Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Why Does The Church Exist?

“So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Matthew 28:18–20.

Why does the Church exist? It’s a simple question, but do we know the answer? There are lots of good reasons, but for us at Northstar, it boils down to one idea — to see one more life touched, saved and transformed by the grace of God.   

C.S. Lewis had to this to say in Mere Christianity: “It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects—education, buildings, missions, holding services … the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him.”

But how do we ensure we will continue to draw people to Christ and make them “little Christs?” It is easy to default to the idea that making “little Christs” is the role of the church. But as I said in this week’s message, we are the church.  A church is a congregation of people united together in the love of Christ and devoted to His mission. We aren’t an audience every Sunday. Our responsibilities did not end the day we were saved. Each of us are an essential part of the church, and each of us have a job to do. We each have responsibilities.

First, each of us have a responsibility to serve God through His church. God created the church, and He owns it. The church is the body of Christ. As His body, we are responsible for being good stewards of His body. Second, we have a responsibility to obey Christ and be His hands and feet in our world. Our neighbors cannot see our faith, but they can see our works. They can’t see our love for God, but they can see whether God is glorified in our lives.

If Lewis is right that “the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs,” that has to be the sole focus of our journey and the mission of Northstar. We can have the best intentions, but without the involvement of church members and regular attenders, we will never achieve our mission. 

That is why the church exists.

Discussion Question:

  1. Why do you think the church exists? How do I fit into the church? What do I contribute?
  2. What does it mean to make little Christs?
  3. Pray for Northstar that we will make “little Christs” each week?

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