Why The Church REALLY Exists
Followers of Christ need to return to the authentic practices of the early church. We must advocate for a revival and true Christianity rooted in biblical values.
Return to Organic Church
In a sermon series titled, “I Love My Church” Pastor Mike Signorelli discusses the true purpose of the church, emphasizing the need for the word of God over opinions and emotions. He highlights the church's importance of accountability, Holy Spirit boldness, humility, and generosity. Modern Christianity has deviated from the original practices of the early church and believers must return to the original organic, non-modified nature of Christianity.
The church's original purpose of worship, discipleship, and service should encourage every believer in Christ to embrace the early church practices. So what are some of the qualities that stand out in the early church?
7 Qualities of the Early Church
They met in private homes, fostering intimacy and community.
Healthy things grow and the early churches grew exponentially but they also continued to meet in homes.
They had local leadership that consisted of elders and overseers. These leaders empowered believers, promoting accountability and growth.
The early church also had apostolic authority – Guided teachings from a father of the faith, ensuring faithfulness to Christ’s message.
These leaders are those who instilled the fivefold ministry back into the church. The concept of apostolic authority emphasizes the need for regional and national leadership within the church.
Unity amid diversity—Diversity exemplified the church’s strength and inclusivity.
Persecution—Biblical value will come with persecution. Persecution strengthens faith, revealing the church’s resilience and commitment.
They had Eucharist celebrations—They broke bread and it was central to worship, emphasizing communion with Christ.
Lastly, the early church had rapid growth—Growth demonstrated the transformative power of genuine faith.
The historical overview of the early church shows its rapid growth despite persecution, and it also shows the transformation of pagan temples into Catholic churches.
Biblical Values vs. Nationalism
The early church had unity amid diversity and persecution despite differences in ethnicity and background. They faced persecution for their biblical values, which were often contrary to the government's values. Believers must guard themselves from the spirit of nationalism that tries to merge political candidates with Christian values. We must remember our true need is always for King Jesus rather than a president or leader, the Israelites also felt they wanted a human leader over God and they were given Saul. True biblical values will always cause persecution and they are often different from the values of any government. Keep in mind, however, the early church rapidly grew despite persecution.
Pastor Mike retraced the Apostle Paul's journey of building the early church. He describes the polytheistic nature of Roman society and the early church's challenge in promoting monotheism amidst a multitude of gods. The minister shared that there are still many similarities between the Roman and modern entertainment systems. Roman Coliseums were free entertainment used to subdue the population. Entertainment is still used in that same fashion today. Furthermore, many of the pagan temples were turned into Catholic churches without removing the pagan gods. Christ's followers must pray to God instead of praying to saints which would nullify the work of the Cross. Martin Luther’s 95 Theses was an emphasis on the need for a complete restoration of the church to its original design.
What Is the Church's Purpose?
The church exists to provide the word of God amidst an era filled with opinions and emotions. Nowadays there are many sermons filled with stories and out-of-context scriptures. Pastor Mike often criticizes the desire for celebrity status among Christian influencers and emphasizes the importance of humility and servanthood. He shares his personal experience of embracing obscurity and the value of humility that comes with serving without seeking recognition.
The deletion of the five-fold ministry in America due to the obsession with celebrity pastors and motivational speeches. The church needs to mobilize and empower its members rather than just growing an audience.
Believers must have a posture to serve in humble ways, like scrubbing toilets, before aspiring to preach sermons. True promotion comes from God and not from self-promotion, and God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. In an era of greed, the church also needs generosity, which involves giving beyond what is reasonable and comfortable. Radical generosity within the church is to fulfill the mission of God. The organic nature of early Christianity was characterized by sacrifice and genuine faith. We must go back to the time before Constantine to understand the true essence of Christianity.
The church's original purpose is to exist to worship and glorify God, make disciples, and demonstrate Christ's love through service to others. The church fails when it loses sight of its original purpose, therefore we must model the early church’s practices effectively. This includes embracing the gift of the Holy Spirit as well – Speaking in tongues, praying for physical healing, serving the poor, and casting out demons.
About the Author
Jeannie Ortega Law is a chart-topping singer, evangelist, media personality and author from New York City. She can be reached on social media: @JeannieOrtega or emailed at Info@JeannieO.com
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