Who is church meant for?

[Alex Quackenbush]

Our church services and church life should all rotate around believers (the only ones who comprise the Church) and their growth, edification, strengthening, worship, outreach, etc.

When churches lose their function and become evangelistic centers or revival centers, focused on the UNsaved in the services/programs, they cease being the sanctuary and training pillar and ground of truth.

This I believe does reflect proper Ecclesiology.

There is not a single incident of an "unsaved" person being in a church service. The only vague support would be in I Corinthians when it speaks of unsaved going by and seeing how the saved act, they would be confused as to the message.

I believe the flaw here is attempting to use an incomplete historical record to initiate or qualify doctrine.

The Bible, as you certainly know, is not a record of every single event of every single church at all times in all places in the apostolic era or post-apostolic era.

An example of this historical flaw method would be someone stating that "not a single incident of Jesus having a bowel movement is recorded in the Bible", so therefore it never happened.

Simply because something isn't recorded it cannot be the determination of what did or did not happen on the whole or what is or isn't allowed. You only know the very limited historical record of those who attended assemblies of believers and frankly no discriminating census of the population of the church service is really given anywhere.

While I do AGREE with you that the assembly of believers is for the edification of believers, it does not require or afford us the opportunity, just because of an extremely limited sketch in the Bible of a tiny portion of church services in the apostolic era, to conclude that the setting cannot be used at some point for the communication of the gospel for the unsaved that are present.

 

[Bro. James]

The Church

God does not dwell in temples made with hands--the Church has no walls.

Where ever two or three of ye are gathered together in My Name, there Am I in the midst--no ex cathedral.

Unto Him be glory in The Church, through Christ Jesus throughout all ages--uninerrupted line of The Faith, once for all delivered to the Saints.

Selah,

Bro. James

 

[Bro. James]

The Church

God does not dwell in temples made with hands--the Church has no walls.

Where ever two or three of ye are gathered together in My Name, there Am I in the midst--no ex cathedral.

Unto Him be glory in The Church, through Christ Jesus throughout all ages--uninterrupted line of The Faith, once for all delivered to the Saints.

What is in your wallet?

Selah,

Bro. James

 

[Joe]

Unless the object of the statement is the world then the Church are the few who found the gate...

That makes sense

 

[tinytim]

Sure you did, look up top the rock... :laugh:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

[donnA]

The gospel is more than merely getting your "ticket to heaven." The gospel is simply the new way of Christ. All believers need training and support in the way of Christ.

training in how to be saved? Why preach the need of salvation in church if it is only for believers?

 

[2 Timothy2:1-4]

I think your definition of worship is too narrow. Evangelism is an act of worship and is empowered by the Holy Spirit through our experience in corporate and private worship.

And there is a time for evangelism. But this is not the priamry focus of our coporate worship service.

I appreciate this sentiment... yet I think you are leaving out some of the broader implications of what worship in the church should truly be. Worship should be the lifeblood of everything we do as part of church life. For instance, serving each other, submitting to one another, eating in fellowship with one another are all forms of worship. And serving the lost world in obedience to Christ is certainly godly worship.

I mentioned the corprate worship service to make clear what I was talking about. I was not talking about the broader definition.