Building up believers and the New Testament church

God's Purpose for You

God's Purpose is to Express the Body of Christ

Certainly the calling of individuals to God is a high calling, and after you have once seen this in some small measure, you may wonder how there could be anything more. But God's Word reveals that there is more, and if you want to go on in the purpose of God (and all who have truly experienced God's great salvation will have this desire) then you will soon find God beginning to reveal more of His fuller purpose to you. In 1 Corinthians 12:27 we read, "Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." This is a tremendous truth. You by yourself are not the body of Christ, but you have been made a member of His body, and together with other members, God will reveal His life and do His will here on earth, just as he did 2000 years ago in the physical body of Christ.

God's purpose is that in each locality a company of believers will be raised up who have given their lives to God for the express purpose of being made part of this body, as a testimony to people living in that area. God has promised to indwell each company of believers by His Holy Spirit in a greater measure than He could indwell each individual believer. Each member will contribute his part as designated by God, who puts members into the body as it pleases Him. This body of Christ becomes a temple of God in the Spirit, and is what the scriptures call "the church."

Many have fallen short of this calling, thinking of the church only as a meeting place, a program, a place to preach the gospel, an organization, or various religious activities. None of these is what the Bible calls "the church." The Bible teaches only one concept of the church, and that is this body, this family life, this expression of the life of God which we have been speaking about. You cannot "join the church," because only God can make you a part of His church. You can express what God has done, however, and show the unity of the Spirit by coming together with other believers under the headship of Christ. Christ is the head of His body, and this is only true as each member submits to Christ as head, or the Lord of his life, and then begins to find fellowship with others of like heart who have also submitted to Christ as Lord. God will then build them together as His body.

Do not try to live the life of God in isolation, because God intended for you to be part of His body. You need the other members in your locality. If you are truly experiencing the love of God, it will reach out to others who have the same life, to love and have fellowship with them. You cannot love a person and stay separate from him. Natural love looks for every opportunity to be with the loved one, and this is true in an even greater measure with the love of God. You may not understand all of this right now, but the first step is for you to reach out and begin to look for fellowship with other believers. Search the Word of God for guidance, and let the Holy Spirit teach you. Realize that the purpose of God is for you to be built together into a temple of God in the Spirit. God is yearning to have an expression of His life in your locality. Accept this purpose of God for your life.