The Mission of the Church

The Mission
*Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Jesus’ last words to the apostles before His ascension, commonly known as “The Great Commission,” are the mission of the Church which was born shortly afterward. The Church’s role is to go out and make disciples or followers of all the nations through baptizing them and teaching them the doctrines which Christ richly expounded during His earthly ministry as well as the very Word of God. The word "disciple" basically means "learner." We are to go out and extend God's call to people to be students of Christ, learning from Him and walk alongside them, constantly directing them to Him. Such a mission closed with the wonderful promise that the Church is not alone in this task as Christ will continually be with us.

*Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

This short statement communicates Jesus’ very purpose in coming to earth. His role was to seek out those who were lost in sin and to save them from both the guilt and the bondage of those sins. In continuing Jesus’ work on earth, the Church should also have this as their primary goal; to evangelize to the lost. Notice that Christ took the initiative and went to sinners and did not wait for them to “seek” Him as they have ran the other way like sheep (Romans 3:10-12). He goes after the sheep who went astray (Matthew 18:12-14). Thus, the Church needs to go out and deliver the Gospel to the nations full of the lost, praying that God would use His Word to draw individuals into a relationship with Him.

The Message of the Mission
*2 Corinthians 5:21
He made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This statement communicates the message of the mission of the Church to evangelize the lost. The message is the fact that God loved the world so much that He made a way to maintain His justice in punishing sin and also pardoning many who place their trust in Christ. In order for such a pardon to be made, God provided a perfect substitute in Christ whom though Himself was guilty of no sin, was credited as having committing our sins, and thus experiencing God’s wrath by dying in our place. The purpose in this imputation or crediting of our sins to Christ’s account was for God then to credit Christ’s righteousness to the account of those who believe in Him. Therefore, on the cross, God viewed Christ as a rebellious sinner and now views the redeemed as perfect and sinless. Without such a substitute, there would be no salvation. The message of salvation must include Christ’s substitutionary atoning death. Our mission is not complete if this is missing in the message.

The Means of the Mission
*Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; the Jew first and also to the Greek.

This is a powerful verse which reveals the means of the mission. God in His grace has granted Christians the privilege of participating in His work of redemption. While Christians are entrusted with the responsibility of delivering the message of the mission, the means of drawing people to Christ comes through the Word itself and not the messengers. Paul states that his reason for not being ashamed of the gospel is because it is the “power of God for salvation.” The Holy Spirit uses the gospel to bring people to faith. In Romans 10:17, Paul states that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God. The ability to hear the gospel comes from the gospel itself. Faith results from hearing which results from God’s Word. Taking God’s Word out of this equation eliminates faith out of the solution. In the book of Acts, Luke demonstrates this truth as he portrays the apostles’ preaching and a response following of people being “pierced to the heart” and “many being added to their number.” No amount of pleading or persuading which we may do can work such an inner change in one’s life. Since God sovereignly uses His Word to change lives, the main task of the evangelist is to work fervently to get the message right and leave the results of his or her evangelism in the Lord’s hands to do His work.

The Mobilizing for the Mission
*2 Corinthians 3:4-6
Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate of ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy comes from God, who has also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The truth of the matter is that we cannot serve God in the task He has given apart from His help. We are not “adequate” to do the task. This means that we do not have the courage or the right words to minister on our own. The mobilization comes in God making us “adequate” for the task. We are not able to do it on our own but only through the equipping and power of God. This means that where we lack, God’s strength is made perfect in our weaknesses as His grace is sufficient. Since God provides us with what we need in order to get done what He has called us to do, we have the mobilization needed to proclaim God’s Word with boldness, knowing that it is He who is enabling and working within us. Without Him and His work, we would remain static.