The local church is the organism that God is using today in the Dispensation of the Grace of God. The local group, made up of many believers together, forms a new body called the church. This church is a direct result of the mystery, and involves God making a change, moving away from a kingdom program, to a body program. This new program enabled God to include both Jews and Greeks on the same level. This new level is explained in 2nd Corinthians 5:19 as reconciliation, when Paul said, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” This does not mean that all nations are now saved, but means that all nations are now able to be saved, or reconciled to a place where they can be saved through Jesus Christ.
In Romans 11:13, we find Paul telling us that he is the new spokesmen of this new dispensation when he says, “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office”. Believers today need to understand this in order to understand the church. Paul and Peter did not teach the same message. It is in Paul’s Epistles alone that we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of this church, the body of Christ.
It has been written that there are seven things that the local church does. The first is to glorify God; then edify itself, purify itself, educate its constituency, evangelize the world, to act as a restraining and enlightening force in the world, and last, to promote all that is good. With most of Paul’s letters addressed to a local church, it is easy to see why the local church is an important area in this dispensation. Our goal in all things is that souls will be saved. This is important because this is the only way that the lost can be saved. Paul himself made the comment that he was willing to give up his own salvation if his people could become saved. In Romans 9:3 he said; “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh”. Paul knew that this was not possible, yet it presents his underlying motive for what it is that moved him to do what he did. This too should be our motive in telling others about Christ. The closest the lost will ever get to heaven will be this life. Their money, boats, cars, prestige and other materialistic goals is their little bit of heaven. To us who are saved the only hell we will know will be this life here on earth. It all comes down to our perspective. We all live in the same place, yet one man’s heaven is another man’s hell.
If we consider what it will take to win the lost, and how that can be done, we need to look to the local church. The church is a place we can bring the lost to hear about Christ. It is a place that the saved can come to be encouraged, and a place that the carnal can come to get right with God. The home church movement has not seen results. They seem to only produce knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Even Paul said, ” if I understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” The love of Christ, and the end product of a changed life, is the power of Jesus Christ. The local church is the method of doing this today in this present dispensation.