{"id":8123,"date":"2017-06-26T21:14:14","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T18:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=8123"},"modified":"2018-01-11T02:17:54","modified_gmt":"2018-01-11T00:17:54","slug":"what-is-the-purpose-of-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Purpose of the Church?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Why do you come to Church?<br \/>\nWhy do you participate in the life of the Church?<br \/>\nWhy are you here this morning?<br \/>\nWhen you think of the Church, what kind of purpose comes into your mind?<\/p>\n<p>As fallen people we often tend to\u00a0derive our purpose from temporary activities. While these things may not be bad, they can lead us astray if we assign to them ultimate purpose. For an example, you may say that you go to church for one of the following reasons:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To hear a good sermon<\/li>\n<li>To make my marriage better<\/li>\n<li>To serve others<\/li>\n<li>To\u00a0fellowship<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are all good things and they are to some extent reasons why you should come to Church and why you should be part of the Church. Yet they are not ultimate things, they are not eternal things, and thus they do not serve us well when it comes to true purpose.<\/p>\n<p>Yet when it comes to the Gospel, our salvation, and the Church we must get purpose right.<\/p>\n<p>Like a ship that is just 1 degree off on it\u2019s navigation if it doesn\u2019t correct its course it can end up hundreds if not thousands of miles off, lost at sea or shipwrecked upon unexpected rocks. So also if our purpose is not aligned properly with God\u2019s Word you can be sure that a lesser purpose or a slightly asque purpose will eventually lead you theologically, spiritually, and morally astray!<\/p>\n<p>Paul helps us to get our purpose straight in the following text from the book of Ephesians.<\/p>\n<p><em>Eph 3:8-13<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>8\u00a0\u00a0This grace was given to me, I being less than the least of all the saints, to preach the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ among the nations,<\/em><br \/>\n<em> 9\u00a0\u00a0and to bring to light all, what is the fellowship of the mystery having been hidden from eternity in God, the One creating all things through Jesus Christ,<\/em><br \/>\n<em> 10\u00a0\u00a0so that now to the rulers and to the authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God,<\/em><br \/>\n<em> 11\u00a0\u00a0according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,<\/em><br \/>\n<em> 12\u00a0\u00a0in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through His faith.<\/em><br \/>\n<em> 13\u00a0\u00a0Therefore, I ask you not to faint at my troubles on your behalf, which is your glory.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8989\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-church\/maxresdefault-10\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"maxresdefault (10)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-8989\" src=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-483x272.jpg 483w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-360x203.jpg 360w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maxresdefault-10-263x148.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why do you come to Church?<br \/>\nWhy do you participate in the life of the Church?<br \/>\nWhy are you here this morning?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[451],"tags":[72,98,358],"class_list":["post-8123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","hentry","category-sermon","tag-church","tag-gospel","tag-purpose","post_format-post-format-video"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-271","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3822,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/29-a-few-great-reasons-to-leave-your-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":8123,"position":0},"title":"#29 A Few Great Reasons to Leave Your Church","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"May 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever left your church for another church? Over 30+ years I've seen a lot of people come and go and then I've seen some of them come back again! In this episode of Now is the Time\u00a0I give you 7 great reasons to leave your church and 4\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/file000955225845.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/file000955225845.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/file000955225845.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7770,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-happens-when-the-church-stops-sharing-the-gospel-season-3-episode-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":8123,"position":1},"title":"What Happens When the Church Stops Sharing the Gospel | Season 3 Episode 8","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"April 27, 2017","format":"audio","excerpt":"In this episode of \"Now Is the Time\" I give you 10 negative results of a failure to share the gospel in our churches. News This month a great man of God, Jason Nightingale passed into the presence of Jesus! He impacted many hearts for God's glory through Scripture recitation,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/AdobeStock_23898889.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4919,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/one-ukrainian-church-finds-joy-during-tragic-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":8123,"position":2},"title":"One Ukrainian Church Finds Joy During Tragic Times","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"January 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"After the attack on a civilian bus this week you might wonder if there's anything good happening in Ukraine. How can Ukrainians find joy in such tragic times? Our church, Hope for People in Odessa, Ukraine recently decided to help people see through the sadness by putting on a special\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10931029_932496780093658_4084554608465529769_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10931029_932496780093658_4084554608465529769_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/10931029_932496780093658_4084554608465529769_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6924,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/why-this-church-is-trying-to-get-rid-of-its-youth\/","url_meta":{"origin":8123,"position":3},"title":"Why This Church Is Trying to Get Rid of Its Youth","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I often hear pastors complaining about how so many youth leave the Church after they graduate from high school. Youth pastors especially seem to live in fear that a diploma in the hands of their once vibrant young disciples will turn them into hard and fast sceptics who can no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Youth-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Youth-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Youth-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Youth-001.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Youth-001.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5080,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/49-peace-in-war-time-a-story-from-eastern-ukraine\/","url_meta":{"origin":8123,"position":4},"title":"#49 Peace in War Time a Story from Eastern Ukraine","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"February 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Can there be peace in Ukraine after the latest ceasefire deal has completely crumbled? In this week's episode of \"Now Is the Time\" I share with you how things have gone from bad to worse in Eastern Ukraine. I also share with you a story of people finding peace right\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/bread.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/bread.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/bread.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2940,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/06-eight-fallacies-about-baptism-and-three-truths-podcast\/","url_meta":{"origin":8123,"position":5},"title":"#06 Eight Fallacies about Baptism and Three Truths -Podcast","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"August 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This Sunday our church will baptize 13 people and I'm excited! I've thought a lot about the significance of baptism as I prepare to preach. In this episode of Now is the Time I share with you 8 fallacies about baptism. I also talk about the importance of baptism and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/DSC00145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/DSC00145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/DSC00145.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8123"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8977,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8123\/revisions\/8977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}