What should be the mission of the church?

The church is a creation of God (See Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 17; 15:9), founded and owned by Jesus Christ, “I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18), and directed and energized by the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:5–27; Romans 12:4–5) Therefore, it is the church’s joy to look to God to explain His design for the church and His mission for it.  

God’s mission for the church proves to have several parts:

1) The mission of the church is to make disciples.

Just before Jesus returned to heaven, He commissioned His disciples this way, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

A disciple is a follower, someone who attaches himself to his leader.  Jesus sent the church on its mission to acquaint people in every place with Himself.  As the church makes disciples, people can admire, worship, trust, follow, and obey Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  The church’s members assemble around Him as Master, Leader, Savior, and Friend.  Our mission is to reflect Christ to every nation.

2) The mission of the church is to glorify Christ.

Paul wrote, “In him we were also chosen…in order that we…might be for the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:11–12)  Part of God’s purpose for the church is to exalt Jesus Christ by the way that the church lives and by what it does.  Christ designed His church to represent His supernatural, life-saving work to the world.

In His church, Christ shows to the world what a freed and forgiven people are like, people who are satisfied with God as the result of Christ’s joyful and victorious self-sacrifice.  He has planned the church’s values to be His values.  He expects its lifestyle to reflect His character. (See 2 Corinthians 6:14—7:1; Ephesians 5:23–32; Colossians 1:13, 18; 1 Timothy 3:15)  As the moon reflects the sun, so the church is to reflect the glory of God to a dark world.

3) The mission of the church is to build up the saints.

The church is to encourage and comfort its individual members. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 13:11)  “…so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:25)  Jesus is the chief cornerstone, and the church is likened to a building “…joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:20–22)

Jesus Christ designed His Church to showcase God’s family on earth, so that the pagan world can see how God builds His family around Jesus Christ and how that family cares for one another. (See Mark 3:35)  The mission of the church is to know and love Christ so completely as to represent Him and His values accurately and vividly to the world, and serve people’s deepest needs in the way Christ Himself would meet them.

As W. C. Robinson says in Baker’s Dictionary of Theology, “Our Lord Jesus Christ is the sun about which the whole mission of the church revolves. Public worship is the encounter of the risen Redeemer with His people; evangelism is calling men to the Savior; publishing the law of God is proclaiming His lordship; Christian nurture is feeding His lambs and disciplining His flock; ministering to the needs of men is continuing the work of the Great Physician.”  

The church’s mission is to present Jesus Christ to the world, while He presents to the same world His rescuing work in and through His church.

What Will Happen if We Continue to Ignore Evangelism?

The current state of evangelism is pretty sad, but our current state doesn’t have to be our future reality.  If the current trend continues the church will come to the end of its effectiveness.  Our culture will continue to collapse.  Our country will continue to decay and decline.  Our families will continue to deteriorate, and more people will die and go to hell.

Not only that, but God’s word tells us we will be held accountable for our disobedience and God will remove our lamp stand of effectiveness.

Revelation 2:5 says, “Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”  God used these words to warn the Ephesian church that if they did not repent then he would wipe them out as a church. They would cease to exist.

Today, the original town of Ephesus has no church that can claim it existed 2,000 years ago. Apparently, the church did not repent.

The same warning applies to the many local churches that have been called by God to fulfill the Great Commission.  Unless they repent of their lack of evangelistic focus then God will cause them to lose their effectiveness and possibly even existence as a church.

Our evangelistic pulse is faint, and yet God’s word is clear. We are called to be salt.  We are called to be light.  And if we fail to do what God created us to do, if we fail to be who God created us to be, we will become ineffective, “…no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13b)

That’s not what God wants for you and me; it’s not what He wants for His church.  His desire is for us to prioritize the things He’s commissioned us to do, and to pursue Him like we’ve never pursued Him before.

So let me summarize several reasons why evangelism should be one of the highest priorities in our churches?

1) Because Christ commanded it.

The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 as our evangelistic and disciples-making command.  Although there are several other scriptures in the New Testament that make clear God’s command.

2) Because Christ is the only way of salvation.

There is no way around it. Salvation is exclusive.  There is only one way. Jesus made it very clear in John 14:6 which states, Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  Jesus had an urgent message that must be conveyed to a lost and dying world.

3) Because churches tend to obsess internally when they fail to move externally.

Where has your church’s energy been expended lately?  Trivial church preferences?  Worship wars?  Power struggles?  Those are internal obsessions.  Lead your church to an evangelistic priority and watch the focus shift for the better. 

4) Evangelistic Christians actually grow stronger as better disciplined Christians.

Those who are evangelistic are obedient to Christ.  Being obedient to Christ means that we are following His teachings and becoming a better fruit-bearing disciple.

Most churches are busy with activities, programs, and ministries. Few churches are truly sending out their members to evangelize those in their communities.

What are you doing to lead your church to become more evangelistic?

When All Things Were New, God Spoke

“In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1)

It's fun to imagine what the world must have been like in the beginning.  Perhaps we picture expanses of unspoiled wilderness like those in national parks today.  I remember the first time we took the bus trip into Denali National Park in Alaska.  At each turn in the road we heard sounds of marvel at the vast tundra and high snow covered peaks.  

Tourists pressed with cameras by each window as we viewed the awesome size of a 1000lb bull Moose as he muscled his way through the thick brush, or the power of a great Grizzly Bear digging around boulders seeking ground squirrels for supper, while the wildlife were seemingly oblivious to the human presence driving by.

Or we may reflect on the wonder of new human life.  When all is safe and well, little children run and play and imagine and learn as if there's not a care in the world.  Maybe the creation was something like that when it was new.  There was nothing fearful to spoil the joyful play of God's creatures.

But the Bible also tells us the reason for the delight and joy that seem built into creation, when we see it at its best, "In the beginning was the Word."  Creation did not spring into ­being on its own.  In the beginning, God was there.  In the beginning, God was speaking to His creatures, sharing with them the joy of a full life.

God still speaks today.  People who know Jesus, the Word, not only see creation's beauty but also hear the Creator speaking with grace and truth.  God wants His creatures to live with Him. He wants us to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of His presence.

Can you hear the Word?