"Our Great God and Saviour" - part three - The Church of God

This week we have extracted a few jewels from Eric Alexander's new book. We have seen 'The Character of God' and 'The Salvation of God'. This is the last part of Our Great God and Saviour is titled 'The Church of God'.  It lies out in five sections: 'The Purpose of the Church' (1 Pet 2:4-10), 'Ministry in the Church' (Eph 4:7-16), 'God's Fellow Workers or, Four Laws for Christian Service' (1 Cor 3:1-15), 'A Plea for Revival' (Psa 89), and 'Lessons for the Church on Earth from the Church in Heaven' (Rev 21, 22).

'The Purpose of the Church' offers this: "If you ask 'what is the great business of the [C]hurch in this world? What is the great calling of God?' - this is the answer: The purpose of the [C]hurch of Jesus Christ is worship. This will be the continuous activity of the [C]hurch in its perfect from in heaven, because there, day and night, they cry "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise" (Rev 5:12). They are taken up with the worship of God. This is the [C]hurch's great business here too. When God build a temple, [H]e builds it primarily that [H]e might have worshippers."

'The Ministry of the Church' teaches: "Paul brings [in Eph 4:12] his teaching here to a climax by noting that, as we minister to one another, three marks will be seen in God's people: unity ('until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God'), maturity ('and become mature') and conformity ('attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ', verse 13). Our concern should be that we might experience through our mutual ministry to one another within the [C]hurch that unity, maturity and conformity to [H]im that are the marks of true [C]hurch life.

Our Great God and Saviour is Eric Alexander's new book from The Banner of Truth Trust. Rev. Alexander is a member of the Alliance Council and his messages here come from the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. When you order from the Alliance, ReformedResources.org or 215-546-3696 M-F 9 am till 4 pm (ET), you also support the ministry of the Alliance. Please join us!