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What is the future of the church? What does God intend that the church should be? What does God intend that she should do? What does God intend the ultimate destination of the church to be?

It seems appropriate to begin our lesson with a definition of the words church and destiny.  In the New Testament the church is the ekklesia or the "called out."  It is the people, the family of God, the kingdom of God . It is not primarily an organization and certainly not a building. It is a group of people who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ—who are committed to Him and to His new way of life.  The word destiny is defined as "that to which a person or thing is destined; the predetermined course of events; to predetermine, to decree beforehand, to ordain, to appoint, to design, to be bound or directed, as a ship is destined for London."

What then is the future destiny of the church? Will the church cease to exist as some in our time have suggested? The answer is, “No.”  In Daniel 2:44, the announcement of the establishment of God's kingdom is coupled with the statement that it will “never be destroyed."  Will individual congregations grow smaller or larger? Although varying opinions are often expressed, it is not actually possible to know. Obviously, populations are growing larger and cities are growing huge.  In times past, experts have spoken of the possibility of great megalopolises such as Boswash, a melting of Boston and Washington into one giant eastern seaboard city; of Chipit, a melting of Chicago and Pittsburg into one giant city; and of Sansan, a melting of cities along the California coast into one giant city, stretching from San Francisco to San Diego.

If such really happened, would house churches, or small churches meeting in homes, be the result, or would there be giant congregations numbering in the thousands? No one really knows and guessing about the future is hardly a profitable undertaking. Will the church abandon the inner city and move to the suburbs?  Perhaps this trend will eventually take place, or perhaps it will be reversed.  It is true that population growth, transportation changes, living habit alterations and the like will affect the church.  Social, economic, and national changes and trends will certainly have their effect.  But the basic elemental things of the Lord’s church will continue unchanged.  Let us, therefore, go back and explore the Biblical emphasis on some of these basic elements of the New Testament church.

What the Church Should Be

God's idea of what His kingdom, or church, would be like is explained in many of the Hebrew Bible prophecies.  For example:

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad … And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose ... The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water ... A mighty highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.  The unclean shall not pass over it … But the redeemed shall walk there …” (Isaiah 35:1, 7, 8).  Almost the same idea is expressed in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul: "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters.  Says the Lord Almighty.  Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 6:17 through 7:1).

The idea of what God's people will be like is further expressed by James: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27; see also Matthew 25:35-40).  The Apostle John added: "… if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7).  In the Ephesian letter, Paul emphasized the redemption that must be involved, "… we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (1:7).

All these passages indicate that we were sinners, lost or estranged from God. Then, through God's love and grace, through the sacrifice of Christ, we were redeemed.  This is what it means to be Christian.  It means people who have been lifted from the mire of sin and now live a new kind of life—following in the steps of their Lord.  Someone has said, "There are only two classes of people: sinners and saved sinners."  This is exactly what God had in mind. Men and women who were lost are redeemed through God's love and grace and live in newness of life.

What the Church Should Do

The work of the church can be described in three basic words: evangelism, edification, and benevolence. The final recorded words of our Lord before He left the earth give strong emphasis to the idea of evangelism. Jesus said, "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have command you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). Also impressive is the statement Jesus made after He had traveled through the cities and villages of Israel , viewing the people with compassion, seeing distressed and scattered people, as sheep without a shepherd.   It was then that He said: "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).  Christians are to carry the good news of Christ to all people, sharing with them the blessings of forgiveness and salvation.

In the second place, there is edification. This is suggested in Paul's letter when he said: "And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (6:4).  Parents are to guide their children in such a way that they will grow into mature, healthy personalities. This same kind of nurturing is also a part of the work of the church.  Paul wrote: "And He Himself, gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).  In the same chapter there are other expressions such as "a perfect man," "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," "no longer be children" and "may grow up in all things." The church is to cause babes in Christ to grow into full grown men and women in Christ.

Then, there is the matter of benevolence. In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  A little later he added: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (6:2-10). Christians are to take care of those in need, whether they be orphans or aged—whether sick, in prison, or poor. These are the works that God intended for His people to accomplish.

The Destination of the Church

Some think that the church will ultimately come to its climax in a return of Jesus to the earth. They take literally the figurative prophecies of Christ's ultimate triumph and think of Jesus living and reigning on earth from the city of Jerusalem for a thousand years.  However, this represents a misunderstanding and literalizes figurative, symbolic prophetic passages of Scripture.

The real destiny of the church was conveyed by the Apostle Paul, when he wrote: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

It was not until the final chapters of the final book of the Bible that God gave man his fullest picture of what heaven will be like, with this glowing picture:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea was no more.  Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  And He who sat on the throne said, “Behold I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”  And He said to me, “It is done!  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him that thirsts.  He that overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:1-8).

The real, ultimate destiny of the church is a home in heaven with God, Christ, the angels, and the worthies of all time.

Conclusion

The search for eternal truth is not always easy; neither is it simplistic.  However, if it is done diligently, the rewards are many and wonderful.  Many different methods are being utilized today by advanced students of the Scriptures who have a deep faith in the veracity of the Bible as the inspired Word of God.  It can be said with confidence that we cannot legitimately be branded as naïve or foolish for turning to the scriptural accounts of the Life and teachings of Jesus.  On the contrary!  In the Bible we find Him Who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life!”

There have been vast changes since the beginning of the church in Jerusalem . Yet, the essential things of the Lord’s church are unchanged; they are, in fact, unchangeable. Christians are a specially redeemed people—doing a very special work.  And they have a special destiny in the hereafter.  The Lord’s church has never changed, and will never change.  She is the same as when she began on the day of Pentecost, centuries ago. Yes, the world has changed, but the essential, basic elemental aspects of the Lord’s church are unchanged and will be unchanged until the end of time.

Have you surrendered to Christ?  Have you obeyed the pure Gospel of Christ?  If so, then you must never forget who you are and where you are going.  We all must become and remain the kind of Christians that God wants us to be, doing the things He wants us to do—someday sharing the ultimate destiny that He has prepared for His faithful children; for those who surrender to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

(Bible text is the New King James Version.  Renderings from other translations are so noted.)