2 Corinthians 4:13 – “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written (Psalm 116:10), I believe, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe and therefore speak…..”
To see believers being added to the Church and growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, discovering the perfect will of God for their lives and obeying Him, until they come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (spiritual maturity) and attain to the resurrection of the dead.
2 Peter 3:18 Philippians 3:10-11
Immediately after Pentecost and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, Peter preached the Word and the same day there were added unto them about three souls. Following this experience they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And God added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:41-47). There is no doubt from these scriptures that God’s intention and goal for the church is that members be added. It is the Lord’s desire that they get set in the Body as it pleases Him (1 Corinthians 12:18).
The church must grow! Each member must desire the sincere milk of the Word so that they can grow and come into a place of spiritual maturity being able to discern both good and evil (1 Peter2:2; Hebrews 5:14). They must grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). The perfect will of God for each believer’s life in fulfilling the calling of God can only be found when the believer is willing too present themselves to God in the Body of Christ. The scriptures clearly state,” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1-2). It is in the Body of Christ that we will find the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).
Believers must be motivated and exhorted to fulfil the ministry that they have received of the Lord (Colossians 4:17). As each member in the body operates and supplies that which God has given them the church is able to grow and be edified (Ephesians 4:16). The goal in the heart of the Lord is that through the ministries the body may be perfected and united through this knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13). It is through this process of submission to the Word that each believer will learn obedience by the things that he/she will suffer. This is where you get to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death: If by any means we might attain unto the resurrection of the dead (Philippians 3:10-11).
The final goal of the church is to get each believer ready for the coming of the Lord so that they can get into heaven. The church is the vehicle which God’s has chosen to do this work. It is a mystery, “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27-28).