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Xenos Adult Education
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Servanthood
1
Understanding
Ministry
Mission and Function of the Church
Commissioning of the Church
Definition
The students should
understand the mission of the church. The students should be able to evaluate
structures and tactics designed to fulfill that mission.
Key
Passages
The New
Testament states the church's mission in several different ways. By looking
at various formulations, we can gain a sense of the purpose of the church
in God's program.
- Jn. 20:21
"Jesus therefore said to them again, 'Peace be with you; as the
Father has sent Me, I also send you.'"
Jesus calls attention
to the nature of his own mission as a way of understanding the mission
of the church. To be specific, we could look at Jesus' description of
his intent in various places where he declared his own purpose:
- Lk. 19:10
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was
lost."
- Jn. 3:17
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world,
but that the world should be saved through him."
- Mk. 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
- Mt. 28:18-20
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, `All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded
you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"
This passage contains Christ's so-called "great commission"
to the church. We notice that reaching the lost millions in the human
race again figures prominently. The church is to go, not to wait for
others to come. International missionary outreach is explicitly mentioned.
Notice that baptism is included, as well as "teaching them to observe
all that I commanded you." In other words, part of the task of
the church is to teach and disciple those we have reached with the gospel
so that they have a healthy walk with God. This process is a natural
part of a healthy evangelistic strategy, since those who have been discipled
are in the best position to join in the task of reaching others.
- 2 Cor. 5:15-20
"And He died for all, that they who live should no longer live
for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf.
. . Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself
through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely,
that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting
their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of
reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled
to God."
In this passage, Paul once again draws the parallel between the mission
of Christ and that of the church. "God was in Christ reconciling
the world to himself. . ." and "he has committed to us the
word of reconciliation." The church is to take up the work of reaching
those alienated from God (which is the cornerstone of reconciliation).
However, our work doesn't stop there. We are to press the work of reconciliation
forward in the area of bringing members close to God through enhancing
their walk with him, teaching them how to worship him and how to gain
victory over their own personal problems. Seen this way, reconciliation
is both an event and a process.
- Col. 2:19
"[Beware of those who come up with their own religion instead of]
holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied
and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which
is from God."
Here Jesus is the head of the body of Christ. Our mission is to hold
fast to him, receiving our directions and nourishment from him, often
through the agency of other members (the "joints and ligaments").
Likewise, we, as joints and ligaments in our own right, are responsible
to take of Christ and give it to others. This is describing how Christians
depend on each other for ministry within the church. However, he also
points out that the whole body "grows with a growth which is from
God." In other words, as a living spiritual organism, the church
is to grow like other living things. Here the ever-present importance
of reaching out to those who do not know Christ is again evident.
- Eph. 4:11
"And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as
evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of
the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of
Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which
belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to
be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every
wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful
scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects
into him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being
fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according
to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of
the body for the building up of itself in love."
In this passage, we again see Paul's vision of the properly functioning
body of Christ. Under the headship of Christ, not only are there leaders
who equip other members (the saints) but the saints themselves do the
"work of service." This work of service is the responsibility
and opportunity of "every joint" and of "each individual
part." In other words, the vision here is of a community where
everyone has a role in being built up spiritually and building up others.
The result is growth. Qualitative growth, or spiritual maturity among
the members (we are no longer to be children tossed here and there)
as well as overall growth through reaching the lost (the growth of the
body).
- 1 Pet. 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies
of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;
for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you
had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
In Peter's version of the commission of the church, the identity of
the Christian community is stressed along with its mission. Its identity
is that of the people of God. Its mission is to serve as a race of priest-kings
who proclaim the excellencies of God. Some versions read "declare
the praises of God" (NIV) which is not an accurate translation
of the word arete ("virtues" or "excellencies").
Question:
What problematic implications arise from the NIV's translation here?
Answer:
The problem with this translation is that it implies that the church is
merely commissioned to reflect the great things about God back to him.
Instead, it is both to God and to our fellow people that we are to proclaim
or publish the great things about God. This proclamation is in harmony
with the other passages stressing the importance of outreach, as well
as the context (vs. 12) in which Peter urges that because of our mission
we should keep our "behavior excellent among the Gentiles" so
they will glorify God.
Discussion
Questions:
What are
some of the unfortunate forms of fallout when local churches stray from
this central mission of the church?
What are some ways
a local church can stray from this central mission?
How does a local
church stay on track with this central mission?
If your church strayed
from this central mission, what would you do?
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