What Exactly is the Mission of the Church?

jimmyjimmy said:

With detail, and biblical references, please explain what the mission of Christ's Church is. What is her main goal, and how is she to arrive at that goal? What are the strategy and tactics she is to employ?

And. . . just as importantly, what is the Church doing today that it should NOT be doing. In other words, has there been any mission drift, and what has that looked like?

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May I suggest this:

Matthew 28:18-20King James Version (KJV)

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.


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 always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Now, the KJV doesn't say "go and make disciples" while others versions do.

I haven't found out why. Maybe someone here can add light to this.

Deuteronomy 6:5 (WEB)
5 You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.

Leviticus 19:18 (WEB)
18 “‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.

A man was going down the mountain road from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was ambushed by robbers who beat him til he was unable to move and stripped him of his possessions. A Samaritan was traveling along the same road and stopped to rescue to the stranger. He transported the man to an inn and paid the innkeeper for the man's room and board in advance. He offered to reimburse any extra fees that might be incurred by the man's convalescence at a later date (Luke 10:25-37).

This Samaritan was a good neighbor. Is a church of today a good neighbor? There are many different churches. Some were called to be preachers and teachers. Others were called to be deacons to assist in administering aid to the widows in the church (Acts 6).

jimmyjimmy said:

That's the correct answer, but many have parted from the mission.

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Jimmy, you ask good questions! I agree with you that the mission of the church is best summed up in the Great Commission (as mentioned above as well):

NIV Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Let's break it down a little.

There is one main command (this is obvious in Greek, less so in English). That command is:

"make disciples"

There are three ways mentioned of making disciples:

going
baptizing
teaching them to obey

We know from other passages that this includes proclaiming the gospel of salvation in Christ which when believed is followed by baptism.

The field is "all nations". This should be thought of not merely as all political nations, but as all "people groups", meaning "every nation, tribe, people, and language" (Rev 7:9).

Remember, we are not merely to teach people what Jesus commanded. We are to teach people to obey what Jesus commanded. There is a huge difference.

There are many strategies. Among some of the most important are:

prayer
proclamation of the gospel
teaching the whole counsel of God
being a good example

Because we are teaching people to obey, our example is very important:

NIV 1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

ESV Philippians 3:17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

BOTH our "talk" and our "walk" are essential to fulfilling our mission.

jimmyjimmy said:

With detail, and biblical references, please explain what the mission of Christ's Church is. What is her main goal, and how is she to arrive at that goal? What are the strategy and tactics she is to employ?

And. . . just as importantly, what is the Church doing today that it should NOT be doing. In other words, has there been any mission drift, and what has that looked like?

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(Acts 1:7-8) "And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. {8} But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

The primary role of the Church is to bear witness to the gospel message of Jesus to all the World populations.. Jesus also siad that when we finish doing this the end shall come:

Matthew 24: KJV
14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

jimmyjimmy said:

That's the correct answer, but many have parted from the mission.

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That's not the function of the church, but of the apostle, to make followers, just like Moses made followers of the people of Israel, making them stop being followers of Egypt and begin following God by gathering in the Camp of the followers of God (ecclesia):

2 Corinthians 12:11-13
11I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. 12The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. 13For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

I have rarely been a part of any church in my life. I am very much desiring to become involved. When I was a child, I went to a church where a woman preacher did all kinds of scary things, and gave me nightmares. They would put on a big show, pretending to fall down to the floor and shake uncontrollably. I was so totally terrified of trying at a young age, too smart for my own good, what could God possibly have in mind by doing this to these people? The preacher would walk by the line of people, always with someone conveniently standing behind them. She'd touch their head and BOOOM they would fall down screaming out unimaginable syllables with no interpreter, just chaos.

Also, my brother has always been in a wheelchair, and they convinced pretty much everyone in the town to come watch them heal his paralyzed, useless legs as she had a "revelation" about it. He was convinced more than anyone else, and he's never willingly been back to church since.

I know that this is not the purpose of the church, and it is not the only church I've ever been to. People are often very surprised when I tell them that I am not active in the body of Christ - and only now does it start to wear thin on my spiritual patience.

I guess I never really felt like I could come to the Church because I've always heard the calling of a great work of love, but self-doubt and bonds of the flesh have kept me in a place of solitude.

But, there is a small church just up the road from me, and I intend on going there Sunday and testing their spirit.

Instrument150 said:

I have rarely been a part of any church in my life. I am very much desiring to become involved. When I was a child, I went to a church where a woman preacher did all kinds of scary things, and gave me nightmares. They would put on a big show, pretending to fall down to the floor and shake uncontrollably. I was so totally terrified of trying at a young age, too smart for my own good, what could God possibly have in mind by doing this to these people? The preacher would walk by the line of people, always with someone conveniently standing behind them. She'd touch their head and BOOOM they would fall down screaming out unimaginable syllables with no interpreter, just chaos.

Also, my brother has always been in a wheelchair, and they convinced pretty much everyone in the town to come watch them heal his paralyzed, useless legs as she had a "revelation" about it. He was convinced more than anyone else, and he's never willingly been back to church since.

I know that this is not the purpose of the church, and it is not the only church I've ever been to. People are often very surprised when I tell them that I am not active in the body of Christ - and only now does it start to wear thin on my spiritual patience.

I guess I never really felt like I could come to the Church because I've always heard the calling of a great work of love, but self-doubt and bonds of the flesh have kept me in a place of solitude.

But, there is a small church just up the road from me, and I intend on going there Sunday and testing their spirit.

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I am sad to hear that you had such a negative and painful early experience with church. I am thankful that God has put it in your heart to try again. The church is certainly a central part of God's plan. Finding a good church is not always easy, but then again really important things often require work and patience.

I pray that God will lead you to a fellowship where you can grow and shine for Him. A place where you can learn and also a place where you can serve others.

Grace and Peace, Mark (with Hope and Joy!)

jimmyjimmy said:

Is Luke 10:25-37 the mission of the Church of Christ?

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I wouldn't see it as the mission. More like a template to live by. But, not a mission.

jimmyjimmy said:

With detail, and biblical references, please explain what the mission of Christ's Church is. What is her main goal, and how is she to arrive at that goal? What are the strategy and tactics she is to employ?

And. . . just as importantly, what is the Church doing today that it should NOT be doing. In other words, has there been any mission drift, and what has that looked like?

Click to expand...

Several fold.
To be the " pillar and foundation of truth" so Custodian of the word, and the authority on interpretation of matters of doctrine, which it does by " binding and loosing" in council,( without which there would be no New Testament or creed) a power also given separately but very rarely used by successors of Peter.

To be the appointers of succession, so giving the authorisation to conduct sacraments. We see this clearly stated as the valid interpretation from such as ignatius to smyrneans, taught by John the apostle.

To hand on the faith by tradition, handing down, to which we must " stay true" and appoint those to teach the word. " How can they preach if they are not sent?"

But then, a catholic would say that!

One must FIRST understand that Christ founded and establish ONE church that goes by ONE faith. One cannot find the mission of the church while wandering in a world of religious doctrinal contradictions.

TheSeabass said:

One must FIRST understand that Christ founded and establish ONE church that goes by ONE faith. One cannot find the mission of the church while wandering in a world of religious doctrinal contradictions.

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That's why my church has always been right here in my heart, from things learned from the Great Book, and the Holy Spirit. Probably my only friend, and best teacher ever

LittleLambofJesus said: ↑
Getting greedy.
While many common Christians are living month to month trying to get by, some Christian leaders are living high off the hog. They make the rest of Christianity look bad.

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jimmyjimmy said:

I agree, except, there are wolves, and then there are Christian leaders. We must point out the solve for the sake of the sheep.

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Instrument150 said:

That's why my church has always been right here in my heart, from things learned from the Great Book, and the Holy Spirit. Probably my only friend, and best teacher ever

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That is indeed a great way to learn.

I believe we also have to keep in mind the time period the NT was written.
Paul had just been converted and he was eventually to be an Apostle to the Gentiles, and was being persecuted from both the heathen Gentiles and the Jews/Circumcision group [who were then under the OC Law of Moses.]

Each area that Paul visited outside of Judea, he was in danger from the heathen Gentiles and occasionally the Jewish rulers from Judea.

Notice what Paul went thru in his travels to preach the Gospel to both the Gentiles and Dispora, and the use of the words "whip-lashes" in the Bible......

2 Corin 11:
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am speaking like I am out of my mind, but I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea..............................

Speaking of "lashes by a whip", notice the similarity of the prophecy in Nahum 3:3 and John 2:15 and Reve 15:1

Nahum 3:2 A sound of a whip, and sound of a quaking wheel, and horse galloping, and chariot leaping. A horseman mounting. And blazing sword, and flashing spear,
and many wounded, and mass of corpses and there is no end to bodies.
[Isaiah 28 "scourge"/John 2/Revelation 18]

John 2:
15 and having made a whip of small cords, He put all forth out of the temple, also the sheep, and the oxen; and of the money-changers he poured out the coins, and the tables he overthrew,
[Nahum 3:2/Reve 18:11-13]

Matt 23:34
Because of this, behold! I am commissioning toward ye prophets and wise-ones and scribes,
out of them ye shall be killing, and shall be crucifying and out of them ye shall be scourging in the syngagogues of ye and ye shall be chasing them from city into city

If you will notice in Revelation, the greek word #4127 literally means "blows/stripes", not "plagues", and as is shown in most Bible versions [perhaps because of the transliteration of the greek word "plégé" and more likely, the plagues of Egypt?

The Destruction of Jerusalem - George Peter Holford, 1805AD

Reve 15:1
And I perceived another sign in the heaven, great and marvelous.
Seven Messengers, having seven blows/stripes/plhgaV <4127>, the last,
that in them is finished the fury of GOD..

http://biblehub.com/greek/4127.htm
Short Definition: a blow, stripe, wound
Definition: a blow, stripe, wound; an affliction, plague.
Strong's Greek 4127 22 Occurrences

The Body Of Christ does exactly what it is supposed to do, has been all along. The Holy Spirit prepares works for us to do and we cooperate. Everything gets done according His Perfect Plan. God is sovereign and so He is in control of everything.
That said, He allows for our failures and flaws, they are factored in. So if you just examine all that is good, righteous and fruitful in history, that's the work of the Holy Spirit through us. The failures on the other hand, do not impede or mess up His plan. They appear to, but God works around them. We can't mess it up. In the end, all good works are tested with fire and the rest is burned up. God's Church is exactly where He intended it to be and all who have been written into the Book of Life have been saved on schedule. Sorry, there are too many scriptures that support this. But just having faith in a sovereign God, that everything will go as planned should be enough for you, no?
Let me add, Jesus said in Matt. 24:14 that the gospel would be preached to the entire world _ and then the end would come. We are almost there and so harvest time may be sooner than you think. The trumpets are about to blow and our redemption draws near.

jimmyjimmy said:

With detail, and biblical references, please explain what the mission of Christ's Church is. What is her main goal, and how is she to arrive at that goal? What are the strategy and tactics she is to employ?

And. . . just as importantly, what is the Church doing today that it should NOT be doing. In other words, has there been any mission drift, and what has that looked like?

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From my readings... the mission of the Bride of Messiah the church is illustrated in Ezekiel chapter 47.... where a massive river...... flows from the Temple of Ezekiel and heals the world.

That river grows and grows and grows..... and the Bride of Messiah is responsible to see that higher, and higher and higher and higher levels of the Holy Spirit are poured out on ALL FLESH.....
until even the eating habits of animals will change.

We no longer take the prophecies of the Millennium in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the minor prophets seriously.............. so we are lacking faith in how Messiah Yeshua - Jesus can transform the whole world....... even our enemies..... which is ultimately why we were told to pray even for them.


Reverend Howard Storm's Near-Death Experience

Howard Storm's light being friends told him more about the new world to come. According to them, God wished to usher in the kingdom within the next two hundred years. In order to do so, God had rescinded some of the free will given to creatures, in favor of more divine control over human events. This new world order, according to Howard, will resemble some near-death descriptions of heaven. People will live in such peace and harmony and love that communication will be telepathic, travel instantaneous and the need for clothing and shelter eliminated. The lion will indeed lie down with the lamb.

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jimmyjimmy said:

With detail, and biblical references, please explain what the mission of Christ's Church is.

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Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it....

you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light...

You are all children of the light and children of the day. ...

You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world....

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him....

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing...

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart....

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."...

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching....

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory...

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation....

What is her main goal, and how is she to arrive at that goal?

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By being the body of Christ on Earth laying our lives in love for one another and for our neighbour we are a light to the world, the world will see the light. When we present the Gospel of Christ to the world it will then know that what we present is genuine.

What are the strategy and tactics she is to employ?

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The strategy of Christ Jesus, that is to lay down ones life for those that He loves.

And. . . just as importantly, what is the Church doing today that it should NOT be doing. In other words, has there been any mission drift, and what has that looked like?

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The general lack of Love and cohesion in the body and within the community undermines the truth that is being preached inside the many buildings that line our streets.

The signs proclaim that Jesus Loves but the body is all but indistinguishable from the general population. If I walk the streets of any given city on a week day the community of believers is invisible (I presume they get out of the house).

Most of what people on the outside observe is darkness and if there is light we light it inside our million dollar bushells and it doesn't get seen much on the street.
(I am generalising and recognise of course that the Church is doing many good things, but usually it hardly seems supernatural or as radical as it should be).

So ... if I have a particular talent that is idolized by the world, do you think that it is very far fetched to imagine that I was kept away from everyone and hidden in seclusion until I was wise enough to use it to benefit The Lord? It really has been a long and hard thirty years, and I've spent most of it weeping in a corner somewhere by myself. From my earliest memories