What’s the point of Church?
By Rob Wiltshire
I have gone to church most of my life. And when I say most of my life, I’m meaning about 98% of my life. The 2% I didn’t go to church was when I walked off the rails and did my own thing.
In fact, most of my life I have not just gone to church, I have been deeply involved in Church.
I have led small groups, been on leadership teams, been a youth pastor, planted a youth ministry, served as a board member. I’ve played guitar and bass at church, and for a season I even led worship at church — people’s ears are still recovering from that.
I don’t say all of this with the intention of inflating my own tires, but more to lead somewhere.
With all my involvement in church you would think it would be obvious to me the point of the church. But it wasn’t.
I got to the point where I was asking this question… “What’s the point of this thing we call church and why do we exist?
Now, my assumption is that I wouldn’t be alone in asking this question. If anything I would be under the belief that most of us at some point in our lives have asked that very question; “What is the point of Church?” And perhaps more pointedly, what is the point of our church, “Epicentre Church?”
Jesus I believe gives us insight into His answer to this question. In Luke 5, Jesus goes to a party and finds himself in conversation with the religious community of his time who are asking him a similar question; “What is your reason for being here, and who have you come here to impact?”
Luke 5:27-32
After this he (Jesus) went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” And he did—walked away from everything and went with him. Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. “What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and ‘sinners’?” Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.”
I love that question; “Who needs a doctor?”
While Jesus is asking this question of the religious community of his time, I think this question is still relevant for us today.
Who needs a doctor? Who needs the church? Who needs Jesus?
Obviously the answer is…” People who are sick, people who are unchurched; people who don’t know Jesus.”
After Jesus poses this question he follows on with this statement; “I’m here inviting outsiders not insiders.”
When it comes to church or when it comes to Jesus, who are the outsiders?
They’d be the people outside of the church, the people not accustomed to church, they’d be unchurched people.
The goal of the church is to be a continuation of Jesus ministry, of inviting outsiders in.
So, what is the point of this Church? Our vision statement sums it up perfectly.
A church where the unchurched discover faith.
We did a whole sermon series on this subject titled “Church What’s The point?”
If you want more details and background on this subject click here to watch the sermon series on our YouTube channel.