The aim of this web page is
to help you think about the Christian church.
Here in the UK, we currently have around fifty thousand places of worship which regard themselves as churches and are widely referred to as such. This gives the impression that gathering for worship is the central role of the church.
In the gospels, we find a
different emphasis in what Jesus said about the church, namely
"I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not
prevail against it (Matthew 16:18)." The central role of the
church is therefore to storm the gates of hell, in other words to
release people from hell. Once let out, we are to heed what Jesus
told the twelve, "Teach them (future followers) to observe
everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). We
therefore need to pay close attention to his commands. We are
also to act as Jesus did, as he requested: "Just as the
father sent me, so I send you (John 20:21).
Read through the gospels to see what he wanted his followers to
do and to absorb the example he set. That is the agenda of the
church.
Here is a list of Jesus' commands in the gospels that I found, if it helps you. Some clearly have greater importance than others.
Here are some brief
videos I made to help stimulate discussion.
Best wishes in your attempt. Thank you for your interest in this subject. David Pennant Woking, UK.
PS. I wrote an account of my enquiries into this subject called The Priorities of Jesus; please click here for details. Multiple free copies available; please enquire. You can also click here for it as a pdf file, if you wish. Maybe it will help you think things through for yourself.
There is now also a sequel called Follow Jesus: Do I Have to Go to Church? Can I Trust the Bible, please click here for details.
Thank you