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  ARE WE MISSING THE CHURCHS PURPOSE?
  by A.W. Tozer
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Summary: The church's purpose is to be part of an eternal plan, which
includes predestination, redemption, adoption, and the obtaining of an
eternal inheritance, and this knowledge imparts unquenchable enthusiasm
to its members.

Topics: "Purpose of the Church", "Enthusiasm in Faith"
Scripture References: Ephesians 3:10

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DESCRIPTION
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A.W. Tozer addresses the issue of disillusionment with the church,
arguing that many find it intolerable due to a lack of clear purpose and
direction beyond mundane activities. He emphasizes that the early
Christians were driven by a profound understanding of their role in
God's eternal plan, which included predestination, redemption, and the
promise of an eternal inheritance. This knowledge fueled their
enthusiasm and commitment to Christ, contrasting sharply with the
spiritless nature of many modern congregations. Tozer calls for a
revival of this sense of purpose to reignite passion and zeal within the
church community.

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CONTENT
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It would be too easy to dismiss this dislike for church as only another
symptom of original sin and love of moral darkness, but I believe that
explanation is too pat to be wholly true. It doesnt explain enough. Some
persons, for instance, find church intolerable because there is no
objective toward which pastor and people are moving, aside possibly from
the limited one of trying to enlist eight more women and 10 more men to
chaperon the annual youth cookout or reaching the building fund quota
for the month.

And believe me, that can get mighty wearisome after a while, so
wearisome indeed that alert, forward-looking persons often forsake the
churches in droves and leave the spiritless, the dull and those
afflicted with permanent insouciance to carry on, if a phrase so active
dare be used to describe what they do. To Paul there was nothing dull or
tiresome in the religion of Christ. God had a plan which was being
carried forward to completion, and Paul and all the faithful in Christ
Jesus were part of that plan.

It included predestination, redemption, adoption and the obtaining of an
eternal inheritance in the heavenly places. Gods purpose has now been
openly revealed (Ephesians 3:10,11). It was the knowledge that they were
part of an eternal plan that imparted unquenchable enthusiasm to the
early Christians. They burned with holy zeal for Christ and felt that
they were part of an army which the Lord was leading to ultimate
conquest over all the powers of darkness. That was enough to fill them
with perpetual enthusiasm.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/aw-tozer/are-we-missing-the-churchs-purpose/
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