The Task of the Church

The task of the Church is the redemption of the world and the salvation of the lost.  The more lost an individual is, the more attention the Church should give to that individual.  And the greatest sin of the Church is the exclusion of those who we deem to be unholy, because it prevents the Church from fulfilling its mission of the redemption of the lost. 

Today many Christian voices speak primarily about exclusion and judgment of those who they deem to be lost in sin.  The only message to those who are deemed to be lost is to confirm that they are lost and fallen.  Part of the task of the Church is to define holiness and right behavior.  But rather than condemning those who are deemed to be lost, the Church should be about the business of seeking the redemption and salvation of the lost by emphasizing that redemption and salvation is available in Jesus.

Think of the Church like a hospital.  The greatest attention in a hospital is given to those who require the most medical assistance.  The medical professionals with the highest level of skill are assigned to the care of the patients who need it most.  By analogy, the Church has become a place that excludes those who need the Church most by simply telling them that they are lost and fallen without balancing that message with the real message of the gospels, which is the message of redemption and salvation.

The Nature of God's Community

God had a plan from the beginning for the redemption and transformation of the world.  The plan is ekklesia.  Ekklesia typically is translated as "Church", but has a much broader and deeper meaning than the way the word "Church" is used in common parlance today (i.e. participation in collective worship).  The word "ekklesia" implies being "drawn out" and "set apart".  God's plan for redemption was first evident in his relationship with Abraham, who was set apart to form a covenant with God and initiate a new community, Israel.  God's plan for redemption was evident in Jesus, who called his followers to be "drawn out" from the world to be holy and set apart.

God's plan of ekklesia is made necessary because the world is fallen and lost in sin.  Ekklesia exists to be in the world to be an alternative to the world's fallenness, for the transformation and redemption of the world.  God's hope is that the ekklesia would reveal God's plan for the world, drawing the world into Ekklesia, making the world the place that God wants it to be.

What underlies God's plan is God's love for the world.  This is why God entered into covenant with Abraham.  This is why God was revealed in Jesus.  God seeks the redemption and restoration of the world because God loves the world.  Ekklesia is called to be in the world to reveal God's love for the world and to show the world what it can be.