The mission of the Church of Christ is distinctive. All institutions have a mission statement. This mission statement is often presented to potential customers so that they might understand certain facts about that institution. A mission statement sets forth the purpose for existence; the dedication towards service; the goals anticipated by that institution. Perhaps, there might other themes set forth in mission statements, but these three stand out in all mission statements. The mission statement of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is set forth by the Lord just prior to His ascension into heaven.
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (NKJV)
Mark 16:15-16 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (NKJV)
The mission statement of many churches, today, can be found written in their own creeds or other documents that set forth their mission and purpose for existence. Some of these mission statement declare that their mission is to gain as many members as possible, or their mission is strictly in numbers. Some have set forth the mission to gain social or political power. Such institutions, when going into mission fields outside the United States have difficulty with the governments of those countries. Their difficulty lies at the heart of their mission statement. They seek to change the social and political structure of those countries. No wonder that some countries are so hard on missionaries! There are some whose mission is to gain total world dominance. If you look closely at these various mission statements, you can, perhaps, find other goals set forth than what we have herein presented. The main point being made is that they have a mission that is distinct and it sets them apart from others. Also, it is distinct from the Lord's mission statement.
The church of Christ has but one mission: The saving of lost souls! If we study, carefully, the two scriptures that set forth the mission statement for the Church, we can observe the three essential elements of any mission statement. As we study these statements, compare them with the mission statement of the church where you attend. Are they the same? How do they compare with the Lord's mission statement?
SAVING LOST SOULS
The purpose for the existence of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is simple - TO SAVE LOST SOULS. This is stated at the beginning of these verses. Observe: MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS. To make a disciple is to convert someone to the teachings of Christ. A disciple is someone who follows the teachings of another. If we are a disciple of Christ, then we have pledged our devotion to Him and are willing to follow after Him in all things. Jesus speaks of this characteristic:
Matthew 10:24-25a "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master…"(NKJV)
Paul, later puts this mission into simple terms: "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)" Paul's life was devoted to being just like His Lord and savior. He could say, with confidence, that if someone patterned their life after his, that they were in turn patterning their lives after Christ. We should so live our lives before the world that as they see us they see Christ living within us.
In this first part of the mission statement the Lord also gives the scope of the mission: UNTO ALL NATIONS. No longer would the Kingdom of God be limited to just one nation of peoples. It was to now include those of all nations. No longer would there be a physical barrier between God and the peoples of the world. All nations, or people, were to receive the teaching, or doctrine of Christ. All humans are lost, therefore all are in need of salvation.
When Peter went into the house of Cornelius he made a statement that sets forth this aspect of the mission of the Church in very clear terms.
Acts 10:34-35 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him."
Paul shows that the barrier that had previously existed between the Jewish nation and all other nations has been broken down by the sacrifice of Christ. No loner are we divided, but united, together, in Christ.
Ephesians 2:14-17 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
When we look at the way that Mark presented this mission statement we see that "preaching" was the means by which the gospel of salvation would be spread throughout the world. We are to go to all people of all nations with the gospel. This means we should make every attempt to preach or teach the lost the way of salvation. This is our primary missionary goal.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
The purpose for the existence of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is to save souls. If not, then why did the Lord commission the Apostles, and the church, to go into all the world and preach the gospel, thereby making disciples unto the Lord? If we fail to recognize that the primary purpose for the church's existence is to save souls, then we have the wrong mission.
MAKING DISCIPLES
Closely associated with the purpose of the Church, in its mission statement, is how people are made disciples. Remember, you cannot be a disciple if you are unwilling to devote your life to the master. One way to show your devotion is to do what the master says. The Lord told us just how to become disciples: "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This part of the great commission is often over looked. The way that one becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to become a part of the Lord. This is done when we are baptized into the Lord.
Baptism! I know, this is a word that causes much religious debate. Yet, we cannot remove this from the mission statement of the Lord. These are the Lord's words, not mine or someone else. Consider the circumstances that prompted this mission statement to be made in the first place. It is forty days after the resurrection of the Lord from the dead. The Lord is going to be leaving the Apostles, physically. He was going into Heave to take His rightful position on the right hand of God. This would be His last opportunity to give the Apostles the will of the Father. We might say that these are the last words of the Lord.
Last words are important! There are books that are dedicated to the last words of famous individuals throughout history. We have learned some of these words in school. I am confident that if a close friend of yours called you to their death bed and whispered to you something just before they died, that these words would be some of the most precious ever spoken by that individual. These words are the last effort of a dying individual to leave behind something of value. They are so important that they are chosen very carefully. Even condemned criminals are given an opportunity to speak "last words." Enough said, you know the importance of last words. Well, these are literally the last spoken words of the Lord prior to His ascension into heaven. These words should be reverenced for the context and spiritual worth that they possess.
The Lord said "baptizing them." Who? Those who are made disciples. Only someone who has the power and ability to become a disciple should be baptized. This excludes babies and anyone who does not have the power to understand the concept of discipleship and the spiritual condition that they are in. What must one be able to comprehend?
First, we have to understand that we have committed sin. We must comprehend the consequences of our sins. Paul speaks of the nature of sin:
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
If we have sins, we cannot come into a relationship with Christ as long as our sins are with us. We must get rid of our sins. This is done by obeying the gospel of Christ. This gospel is what can save us, and is what Paul preached.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Paul teaches us that faith, or belief and confidence in the words of the Lord come from a hearing of God's word.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We must believe in Christ. This means that we have confidence in His ability to save us from our sins. Notice the very words of the Lord on this matter.
John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
We must then repent of our Sins. This includes recognizing that we are in sin, and that our sins must be removed. If we fail to repent, the Lord says:
Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
We must be willing to confess the Lordship and Sonship of Christ.
Matthew 10:32-33 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."
All of these things bring us closer to becoming a disciple of the Lord. Remember the last words of the Lord - Baptizing them … Mark says it better.
Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."
Now, this is a simple statement. It can be understood without a lot of explanation. If we believe and are baptized, then we shall be saved. If we do not believe, then we will not want to be baptized, and the Lord says we are condemned. It is baptism that puts us into Christ.
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
If we have been baptized "into" Christ, then we have put on Christ, or we are IN CHRIST. We are now a part of His body, which is the church.
Baptism does something else. It removes the body of sins by the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At this point we shall only provide the scriptures. The subject of baptism is reserved for a different topic.
We are baptized in the likeness of the Lord's death. The Lord died, was buried, then rose from the grave - victorious over death.
Romans 6:3-6 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
The blood of Christ washes us of our sins:
Revelation 1:5b To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.
This is not a work that we do, rather it is an act of obedience. God is the one who operates on our hearts to remove the old body of sins:
Colossians 2:11-13 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
We then must be faithful to the commandments of Christ.
Matthew 10:22 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."
THE DEDICATION TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
The next part of this mission statement can be found in these words: "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." It is not enough to preach the gospel and to baptize individuals into Christ, they must also be taught. Our baptism is only our birth, spiritually, into Christ. We now must grow into mature Christians and faithful disciples.
As you read the scriptures you find the things that we are to learn to grow spiritually. Paul warned the Hebrews that they should have been mature Christians, but they were, at that point, in need that one teach again the principles of Christ (cf. Hebrews 5:12-14). As Christians, we should be devoted to learning all that we can about the Lord and our duties to Him. We should be dedicated to the cause for which He died.
THE GOAL OF THE CHURCH
The final part of the mission statement is also contained in the first part. The goal of the Church is to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Wherever and whenever we have an opportunity to preach to others the saving message of salvation, we should strive to do so. All too often we expect others to do this for us. No so according to this great commission of the Lord. Each of has our own duty, in the kingdom of the Lord, to preach the gospel.
The early Church grew, within about 40 years, to encompass the whole known world of that day. How? They did not have TV, radio or other means of mass communication. They did not have large revivals in big cities with a famous evangelist. No, they went everywhere preaching the gospel as individuals. They preached to others the saving message of salvation. The world was converted one person at a time.
What is your mission statement? Is it the Lord's? If not, then
examine the mission statement of the Lord and begin doing what He
has commanded. Remember, these were the last words of the Lord.
They hold special significance. What will you do?
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