VI. A CHURCH'S MISSION
Subject:
The Church.Theme: The church's mission.
Purpose: To help us attend to the Lord's work correctly.
Text: Matt. 28:19 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.
I. INTRODUCTION:
A.
1. Do not know what a church's mission is.
2. Have not been taught the whole counsel of God.
3. Confused pulpit; no church is any stronger than their pulpit.
(a). Women proclaiming the Word of God from pulpit.
(b). Leading the women to speak in public assemblies.
(c). Leading the church to vote in women deacons.
4. Must have a preacher with a seminary degree.
B. Misguided Churches.
1. Take on many good community projects.
2. Think that the church is to be run by boards & committees.
3. Some churches are following a pastor as he follows his favorite professor.
(a). Many pastors and preachers idolize their professors.
(b). One pastor was told by his professor, "you would be surprised how similar Catholics are to the Baptist!"
4. Many churches are led by their strongest (most overbearing) member.
5. Some churches are led by pastors who have no backbone.
(a). Afraid of confrontation.
(b). Afraid of offending or losing members.
(c). Will not stand for the truth because of peer pressure.
6. Some churches actually led by the pastors wife.
C. Deceived Churches.
1. Have been led into Ecumenicalism by their pastor or stronger members.
2. Have been conned into pursuing a pastors life long dream or ambitions, sometimes at great expense.
II. A PERPETUAL TASK GIVEN TO A PERPETUAL CHURCH.
A. The Great, Perpetual Missionary Commission.
1. Perpetual: Continuing without intermission or end.
2. The church is to work under this commission until the end of this age.
3. It provides for a perpetual church. See Matt 16:18 ... I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
4. It provides for a perpetual gospel.
5. It provides for perpetual ordinances. See
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.6. It provides for a perpetual task.
7. It provides for His perpetual presence. See
Matt. 28:20 ... Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. AmenB.
Five Point Biblical Program For A Church.1. We are to have a Missionary Program.
(a). The commission says "Go ye therefore."
(b). There can be no perpetuity apart from missionary activity.
(c). Without children a family dies out.
(d). Without missions churches would be limited to one or two generations.
2. We are to have a Teaching Program. See Matt. 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: ...
3. We are to have a Ceremonial Program.
(a). A church is to practice the ordinances; Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
(b). A church is to guard the ordinances.
(c). To preserve the ordinances is one the best way to preserve the Gospel.
(d). Almost without exception, a church with a false Gospel will have perverted one or both ordinances one way or another.
(e). The ordinances are a picture of the Gospel.
(f). If you will notice, historically when men changed the ordinances, they also perverted the way of salvation (the Gospel).
4. We are to have a Benevolent Program. (Charity)
(a). A church is to care for its poor and the widows under the qualified circumstances.
(b). The church at Jerusalem did.
(c). The churches at Macedonia and Achaia sent money to the poor saints at Jerusalem. See
5. We are to have a Disciplinary Program.
(a). Every church must regulate itself.
(b). A church must keep herself pure and chaste by disciplinary measures.
1Cor. 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
2Thes. 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
C.
Things The Church Has Not Been Commissioned To Do.1. It is not a church's responsibility to reform the world.
(a). The apostles were not reformers.
(b). They were a group of missionaries with a missionary message that had regenerating power.
2. It is not a church's job to feed the world.
(a). No where in the Scriptures are we commanded to look after the material interests of the world.
(b). As worthy and good as they are, relief campaigns and community projects are not in the commission.
(c). I am not saying that these things are bad and that we should never do anything like that; I'm saying that they are not part of our commission so that makes them secondary at best.
3. It is not a church's duty to educate the world.
4. It is not a church's responsibility to provide entertainment for the world or for Christians for that matter.
5. It is not a church's commission to build hospitals, retirement homes, or even orphan homes.
6. Again, I am not saying that any of these things are bad; I am saying that they are not part of our commission.
7. Our commission is to take the Gospel into all the world, make disciples and teach them everything that the Lord taught.
8. Until we are doing that and doing it well, we have no business doing anything else.
III. CONCLUSION.
A. John 14:15 if ye love me, keep my commandments.
B.
Acts 1 7.-30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men every where to repent:C.
Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.