God's Vision for How the Church Functions by Nate Krupp

Nate Krupp was one of our original CLU instructors with a number of courses. These are three truths that are foundational to all of Nate’s writings and ministry.

The Great Commission

Jesus gave His followers a command - to GO and share the Good News with every person in every nation ( Mt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47-48, John 20:21, and Acts 1:8). 

That command is to us today.  We are to go to the lost and communicate the Good News to them in their setting.

I believe that much of the Church has the Great Commission backwards!  Instead of going to the lost we devise dozens of programs to get the lost to come to us, the church building, to hear the Good News.

As believers, we need to GO to the lost, in their setting, and share the Good News with them there.

A Functioning Body

Paul’s most extensive writing on how the church is to function is 1 Corinthians, Chapters 12-14.  In Chapter 12 he says that we all are important, all have gifts,  all have ministry, and all are to function.  Chapter 13 says it is all to be in an atmosphere of love.  Chapter 14:26 - “What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification.” So the church is to be a functioning body, with each one participating.

The early church met in homes and everyone participated - it was a functioning body.

Then Constantine started building church buildings.  And with this the clergy/laity division developed and the speaker/audience format developed. The church became an audience instead of a functioning body.  And that is mostly what we have today.

May we get back to the Church being a functioning body!

Equipping the Saints

Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us that the purpose of spiritual leaders is “to equip the saints for ministry.”  And once all the believers are equipped and sharing their gifting, the church will come to maturity.

So the emphasis is not to be on the leaders ministry, except as it is equipping the believers for their ministry.

To further this understanding I recommend the book “Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness” by Jerry Cook.

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