This summer, rather than having several Wed. night discipleship classes, we meeting together for a summer doctrinal study. This summer's study is What We Believe About the Church. Last night I taught on the Mission of the Church.
I am amazed at the simplicity of our mission. While there may be many, many activities in a church - both good and bad - the mission is singular. Jesus spent 3 years with his disciples, trained them, lived with them, built them up - prepared them for the mission. Then, just before leaving them (physically) he said, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore, as you go (a participle), MAKE DISCIPLES, baptizing (a participle) them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching (a participle) them to obey all that I have commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
There is only 1 verb - make disciples.
The commission is just that - make disciples.
Baptizing:
We make disciples primarily by being and speaking the Gospel - which leads to belief - which precedes baptism. Baptism into Christ, Baptism into the body of Christ.
Teaching:
We make disciples then by teaching those who have come by faith, all that he has commanded. While that is a great deal to teach, it can be summarized by
the great Command of Matthew 22 - Love God and Love People...on these 2 commands hang the whole Law and Prophets
AND
must include the command that Jesus made - make disciples.
I think that's pretty much it! The forms that our disciple making takes must be contextualized - it may not look exactly the same in Macon, Ga as it does in an African tribe, or in San Diego, CA - but the function is the same - Make Disciples.
If this is indeed our Mission, then everything we do must be judged by how it works to accomplish that mission. Activities are worthwhile only as they work to that end. Counseling is only truly biblical when it counsels to that end. Add to that the long list of church activities including children's ministry, and youth ministry, and senior adult ministry, deacons and elders and on and on and on - each should serve the same mission, and should be judged by how well it actually works to that end.
