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Plans for the Church

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The church of Christ was established on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2). Jesus came to earth to build His church (Matt. 16:18). Acts 2:47 shows that those who responded to the preaching of the gospel by repentance and baptism were saved and added by the Lord to His church. Christ gave Himself for the church (Eph. 5:23). He purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28); thus, those who are in the Lord’s church are bought with the price of His blood and should serve and glorify Him who bought them (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23).

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While the church was established nearly 2,000 years ago, the plan for it is infinitely older. The church was in the mind of God before the world began. God has showed His manifold wisdom by the church according to His eternal purpose in Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:10-11). Those in Christ enjoy all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3). They have redemption and forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7). Additionally, they have received an inheritance from God, who works all things according to His own will and purpose (Eph. 1:11). The church is the people who love God, who are the called according to God’s purpose (Rom. 8:28).

The church was not an afterthought; it is not God’s “plan B.” Through the prophets God spoke of His plan to establish His kingdom (the church) (Dan. 2:44-45). This kingdom would last forever and consume all earthly kingdoms. God promised a child would be born upon whose shoulders the everlasting government would rest (Isa. 9:6-7). Jesus proclaimed the imminent establishment of this kingdom during His earthly ministry (Matt. 4:17). Isaiah 2:1-3 speaks of it as a mountain of the Lord’s house that would be established in the top of the mountains; called Zion (a mountain among mountains), it started in Jerusalem and all nations flowed to it to receive the Lord’s word. The Lord’s house is the church, which upholds the truth for the world to receive (1 Tim. 3:15). Jesus is the foundation of the church (1 Cor. 3:11). He is the promised, precious cornerstone (Isa. 28:16; 1 Pet. 2:6). When Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God, the Lord promised to build His church/kingdom on this foundation—His identity as the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:13-19).

Thus, the church of Christ is not something originated and ordered by men, but by God. The way it is organized and how it worships is directed by God’s plan revealed in His word, the Bible. Humans may create all sorts of clubs and organizations for their own purposes, but the church exists because of divine purpose. It is not up to us to restructure the church according to our own designs, but rather recognize and follow God’s design revealed in the pages of the New Testament.

The Lord wants us to appreciate the value of the New Testament church. The saved are added by the Lord to it (Acts 2:47). When the Lord returns, He will come to save His body: the church, presented to Him as a holy bride prepared for her husband (Eph. 5:23-27).

-Mark Day

Sacrificing for the Imperishable Crown

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To the Christians in Corinth, Paul wrote:  

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. ( 1 Cor. 9:24-27.)

Paul used the metaphor of athletic competition to convey the concept of giving up liberties and making sacrifices for the salvation of souls, including his own.

Those in Corinth would have been familiar with the metaphor. The d were an ancient Greek sporting event held every two years in the Isthmus of Corinth. The games were held in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and were one of the four Panhellenic Games, along with the Olympic, Pythian, and Nemean Games. The Isthmian Games were first held in 582 BC and continued until the 4th century AD. They were similar to the Olympic Games in that they featured a variety of athletic events, such as running, wrestling, boxing, and chariot racing. The victors of the Isthmian Games were awarded a wreath of pine or wild celery and also honored with statues and poems.

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Paul referred to the victor’s wreath that awaits Christians. In contrast to the wreath the winning athletes received which wilted, the crown the Christian will wear is eternal. That being the case, how much more then should Christians give effort to obtaining the imperishable crown? Bodily exercise pales in comparison to the rewards godliness provides (1 Tim. 4:8). Paul was not going out for a morning jog, meandering wherever different paths might take him. No, his run was purposeful. He was running the Christian marathon toward the finish line (Acts 20:24; Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16; 2 Tim. 4:7). He pressed toward the goal (Phil. 3:14). He was not shadow boxing. He was in the fight of his life—the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). All Christians, even Paul, must exercise self-discipline to strive for the goal of eternal life.

Paul’s crown was not only the salvation of his own soul (2 Tim. 4:8), but also the souls he had won to Christ. Paul spoke of his converts to Christ as his joy and crown (Phil. 4:1; cf. Acts 16:11-40). He looked forward to presenting them to the Lord Jesus Christ on the final day. He made some converts to Christ at Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-4) To them he wrote, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:19-20).

In a world that so often focuses on individual rights, we desperately need to consider the message Paul is conveying in 1 Corinthians 9. He was willing to give up whatever rights he had in order to win people to Christ so that their souls would be saved (1 Cor. 9:19-23). Instead of complaining about our rights, let us focus on our responsibilities. Let us strive to master ourselves and be willing to make sacrifices so that souls will be saved. Members of the body of Christ must work together for the good of the whole (1 Cor. 12:12). Eternal souls hang in the balance.

-Mark Day