission the disciples to spread the Word of God. "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28: 18-20)."
First and foremost we are given the authority, and in fact commanded, to proclaim Christ to all peoples. If we cannot do that, we fail in our fundamental responsibility to this world.
The Church Serves as the Ambassador of Christ
Studying the book of Acts, one of the themes that jumped out at me is how the early Church's role expanded from merely preaching the Word of God to ministering to the physical needs of its members. The early chapters of Acts are filled with stories of individuals who donated their belongings to the Church fathers to be distributed to those in need. Later, this need became so great that the apostles commissioned a group of men to perform various ministries so that the apostles could focus on prayer and evangelism.
While, I don't think that this role can be considered as the focal purpose of the Church, it is an important function. What I mean is this, Christians are not called to be righteous do-gooders as many in this day and age believe. They are called to preach the Word of God.
That being said, it is often necessary to attend to the spiritual needs of others by taking care of their physical needs as well. Many of the most well-known stories in the Gospels involve Jesus performing miracles such as feeding the 5,000 and healing numerous people. Caring for the welfare of others was important to his ministry.
However, if one looks closely, Jesus's miracles were a means to an end. Jesus routinely preached the forgiveness of sins first, and healed second. The healing while extremely important, was the tool he used to proclaim the grace of God. As Jesus says during the Sermon on the Mount, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5: 14-16)."
The reason I make this distinction is because I think it is important to understand why we are called to minister to others. We don't do so as if we can achieve righteousness on our own. We do so because God has commanded us to be his ambassadors, to be witnesses through our words and actions. In this light then it becomes tied to our central role as messengers of the Gospel.
The Church Serves to Do the Will of God
Paul calls the Church the "body of Christ." The Church is meant to be the embodiment of Christ in this world. Ultimately, Christians are called to obey the will of God in all facets of our lives. This is not to say that we are called to righteousness or salvation through works. Rather, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God continually works in us to sanctify us. Despite our flaws, His grace is enough to redeem us and use us for his own good purposes.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, we tend to compartmentalize God. We give Him a day a week, if that. To many it is an uncomfortable thought to allow God into other areas of our life, to influence our day-to-day and moment-to-moment decisions.
But this is not what God has called us to be. God wants every part of us. Luke provides a few examples of individuals who wished to follow Jesus as his disciples. In each case, Jesus used the opportunity to show them areas of their lives in which they held themselves back from making him Lord over all. One individual asks Jesus to allow him to bury a family member, likely an excuse. Jesus sees through this and tells him to let the dead bury their own dead. In another example, an individual wished to follow Jesus. But Jesus, knowing the man's cares of worldly things told him that foxes have holes to live in but his disciples had no place to lay their heads. As Jesus states, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9: 23)."
As Christ demonstrates through the examples above, it is not an easy thing to follow the will of God. Luckily though, He has provided us with help. As Jesus states, "But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." The Holy Spirit works in us to guide us, to nurture us, to sanctify us and equip us to be able to do the will of God. Paul describes the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5: 25)."
God Uses the Church to Sanctify the World
In several of his epistles, Paul exhorts his listeners to be obedient to the authorities of this world. As he explains, the authorities are established to punish those who do wrong. But what is our responsibility when those authorities act unjustly? During these times, God uses the Church to sanctify this world.
Numerous examples throughout the Bible demonstrate individuals who were called by God to call this world to account. Moses confronted the pharoah of Egypt when the Israelites were oppressed. Nathan chastised David after the murder of Uriah. Elijah calls King Ahab to account for leading Israel away from the worship of God. Isaiah and Jeremiah warn the kingdoms of Judah and Israel about coming judgements, particularly speaking against the social injustices propagated by the ruling powers. Jesus exposes the religious and social failings of the Sadducees and Pharisees. The apostles told the Sanhedrin that they must follow God rather than men when they are warned not to preach in Christ's name.
Sometimes we are called to witness and suffer for our beliefs, in accordance with God's will. "On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you (Matthew 10: 18-20)."
As the Church, we must be ready and willing to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and to do the will of God, even if we must oppose the authorities of this world.
Conclusion
The role of the Church in this world is varied. God calls the Church to spread the Gospel, serve one another, to do the will of God, and to work as a sanctifying force in accordance with God's will.
As I said earlier, this is by no means meant to be an all inclusive list. Volumes and volumes of books have been written on this subject. Nor is this meant to be an evaluation of how successful we are at these roles. But it gives me a starting point to look at the obligations of myself and the Church when faced with a given situation.
I welcome the thoughts of others on the subject. I know that I certainly am not a definitive authority on theology. But if it raises some thought, then I consider this article a success.
Well said.
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