Have you ever thought about what the Church really stands for today?
It might be shocking to know that too many Christians go to church every first day of the week and / or other days as the case may be, but do not really understand the mission of the Church; and when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse, they say, is inevitable.
The church was ordained not by man, but by God Himself (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 17; 15:9). Jesus calls the Church “His own” —“I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). It is therefore the responsibility of the Church to find out her mission from God who designed the church.
We can group the mission of the Church into two: The Global Mission and the Local Mission.
The Global Mission of the Church
Just before His ascension, Jesus told his disciples, “be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NLT).
The church has the mission to reach out to their own communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ —to share the gospel to those in their surrounding area but also to the ends of the earth.
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In Matthew 28:19–20, He again commissioned His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20). This is our call today, also.
A disciple is a follower, one who attaches himself to his leader. Therefore, we could say that Jesus sent the church on a mission to acquaint people in every place with Himself.
In simplest terms, the global mission of the church is the Great Commission—what Philip Ryken calls “a clear, unambiguous statement of [the church’s] mission to the world.” Our task as the gathered body of Christ is to make disciples, by bearing witness to Jesus Christ the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit to glory of God the Father.
The simplest form of the Great Commission is found in the Gospel of John when Jesus, on the evening of his resurrection, tells his disciples, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). That word “send” is important for our understanding of missions because our word “mission” comes from the Latin verb missio, which means “to send.” So literally missions is about being sent.
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Furthermore, Jesus indicates that the mission he’s giving them is an extension and continuation of his own mission. The Father sent Jesus into the world on a mission. And now, as he departs, Jesus commissions his disciples to continue that mission. Luke 24 provides an expanded version of Jesus’s commission that evening and explains the connection between his mission and that of his disciples. Jesus says, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things”(Luke 24:46–48).
Luke’s account is clear: these missions fulfill Old Testament Scripture. But what’s the connection between the two? Simply put, Jesus’s mission is to accomplish redemption through his death and resurrection while their mission is to bear witness to Jesus’ work by proclaiming the message of salvation throughout all the earth. In other words, his mission is to continue through his ambassadors’ mission as they represent him among the nations. (rtim).
The Local Mission of the Church
The local mission of the church is to be attentive to the needs of members, both physical and spiritual. The church has the obligation to bear each other up, especially those who do not have the ability to provide for themselves until they are strong enough to do so. We see all through the Bible how that the Church consistently met the needs of its members, ensuring that members have even their basic need of food met (James 2:14-24, Acts 6:1-4).
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The Church is to encourage and comfort its individual members (1 Thessalonians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 13:11). “There should be no division in the body, but . . . its parts should have equal concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:25). Jesus is the chief cornerstone, and the church is likened to a building “joined together and [rising] to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22; see also 4:4–25). Jesus Christ designed His Church to showcase God’s family on earth, so that the pagan world can see how God builds His family around Jesus Christ and how that family cares for one another (see Mark 3:35 and John 13:35).
The Church also has the responsibility of building members spiritually which is the one reason God gave the different offices in the Church (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers).
Conclusion
Summarily, the mission of the Church is to bear witness to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ among all nations. This message of salvation will bring a regeneration in the hearts of men, turning them from sin to righteousness. These new believers in Christ Jesus are then gathered into worshiping communities called local churches, where they learn his ways and are nurtured to spiritual maturity. As this happens, God’s glory is displayed among the nations. And in this way “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).
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