The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 40, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 1, 1983 Page: 13 of 17
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14 opinion
Christian Chronicle I December. 1933
Christian Chi
Editorial: local churches need goals
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Most of us will acknowledge that the pur-
pose of the church is to (1) seek and save the
lost, (2) strengthen the saved, (3) help the
needy, and (4) praise the Heavenly Father.
We cannot improve on this Biblical expression
of the church's reason to exist.
We must face the fact, however, that know-
ing the church’s purpose — as important as
that is - will not automatically lead us to
fulfill it. Leaders and members must con-
sciously establish concrete goals which lead to
the fulfilling of the church’s purpose in the
world.
Jesus illustrates what we are saying. He
gives the purpose of his existence in Luke
19:10 when he says, "For the Son of man came
to seek and to save the lost.” A careful study of
his life reveals that he set goals which, when
carried out, helped him fulfill his purpose.
In Mark 1, for example, we see his goal-
setting at work. He states that he will not
return to Capernaum because he must "go on
to the next towns, that I may preach there
also; for that is why I came out.” Had Jesus
not targeted those specific towns as places
where the message had to be proclaimed, his
purpose to seek and to save the lost would
have been nothing more than words to the peo-
ple who lived there.
Paul, in a similar manner, declares that the
purpose of his ministry is to preach the gospel
to the Gentiles. Notice, however, that Paul
breaks down this lofty purpose into some
reachable, measurable goals such as those ex-
pressed in Romans 15. Then he writes from
Corinth that he wants to visit the Roman
church and have them help him on his trip to
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pie they will attempt to evangelize In 1984. God
wants His church to grow, and there is no
reason to think He is happy with a church
which can grow and simply refuses to do so.
Sixth, each member in the congregation
should receive regular visits throughout the
year from church leaders. These visits have
as their aim to inspire the flock to deeper
spiritual commitment.
Seventh, every church needs a careful plan
for strengthening homes within the congrega-
tion. Fathers, mothers, children, and young
people need help in order to live effectively
within the family. God’s people must respond
to this need.
Eighth, we believe that most local chuches
can and should increase the amount of time
and effort being devoted to caring for widows,
orphans, and other persons for whom God has
always had special concerns.
Ninth, every church we know about needs to
increase its giving. Leading Christians to be
generous is one of the best ways to keep them
spiritual and happy.
Tenth, churches must seek to reclaim
brothers and sisters who once were faithful
but became discouraged, fell in love with the
world, and left the Lord. We dare not turn our
backs on people who need us to help them put
their lives back together again.
Let us set congregational goals in each of
these ten areas of concern. Biblical goals,
prayerfully defined and relentlessly pursued,
help bring about God’s purpose for His church
in the world.—Howard w. Norton
Spain after he fulfills another goal of deliver-
ing a love offering to the poor in Jerusalem.
Both Jesus and Paul understood completely
the meaning of their lives, but they did not
stop with merely understanding their purpose
for living. They set concrete goals and worked
to reach those goals. By reaching their goals,
they gradually achieved their purpose.
This is what our churches must do in order
to be effective. No congregation is ready for
1984 until it has discussed, adopted, and
recorded its spiritual goals for the new year.
Here are some areas where we believe con-
gregational goals are needed during the next
12 months.
First, every congregation needs to increase
the amount of public and private prayer being
engaged in by its members. Prayer always
precedes revival, and we badly need revival in
our brotherhood.
Second, churches should promote daily Bi-
ble reading. There is power in the word of God,
and a Bible-reading people will be powerful in
the face of temptation.
Third, churches must seek to enrich the
fellowship of the entire membership by en-
couraging more one-on-one contact between
members and more participation in small
group meetings.
Fourth, congregations must develop plans
to involve each man, woman, boy, and girl in
the work of the church. Leaders should locate
the job needing to be done and then find people
to do them. There is a growth stemming from
action which Bible study will never provide.
Fifth, congregations need to set some
snecific goals concerning the number of peo-
tht Christian ChronicU staff—
J3 yri and Oklahoma, Christian College |
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will be destroyed^and its ungodly inhabitants
(II Pet. 3:7; I Thes. 1:7,8)
• The Old Testament cites the use of a flood
(Gen. 7), nations (II Kgs. 17:23; II Kgs. 34,25),
plagues (Ex. 7-11; II Sam. 34:15-25), and
famines (Jer. 11:22) as instruments to bring
about divine judgment. Whereas God can, of
course, use such means today, in the New
Testament the focus of judgment is personal
rather than national, based on the way each
In one way or another, Satan sees to it that
every dimension of our Christian faith is put to
the test. Of particular concern just now is the
subtle temptation to substitute a naturalistic
view of the last days for a Biblical one, or an
Old Testament emphasis on the nature of
divine judgment for a New Testament view.
Since the atomic blast at Hiroshima on Aug.
6, 1945, the people of the world have lived in
fear of an eventual nuclear holocaust. The
strength of this fear was indicated by the
estimated 100 million viewers of ABC’s televi-
sion movie, "The Day After,” on ftov. 20, and
by the frequently made statement that by a
nuclear holocaust we will destroy our own
world.
At such a time it is necessary to keep firmly
established in our minds the doctrine of last
things as revealed by God. According to scrip-
ture, we can know:
• The end of the world will come at a time of
divine choosing. (Mt. 24:38; I Thes. 5:1,2)
• Because of His long-suffering toward
mankind, desiring that all come to repen-
tance, God is purposely postponing this day.
• The end of all things will be, above all
else, focused on the return of Jesus. (I Thes.
1:10; 4:18; II Thes. 1:7)
• The suddenness and completeness of
God’s Action as revealed in Scripture leaves
no time for the lingering illnesses and slow
death some would experience as the after-
math of a nuclear explosion. When God acts,
the righteous dead will be resurrected first,
and the living saints will be raised to meet
Christ in the air. (I Thes. 4:18,17) This world
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tion provided in Jesus. (Rom. 14:2; I Pet. 4:5;
Mt. 18:27)
We Christians, knowing these Biblical
teachings, do not squander our days fearfully
wondering If, or when, the world will end with
a nuclear explosion. Rather, we live joyfully
as lights in this dark world, knowing that a lov-
ing God, not depraved man, controls the end,
that He will bring it to pass at a time of His
rather than national, bated on the way each buTa^lmdoua’bMrin^iM11
individual responds to or rejects the mdernp beginning.-jAMBs o. baird
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Norton, Howard W. & McBride, Bailey. The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 40, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 1, 1983, newspaper, December 1, 1983; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1308118/m1/13/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.