[Essay] The Roles of the Church Established in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ

When Peter confessed to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus said, "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:16-19). From that time, Jesus told His disciples His Passion, crucifixion, and resurrection, and finally fulfilled God's providence for the Savior. After His ascension, the Holy Spirit came down onto His disciples and they spread the gospel to Jerusalem, all regions of Judea, Samaria, and even to the end of the earth, and many churches have been established at all corners of the globe.
There are various types of churches in the world according to the Lord's letters to seven churches as recorded in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation. The letters are the Lord's earnest cravings to awaken all the churches that have existed, in old time or in current time. On July, 25, 1982, Manmin Central Church offered its opening service by 9 people, and since then, has been spreading the gospel to every corner of the globe with its 9,000 branch and associative churches. In commemoration of the first service of Manmin Central Church offered on July 25, let's delve into an ideal church that is pleasing to the Lord.

First, the church should lead church members to the path to salvation.

The most important reason for us to attend church is to gain salvation. Since the wages of sin is death as recorded in Romans 6:23 when the problem of our sins is resolved, we can gain complete salvation. So, the church must explain to the church members how terrible sins are, why we cannot be saved because of our sins, and why we should throw away our sins. When we hear the gospel and accept Jesus Christ, our names are recorded in the book of life in Heaven. But it is the beginning of our salvation. Our salvation is perfected at the moment when we meet the Lord.
Some believers may ask, "I have already accepted the Lord and been forgiven of all my sins committed in the past, the present and the future. Why should I be convicted of my sins continually and be told to repent of those sins?" It's because accepting the Lord is the beginning of salvation and we should keep our salvation complete by the help of the church. Our car's entering a highway doesn't mean we have arrived at the destination. Similarly, after accepting the Lord and being forgiven of our sins, we should be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5) and eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man (John 6:53). In other words, we should continually keep and obey the Word of God and attain to the complete salvation.



1. The Church of the Beatitudes was founded at the place Jesus taught the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-10)
2. Catholic Dominus Flevit Church, which in Latin means "the Lord wept" (Luke 19:41-42)

Second, the church should help the believers increase their faith and become God's true and holy children.

The Lord saved us with His great love through His crucifixion. What if some of us think, 'Now I have been saved, so I'll lead my own life as my heart desires.'? We have to realize the way to repay the grace of the Lord is to love God, and to perform the duty worthy for the children of God. If we attend church but do not get rid of sinful natures from within our hearts, we may commit sins because those sinful natures are revealed in action and then various problems happen to us at our homes, works, and on our health.
In this sense, it is important to cast off sinful natures that cause us to commit sins in action, even if sins are not yet revealed in deeds. Therefore, we should throw away the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of this life, and become sanctified. Then, we can restore the lost image of God and come forth as Christi-like children of God. In brief, a new believer who has just received salvation has to increase his faith up to the point of the full measure of the Christ—the most matured faith in which he is never shaken in any circumstances.

Third, the church should proclaim the Lord who will come again.

The followers of the time-limited eschatology set up the day and the time of the Lord's second coming and live a persistent life according to the time limitation, so that they fail in leading a social and family life like a normal person. The right eschatology is different from the time-limited eschatology. The believers in the right eschatology are not dependent on the set-up time of the second coming of the Lord, but are always awake and prepare to meet the Lord when He calls out their spirit at any time.
The church should urge the believers to stay awake and lead a proper Christian life. The church that awaits and prepares for the second coming of the Lord or the last moment of their lives is really different from the church that teaches its church members to lead a Christian life concentrating on the earthly life regardless of the day of the return of the Lord. The parable of ten virgins tells us that the ten virgins knew the fact of the coming of the bridegroom but only five virgins prepared oil in flasks along with their lamps. The church should let the believers prepare for the life after death and wait for the second coming of the Lord.



3. Church of All Nations, which was founded at the Mount of Olive (Luke 22:44)
4. Flagellation Church, founded at the site where Romans soldiers flogged Jesus (John 19:1-3)

Fourth, the church should let the believers meet and experience God.

If some believers have the 10 years or 20 years of faith but have never met God, they should examine whether or not their churches are in the presence of God. We believers ask to meet and experience God not because we have no faith but because we have faith. God promises, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you," and meets those who earnestly seek Him.
A little child attending an elementary school cannot call 'mathematics for college students' nonsense because it is difficult and complicated to him. It is the same in faith. If a new believer who has little knowledge of spirit tries to measure and understand the spiritual realm with physical knowledge, it is absurd. If he humbly learns and tries to accept it little by little, he will be able to understand it fully. So, we accept and believe the works of God first in our heart, we can understand in the head, too. Then, we can experience works of God.

Fifth, the church should let the believers trust and follow the shepherd that God appoints for the church.

As the church, the body of the Christ, is set up by God, so is the shepherd of the church set up by God Himself. The Lord appoints a shepherd for each church in the name of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:12, "The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles."
A true shepherd God Himself appoints is confirmed of all perseverance, signs, wonders, and miracles. If church members do not trust such a true shepherd, they should examine how sincerely they have tried their best to practice the word of God and how deeply they have felt God's love. When the children of God lead a right life of faith, the church can become a right one in the sight of God.



5. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known as the Church of the Resurrection (John 20:1-8)
6. The Church of St. Paul of the Three Fountains, built on the spot where the apostle Paul was beheaded

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