God's purpose concerning the church must be viewed from eternity, from God's desire and from God's plan, for everything in God's plan is related to the church. In eternity, God had a plan, and this plan is to produce in the universe the church, which comes out of the created beings, the human race. This church is to be His mystical habitation and a Body for His Son. This is the position of the church in God's plan.
The nature of the church is Christ. Just as the nature of a table is wood and the nature of a microphone is metal, so the nature of the church is Christ. Christ Himself is the nature of the church.
For example, if someone asks you what is the nature of a book, you would answer that its nature is paper. If he brings you some clothes and asks you what is their nature, you would answer that they are made of cloth or of silk. Suppose someone asks you about the nature of the church. The elders must be able to tell right away what the nature of the church is. They have to know it themselves, and they have to help the brothers and sisters to know it.
What is the function of the church? The podium here has the nature of wood. The blackboard also has the nature of wood, as does the chair. However, although their nature is the same, their functions are different. The podium is used by people to speak from. The blackboard is used by people to write on. The chair is used by people to sit on. The nature of the church is Christ. But what is the function of the church? In simple terms, it has two functions: on the one hand, it is the Body of Christ, for the expression of Christ. On the other hand, it is the habitation of God, for God to have a dwelling place in the universe, and particularly on earth. These are the God-ordained functions of the church. On the one hand, God wants to express Himself in the universe among His creation. This expression is in His Son and through the church. The church here is the Body of His Son, Christ. As such, it has become a means of God's expression in His Son. A man is expressed through his body. If you take the body away and leave the soul there, there is no way for him to express himself. In the same way, the church is the Body of Christ and the expression of Christ. In other words, it is God's expression in His Son. On the other hand, the church is also the habitation God has secured for Himself in the universe and on earth. The church is the habitation of God. It is God's house.