God has designed the house, and how it should function.
Ephesians 2:19-21 - "Now you're no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord".
Citizens means you belong to a country. We belong to two countries: Heaven, and New Zealand. We're common citizens of a country called Heaven, the Kingdom of God.
You are being built together for a dwelling place of God. Everything that divides you is not from God. God's work is to build us together into relationship. That's why this whole COVID lockdown was so harmful, because it hinders people from coming together, to be relational and connect and share and build one another. That's how church is meant to function. It's never just about the meetings; it's about the connecting and assembling, gathering together and functioning. Functioning means you've got something to bring in, and I've got something to bring in, and we both bring in what we have, from God.
Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, means that you can use people as a model to a certain level, but there's no perfect man except Jesus Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone. The cornerstone was the first stone they laid down, and the whole layout of the building was built around being aligned with a cornerstone. You didn't look at the other blocks; just look at the corner block, keep it lined with that one. You attach a line to it, run the line along, and everything is aligned with that corner one, otherwise it goes out of kilter. A lot of Christians get lost, and they get out of kilter, because someone upset them. Rather than looking to Jesus, and staying focused on Him, they become offended, and get into all kinds of trouble.
Every believer is called to be a builder. Jesus is the builder; He's the foundation; He's got the plan; He's the one who empowers people to do it. You're called to be a builder.
Every believer, that's a child of God, is called to be a builder. You will live in what you built, or what you tolerated. Your financial circumstances - they are what you built, or what you tolerated. Your marriage - is what you built, or what you tolerated. Your family - is what you built, or what you tolerated. Tolerate means you let it happen, and you put up no resistance, or gave no direction. It worried me when I first saw that.
God sets all believers into a family.
1 Corinthians 12:18 - "God has set the members, each one in the body, as it pleases Him".
God places members into a local church - a portion of the family of God. He sets them; that means he assigns them. When it comes to a local church, God your father, assigned you to a church. Go to the church that you feel the Holy Spirit leads, and draws you, and assigns to you. When you're there, stay through thick and thin; don't be a quitter! Don't pull away because something upset, or hurt, or offends, or whatever - stuff happens. All families have stuff that happens at times, things happen.
I've noticed that churches, any organisation, they go through seasons where they're thriving and great; seasons when it's really difficult, and the seasons are difficult. You got to know that God planted you there. You move by revelation, not reaction. There are times God shifts people. If God spoke to them, then that's fine; if he didn't, and you're just reacting, that's not so fine.
What is the role of the church? The role of the church is to make disciples. Jesus gave us a clear message:
Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
It's not just lead people to a decision; it's to create or develop people who are committed to follow Christ and live like him - that's the work of the church. It's to make a family for him. The churches are given the role of making mature children, sons and daughters, growing a decent family. How difficult that is these days.