Who is church meant for?

The Lord. For His glory. It is HIS church.

Everything done in church should be to bring glory to Him.....
leading sinners to Him,
teaching the saved to grow in their knowledge of Him...... and so on.

 

IMHO
Church is a place where people can here the Gospel. If unsaved , maybe the person will accept Jesus and be saved,adding to Christs' flock.It is also a place to be with my bro.and sisters in Christ to hear the word and praise Him for his goodness. Mk
I meant hear the Gospel

 

I believe, primarily, for believers to come together to worship their God through a variety of means.

peace to youraying:

 

In the Bible, the church has five main purposes:

preaching and teaching of God's word
corporate worship
the edification of the body of Christ
mutual accountability
church discipline

The church is for the body of Christ.

Now, that having been said, the church is also commanded to reach outside it's walls to preach the Gospel to the lost.

 

From what I see in the NT, the church, the body of believers together, has two functions:

1. To edify one another

2. To evangelize the lost

But if by church you only mean when believers come together, then this coming together is only for believers (1 Cor 14:22-25).

 

Outstanding! consider it stolen!

"to Him be the [SIZE=+0]glory[/SIZE][SIZE=+0] [/SIZE][SIZE=+0]in [/SIZE][SIZE=+0]the [/SIZE][SIZE=+0]church[/SIZE][SIZE=+0] and in Christ[/SIZE][SIZE=+0] Jesus[/SIZE][SIZE=+0] to all[/SIZE][SIZE=+0] generations[/SIZE][SIZE=+0] forever [/SIZE][SIZE=+0]and ever[/SIZE][SIZE=+0].[/SIZE] "

 

I do not find in scripture that our times of worship are moments of evangelism. In other words that is not the purpose in our corporate worship. The word worship does not lend to anything else other than a focus off of self and only on God. It is to glorify God and God alone.

 

I agree, but it was my understanding that she meant "who is the church for" in the context of the new idea that church is becoming more and more to attract the lost than it is for the edification of the body of Christ.

 

The church is the body of Christ and is commissioned to edify believers through the use and exercise of the gifts that are in the body of Christ.

The church is the body of Christ and is commissioned to be the light of the world, the guardians of the Gospel, hence they are for unbelievers that they may come to the knowledge of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The church serves as the light of the world for the unsaved and the source of spiritual edification for believers.

 

I do not find in the scriptures a building called "church"
In the scriptures they met in homes...

Hmmm....

The church "building' is a Catholic relic that Baptists picked up...

Everyone is welcomed into the building...
And yes, evangelism should begin in the building, and move outside...

But only the Saved are in the Church...

 

The church is an outpost of the Kingdom of God on this earth. It is an organization (not a place) where the character and power of God are demonstrated among the redeemed, it is a place of worship, rescue and transformation, and it is a city upon a hill where the light and truth of Christ shines forth to attract anyone who is willing to come follow Jesus. The church is called to glorify Jesus by doing the things He has called us to do it the power of the Spirit.

It is not a country club or a petty political post where deals are made with the powers of this world for special privilege. Nor is it a place to be served or entertained (although that often happens through the ministry of others to us).

And it is definitely not a place of condemnation. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. While there is certainly an important place for prophetic preaching and confrontation, the goal is always reconciliation and redemption.

I'm probably forgetting quite a few important things, but that's the way I see the church this afternoon.

 

I think your definition of worship is too narrow. Evangelism is an act of worship and is empowered by the Holy Spirit through our experience in corporate and private worship.

I agree with this point.

I appreciate this sentiment... yet I think you are leaving out some of the broader implications of what worship in the church should truly be. Worship should be the lifeblood of everything we do as part of church life. For instance, serving each other, submitting to one another, eating in fellowship with one another are all forms of worship. And serving the lost world in obedience to Christ is certainly godly worship.

 

If church is only for the saved, then why preach the gospel in church? We should not have to be told how to be saved or our need of salvation ever in church if it is only for the saved.

 

"Narrow is the gate and path which leads to life, and few will find it"
Matt 7:14

I believe this indicates the majority of church members are not saved

 

~~~~:thumbs: ~~~~

 

The gospel is more than merely getting your "ticket to heaven." The gospel is simply the new way of Christ. All believers need training and support in the way of Christ.

 

Sure you did, look up top the rock... :laugh:

 

Unless the object of the statement is the world then the Church are the few who found the gate...