Why?

Why? It’s a question that parents of young children often hear more than they would like, but it’s also a question Christians should be in the habit of asking when various church works are proposed. Why would we engage in that work? While the church is able to start many programs of varied kinds, there ought to be a spiritual purpose to those ministries. The Scriptures do not teach that doing good is an end in itself (Ecc. 1:14). There is a purpose, a goal in every good thing we do (Matt. 6:24). Every Christian’s singular driving purpose must be to bring about and help maintain fellowship between God and every soul.

The eternal good of every soul is the Christian mission because it is God’s greatest desire. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” Every soul’s salvation is God’s greatest desire. Furthermore, when Jesus communicated His overarching purpose, He said He had come, “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). When He commissioned the apostles in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus told them to “make disciples of all the nations.” His goal, their goal, and the goal of Christianity until the end of time is the same: bring souls safely to God through the gospel and do everything possible to keep them there (1 Cor. 9:19; Heb. 10:23-24).

With every good deed, every ministry taken on, and every congregational activity, consider how you may benefit the souls present as you do good. If the lost are there, consider how you may impart the truth of the gospel to them. If the saved are there, consider how you may strengthen their faith in God. Doing good is good, but doing good for the soul is godly (2 Pet. 1:4).