(Matthew 16:16-18) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

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Finally, I’ve been wanting to get into some real theological type studies. And the first thing I’ve been chomping at the bit to get into is Ecclesiology; the study of the church. I’ve come to the long hard conclusion that basic church doctrine is what is desperately needed to get the job done. (Ephesians 3:21) Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. If this whole thing is about living a life that will bring glory to the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, then it seems to me that it must needs be done in the church. There are alot of different topics concerning the church. I’m not entirely sure how to approach this. I’ll most likely skirt around the edges for awhile and look for a place to dive in.

The Church is Important to God

Let me ask a simple question. Why should we study the church? Why is it important that we learn more about the church? To begin with, the church is important to God. Now, the church should be important to us simply because the church is important to God. There’s not just something special about the church. There is much that is special about the church. Why is the church important to God?

The church is important to God because it is God’s means in which He is glorified in this present day.

What does it even mean to have a god? The very nature of a deity is glory: magnificence, exaltation, awe, honor, laud, and praise. Three times the bible proclaims (1 Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 29:2, Psalm 96:8) Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name. Now our God is The Almighty God  (Revelation 19:16) KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Now we can study the divine character of God and his mighty acts that are worthy of our praise, but I must ask this question: Is he not our God? Regardless of any knowledge regarding Him, his word, his plan, his character, etc., do we have a God or not? And if we do have a God, should he not be glorified, magnified, exalted and worshipped? Why have a God, if we’re not interested in doing that? If He is not to be glorified, then he is not God, or even a god for that matter. He should be glorified simply by reason of his position: our God.

And if we are interested in glorifying our God, would it not behoove us to understand the means in which this could be accomplished by man; the means which our God has set forth. This means is the church. (Ephesians 3:21) Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. It would benefit us to understand the means in which God is glorified. Now I understand that the heavens declare the glory of God and all creation declares the glory of God. But I’m no tree and neither are you. All creation has to do is just exist and it glorifies God. Not so for us. (Romans 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. For us to just exist, we come short. Hence God has established a means in which we can glorify God; which is his church. (Numbers 14:21) But as truly I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Jesus said he will build his church. And his church is the means, or vehicle for lack of a better word, in which God is glorified. Therefore, it must be important to God; and must needs be important to us.

The church is important to God because it is God’s masterpiece that will endure to eternity.

By the time we get to Revelation 21, there’s truly only two places that you can be. You’ll either be in new Jerusalem, or you’ll be in the lake of fire. And regarding those that will tread the street of gold in new Jerusalem the bible says (Revelation 21:24) And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. That group of saved people is the church. Though the bible says nations the number will still pale in comparison to the multitudes that will cast into the lake of fire. (Matthew 7:14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

When we move from one home to another, sometimes circumstances be that we cannot keep everything. We must choose certain items that are dear to us that will survive through the transition. Even upon your entrance into eternity, if God gave you the privilege to keep just one thing, what would it be? Think about this: (Revelation 21:1) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. It appears to me that God is moving on. After all, He did say in the beginning of all this (Genesis 6:3) My spirit shall not always strive with man. God is moving on. He is abandoning the old heaven, old earth, and old Jerusalem. And he’s moving on to the new one. He’ll only be taking one thing with him; and that is the church.

And the church is God’s masterpiece; not just a new creation created in Christ Jesus, but his greatest creation. The church is his best and final work on this side of eternity and he’s keeping it. It’s the only thing other than himself that will make it to the other side. The church is important to God. Everything else will burn. (2 Peter 3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (Revelation 20:15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Nothing will last but the church. Silver and gold won’t make it; the elements shall melt with fervant heart. God’s masterpiece will endure. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the gates of hell shall not prevail. The fire shall have no power. This is the proof and extent of God’s regard. The church is important to God.

The church is important to God because it is God’s mansion in which he dwells on earth.

Two verse: (1 Corinthians 3:16) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Corinthians 6:19) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? The church is the dwelling place of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. This is where he lives and breathes. This is where he walks and dwells. This is where he prays and cries. This is where he is communed with and worshipped. This, the church, or the individual church member particularly, is his home. I like what C. S. Lewis wrote in The Horse and His Boy.

“Ah!” croaked the Raven. “It is an old saying: see the bear in his own den before you judge of his conditions.”
“That’s very true, Sallowpad,” said one of the Dwarfs. “And another is, Come, live with me and you’ll know me.”

The church is the natural habitat of God. (Ephesians 2:21-22) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: ²² In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Of course now, the Raven and the Dwarf were addressing the disappointment that one usually experiences when he comes to know a person in his own domain. But it is not a disappointment to know God, especially in his domain of the church. Paul said (Philippians 3:10) That I may know him. 

For most, our dwelling place is important to us. We keep it clean. (Well, we try!) We fix what goes wrong. We keep the power on and the water running. We adorn it. We arrange it. We enjoy it. It is important to us. Much more is God’s dwelling place to him.

The church is important to God because it is God’s  marriage partner chosen for his Son.

Paul said (Romans 7:4) Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Married to him who is raised from the dead? I guess that kinda makes us a daughter-in-law? Well? I suppose that makes us family now, huh? I like these verses: (Ephesians 3:14-15) For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Family is important.

God has gone through great pains and much trouble to secure his Son a bride. It is important to God. Eternity will begin with a wedding! (Revelation 19:7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19:9) Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

The church, besides our Lord Jesus Christ himself, is the biggest deal in heaven. It should be the biggest deal down here on earth. All creation, from the foundation of the world, stands in awe of the bride. All heaven, for time and eternity, honors the church; the holy vessel of eternal honor and glory to God. (Ephesians 3:21) Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. It is throughout all ages. Praise God. And they lived happily ever after. Amen.

The church is important to God because it is God’s beneficiary to which he gave the New Testament.

Of course, the entire bible is God’s book to man. But if you look specifically at the New Testament and see who all the writings were addressed to, you’ll see that the New Testament is indeed the church’s book. Of the 27 books of the New Testament, with the exception of Matthew, Mark, John, and James, every book is directly addressed to the church or a member of the church. .

• (Luke 1:3) …to write unto thee… most excellent Theophilus,
• (Acts 1:1) …O Theophilus…
• (Romans 1:7) To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints…
• (1 Corinthians 1:2) Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…
• (2 Corinthians 1:1) …unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
• (Galatians 1:2) …unto the churches of Galatia:
• (Ephesians 1:1) …to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
• (Philippians 1:1) …to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
•  (Colossians 1:2) To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse…
• (1 Thessalonians 1:1) …unto the church of the Thessalonians…
• (2 Thessalonians 1:1) …unto the church of the Thessalonians…
• (1 Timothy 1:2) Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith…
• (2 Timothy 1:2) To Timothy, my dearly beloved son…
• (Titus 1:4) To Titus, mine own son after the common faith…
• (Philemon 1-2) …unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, ² And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
• (Hebrews 13:24) Salute… all the saints…
• (1 Peter 1:1-2) …to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² Elect according to the foreknowledge of God…
• (2 Peter 1:1) …to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
• (1 John 1:3-4) …our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And these things write we unto you…
• (2 John 1) …unto the elect lady and her children…
• (3 John 1) …unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
• (Jude 1) …to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
• (Revelation 1:4) …to the seven churches which are in Asia…

The New Testament is twenty-seven love letters addressed to the church. You don’t typically write a lot of letters to someone unless they are very important to you, you care about them, and have much to say to them. What an honor and privilege to be the beneficiary of such attention.

The church is important to God because it is God’s missionary in which he entreats a lost and dying world.

Before Jesus ascended, he gathered his disciples and commissioned them. (Mark 16:15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. There is no other group of people that God has set apart to use to evangelize this old world. Paul said (2 Corinthians 5:20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. Jesus did not ask anybody else to do this task. He asked the church. This is our one great task to do while here on this earth.

Give your most intense thought to the study of ways and means by which you may save sinners. Make this the great and intense study of your life. Refuse to be diverted from this work. Guard against every temptation that would abate your interest in it. – Charles Finney

(Proverbs 11:30) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. It’s wise to works in the garden. Good fruit rarely grows on it’s own. It takes work, commitment, experience, blood, sweat, and tears. (Psalm 126:6) He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. The church is God’s human resources to get the job done. There is reward for doing what is most important to God. (Daniel 12:3) And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

It’s not that God needs us. Jesus said (Luke 19:40) If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. But God, of all the people of this earth, has chosen a specific people to enter into his labors. (Romans 10:14-15) How shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? God has sent us forth (Luke 4:18-19) to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, ¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. The church is an important people for an important task.

Conclusion

I would say that the church is indeed important to God. The church is the means in which He is glorified, the masterpiece that will endure to eternity, the mansion in which He dwells, the marriage partner chosen for his Son, the beneficiary of the New Testament, the missionary to a lost and dying world. There is no other people so blessed and set apart. And this is why we need study the church; and not just a necessity, but a pleasure and delight to look upon God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus. All hail the power of Jesus name; the power to build his church. He said I will build my church. The church is important to God. Therefore it must needs be important to us. (Ephesians 5:17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.