Jesus said in Matt. 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (KJV)
Reading through the New Testament, especially the epistles, there seems to be a great emphasis on church planting. The very word “epistle” means a letter. The majority of the letters written by Paul, Peter, James, and John were written to churches. Those letters were detailed instructions concerning how the local church was to carry out the plan of God on this earth.
It is through the ministry of local churches that the Gospel impacts cities and nations. We are thankful for every type of ministry and outreach building the Kingdom of God. However, the local church seems to make the most significant and lasting impact on the lives of individuals and families.
In local churches, people are saved, healed, and ministered to on an individual basis. The core function of the local church is the structure that allows believers to grow spiritually and become productive members of the body of Christ.
In part one of this series, Gary Crowl emphasizes that every member of the Body of Christ has a purpose and function that is specifically related to the God-given gift or ability given to them by the Holy Spirit. Once the believer discovers their gift or ability and begins to use it in the local church, they will find their purpose in life.
This full message (including both parts one and two) is available as a free download, or you can listen to part one here via the audio player below.
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