The Mission

ACTS 1:8; GEN. 1:27-28; JOHN 15:16

SUBJECT:  THE MISSION & PURPOSE OF A CHURCH

THEME: the purpose of this study is to captivate us with a vision for worldwide evangelism and church planting.  Secondly, I want to challenge you to become involved with the missions ministry of your NT church to boost Christ’s worldwide outreach.  Thirdly, I hope to focus your life’s goals on God’s central purpose & design for every Christian and NT Church—missions: church reproduction. There is no other endeavor in this world more important than this!   

INTRODUCTION:

Each church is to seek to fulfill the Great Commission and has every right to do so—to preach, evangelize, disciple, baptize, ordain, and send forth missionaries.  Notice the priority these early churches placed on the mission.

Consider the Church at Antioch.

Acts 13:1-4, Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2] As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. [3] And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. [4] So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

Consider the Church at Thessalonica.  

1 Thes. 1:7-8, So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. [8] For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

Consider the Church at Philippi.

Philip. 2:15-16, That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; [16] Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

 A MISSION is the work of the church in and to the world. It is related especially to world evangelism, as this is the definite emphasis of the N.T. Until the early 1900s, missions referred almost exclusively to the proclamation of the gospel and to church planting. A modern trend has been to broaden and change the concept of Christian missions. Now the term often is used to describe every form of social/political activity, even that which has nothing to do with gospel work. This usage of missions is unbiblical in that Christ's Great Commission did not include such activities. The Apostles gave themselves wholly to evangelism and church planting.—Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible

The GREAT COMMISSION is a title commonly applied to the command given by Jesus Christ to His disciples to preach the Gospel in all the world (Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:44-48; Jn. 20:21; Ac. 1:8). It involves two major tasks: evangelism and discipleship. The Gospel is to be proclaimed to every person; those who believe on Christ are to be baptized and trained. The Great Commission is to be fulfilled by the churches and is to result in the multiplication of churches as we see in the N.T. pattern (see the book of Acts).—Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible

LESSON:

THE MEANING OF MISSIONS AND CHURCH PLANTING

Acts 1:8, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

   

Having completed the preparations for His departure, Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives with His followers gathered around Him. He had instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were given power from on high, after which they were to witness about Him to the uttermost parts of the earth.

A.  THE MISSION IS A CONTINUATION OF CHRIST’S EARTHLY WORK

John 20:21-23 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: [23] Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

   1.  The Lord Jesus Was a Missionary From Heaven and the Best Gospel Preacher Their Ever Was.

   2.  The Lord Died For the Sins of the World Not Merely a Few Elect.

   3.  The Lord Fulfilled His Mission of Presenting God and Providing Our Atonement.

   4.  The Lord Jesus Himself Started His First Church to Carry On His Work.  

   5.  The Lord Commissioned, Authorized, and Empowered His Church to Take Over His Work in the World.

The Church is only doing the Lord’s work when it is literally carrying out the elements of the great commission. Our work is spiritual, and not political in nature; it is also eternal and not temporal in nature. Sacred and not secular in nature! We are to continue Christ’s work undistracted by the cares of this world.

Matthew 13:22, He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

Mark 4:19, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

2 Tim. 2:3-4, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. [4] No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

We must refuse to become distracted by the Affairs of this life, if we are going to please Christ!

   

B.  THE MISSION IS A LITERAL COMMITMENT TO THE GREAT COMMISSION

Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

     1.  We Must Be Committed to Preach/Teach the Gospel To Every Person.

     2.  We Must Be Committed to Baptize Every Convert

     3.  We Must Be Committed to Indoctrinate Every Saint and Church Members.

     4.  We Must Be Willing to Plant Churches That Will Do the Same.

     5.  We Must Be Willing to Answer God’s Call to Mission Work When It Comes.

C.  THE MISSION IS A MINISTRY OF RECONCILING SINNERS TO A HOLY GOD

2 Cor. 5:17-21, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [18] And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [20] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. [21] For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

     1.  We Are New Creations and We Have Been Reconciled to God.   (Relationship & Fellowship) vs 17-18

To be in Christ is to be a new creation (see Gal. 6:15). This new creation is brought about by the Holy Spirit, the Agent of regeneration (Titus 3:5) and the Giver of divine birth (John 3:3, 6-8). God’s new creative work, begun in each one who believes in Christ, will one day be consummated on a universal scale (Rev. 21:4-5). The old life of slavery to self and sin has gone (2 Cor. 5:16; cf. Rom. 6:6-14; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9). The new life of devotion to Christ means that one has new attitudes and actions (cf. 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 6:4; Eph. 4:23-5:2).

Christ’s death on the cross makes possible human reconciliation to God (Rom. 5:10-11). Reconciliation involves removing rebellious and sinful man’s enmity toward God (Rom. 5:10). This is one of the many marvelous accomplishments of the Godhead on behalf of a person the moment he believes in Christ for salvation from sin. Because Christ bore mankind’s sin on the cross (1 Peter 2:24), He made peace possible (Eph. 2:11-19). No longer need people be the objects of God’s wrath (Rom. 5:9). By trusting themselves to the reconciling work of Christ alone, people pass from God’s wrath to God’s blessing (Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 8:1) and from spiritual death to spiritual life (John 5:24; Eph. 2:1, 5). Then men’s sins are no longer counted, that is, imputed or reckoned, against them, for Christ has taken them on Himself (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18).

      2.  We Have Received From the Lord the Ministry of Reconciliation. (Evangelism & Missions Work)   Vs 18

Few verses more precisely summarize Paul’s ministry and message (see Acts 26:16-18). As Christ had preached peace to all men (Eph. 2:17) on the basis of what He would accomplish (Eph. 2:16), Paul continued that proclamation in His stead. The immediate representative of God’s message of reconciliation was Paul, whose ministry is shared by all who are “in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17, 19).

3.  We Have Received the Word of  Reconciliation.  (The Gospel of Jesus Christ) vs 19

This is the treasure of the gospel which Paul proclaimed (2 Cor. 4:7), the message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19) delivered in the ministry (see 4:1) of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).

4.  We All Are Ambassadors for Christ.

All believers should serve Christ as His ambassadors. Paul’s appeal was not a perfunctory pronouncement but an impassioned plea (“we persuade men” [v. 11]) addressed to the world on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God (cf. 1 Tim. 2:3-4).  We are the ambassadors whom Christ has sent forth to negotiate with people in regard to their reconciliation to God.

        a)   We Are Ambassadors.  (Scope & Purpose)

An Ambassador means to act as an ambassador, or sometimes merely to deliver a message for another, without being empowered to do anything more than to explain or enforce it.

        b) As Ambassadors We Represent Our Sovereign—Jehovah God of the Kingdom of Heaven (Dignity, Honor & Power); We Stand in Christ’s Stead!

An ambassador is a minister of the highest rank, employed by one prince or state at the court of another, to manage the concerns of his own prince or state, and representing the dignity and power of his sovereign.—Webster.

Of course we are to seek the honor of the sovereign who has sent us forth, and to seek to do only His will. We do not go to promote our own welfare; or to seek honor or dignity; but we go to transact the business which the Son of God would engage in if He were again personally on the earth. It follows that our office is one of great dignity, and great responsibility, and that respect should be showed the Ambassador = Preacher/ Missionary as the ambassadors of the King of kings.

        c) Ambassadors Are Negotiators of Peace to Avoid War—God’s Wrath, Eternity in Hell, Enmity With God.

He is sent to do what the sovereign would himself do if he were present. They are sent to make known the will of the sovereign, and to negotiate matters of commerce, of war, or of peace, and in general everything affecting the interests of the sovereign among the people to whom they are sent.

        d) Ambassadors Have Only One Peace Treaty for the World—The Gospel of Peace (Rom. 10:15; Eph. 6:15; Rom.. 5:1)      

Ministers are ambassadors for Christ, as we are sent to do what He would do were He personally present. We are to make known, and to explain, and enforce the terms on which God is willing to be reconciled to people. We are not to negotiate on any new terms, nor to change those which God has proposed, nor to follow our own plans or devices, but we are simply to urge, explain, state, and enforce the terms on which God is willing to be reconciled.

Acts 20:21, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.  

D.  THE MISSION IS SHARING CHRIST WITH THE WORLD   

Luke 24:43-49, And he took it, and did eat before them. [44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. [45] Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, [46] And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: [47] And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. [48] And ye are witnesses of these things. [49] And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

  

E.  THE MISSION IS ULTIMATELY CHURCH PLANTING

This we will prove in our next point and next message.  As we see the Gospel going out to the world the ultimate objective is to establish Bible-believing churches.

CONCLUSION: 

The true significance of a church in the world is to share the gospel and establish other N.T. Churches who will also seek to reproduce themselves. The World will never here of Christ and the saving Grace of God unless we preach the Gospel on a global scale. With this knowledge we can maintain the work of the Lord with confidence that we are executing His will for our church.

So, are you captivated by a vision for worldwide evangelism and church planting? Are you involved with the mission ministry of your NT church to boost Christ’s worldwide outreach? Are your life’s goals trained on God’s central purpose & design for every Christian and NT Church—missions: church reproduction? Beloved, there is no other endeavor on the planet more important than this!