Old Testament Groundwork

Before one can know the purpose of the church it is helpful to know what the church of Jesus Christ entails. When Christ was still on earth, He told the disciples of what the true church should consist. Therefore, it is helpful to dig into the New Testament to find everything Jesus said about what the church is to be in this world.

The Old Testament sets up quite a bit of groundwork for the church in the New Testament and beyond. The Old Testament starts out by telling how the Gentiles will seek after the savior that has been foretold by numerous Prophets of the Old Testament, starting with Isaiah 11:10:, “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest

The second fact is that it was not to be made known until the time of the New Testament apostles and prophets. In Matthew 16, Jesus said, “on this rock will I build My church”, and with that modifier, He is saying that He built the church Himself, and not the apostles. Since the groundwork was laid in the Old Testament, Jesus had to come, die, rise again, and return to heaven, so that the foundation could be completed for the church. In concluding the origins of the church, it is seen that the church was something that God created from the beginning of time for all eternity.

To begin exploring the purpose of the church, it is important to realize that there are a few different aspects of ministry. The different kinds of ministry include ministry to God, ministry to other Christians and telling the world about what Jesus did on the cross for their sins by way of

Prayer is the Christian’s way of communicating with God. If a Christian does not pray, then the devil has nothing to fear because that person is not in communion with God. A person that communicates with God on a regular basis will be able to serve God better and with a better understanding. In our culture today, one thinks that asking God for help right before it is needed will help and it will to some degree, but staying in constant communication with Him will work even better. Another thing about today’s culture is that people are only asking for things that will please them instead of asking for what God wants to be done. So, if a believer asks God to show him what to do instead of asking God to give what the person wants, then that believer will be much further ahead. Asking God to do His will in us instead of asking Him to do our selfish acts is much