The Goal of The Gospel

I wrote this quote down from the book "The Tangible Kingdom" 

"The church is not the goal of the gospel"

Does this quote grab you like it did me?  Have we turned the goal of sharing Christ into converting people to a membership into an organization?  Is the gospel more than church membership?

The premise of the gospel is the GOOD NEWS--that Jesus Christ has come to restore a relationship with the creation and that through that relationship we can have fellowship again with God and consequently we can have relationships here on earth that add value to this life we have in Christ. 

However, these earthly relationships are never the end in themselves. The church is never the goal of the gospel. The goal of the gospel is the life changing message of Christ living in and through his redeemed creation. It's never been to get people to CHURCH.  The church is the expression of this gospel ( a group of redeemed and reclaimed misfits for the kingdom)

So, what do you think?  Is this quote right or wrong?

1 comments:

Jeremy A Walker said...

I think it is right on the money. We have made Christianity about the church rather than the church about Christianity. Today we should just call it Churchianity. My church is right down the street from a sister church. Same denomination same local, state, and national affiliation, and all I hear in our meetings is, "How can we be better than THEM?"

It's not about us or them, it's about HIM!