Recently I was asked to comment briefly on the church:  what it is and its mission.  Here are the 3 brief points I emphasized:

1.  Many are the voices decrying and even defaming the church today.  Some of the loudest are coming from within her doors.  Admittedly, the church is not perfect.  But at the end of day we must always remember how the Bible speaks of the church.  The church is the choice of God.  She is the precious eternal bride and helpmate of Christ Jesus.  She is the purchased, prized, possession of the Lord, who purchased her with His own blood.  Whatever else we have to say about her, let us at the end of the day call her what God calls her – His.

2.  The church has been given the most priceless treasure on earth, namely the gospel.  The church has been given the only answer to humanity’s most pressing question, namely the gospel.  The church has been given the only hope in a desperate and despairing world, namely the gospel.  This is the trust we have been given; the stewardship the master has placed us charge over.  The true church will be found faithfully administering this stewardship when the master returns.

3.  There is no higher calling in the world than is the call to the local church.  It is the primary means through which God is bringing his kingdom to bear upon the earth.  It is the completing, maturing, and perfecting of the church, even its local expression, that Christ is most concerned with.  Therefore, if you desire to do what God is doing, you must find yourself in the church, even its local expression, as Christ is pleased to be in the midst of her.  He loves her, and those who would love Him must love her too.