The Main Mission of the
Church
by Pastor Bill Pevlor
There are some messages that need to be heard over and over again. Some
truths of the Christian faith are so important we need to continually remind
ourselves of them. Yes, we’ve heard them before, possibly many times, but they
have a way of fading over time. This is one of those messages.
Our church is in the process of some major remodeling work on our
building. As you can imagine, a lot of our thoughts, energy and finances have
been directed toward that project. At your church there may be similar projects
or other activities that require a great deal of energy and resources. As we
(Christians everywhere) press on with the work of the Church it is easy to get
sidetracked from the real purpose of the Church. With choir rehearsals,
meetings, pot luck dinners, youth activities, building projects, more meetings,
Bible studies, fellowships, etc., etc., it is easy to lose sight of our “Great
Commission.”
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, after His miraculous resurrection from
the grave, He told the disciples what He wanted them to do. His last words have
been labeled by the Christian world as “The Great Commission.” You can find
accounts of Christ’s commission to the Church in all four gospels and in the
book of Acts (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts
1:8). Jesus said “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all
creation.”
Of all the activities and ministries in our churches today, none can
compare, in importance, with fulfilling this Great Commission. It is the
reason Jesus established the Church. All of the building projects, choir
rehearsals, fellowships, meetings and bible studies are important and valuable
for the continuing growth and health of our churches, but they are not to
eclipse the true purpose and priority of the Church; spreading the good news to
all creation.
In my experience, I’ve found most every “Christian” would agree
with the need to “spread the word.” However, most Christians are content to
leave the task to their pastors and the traveling evangelists. They may take an
active role in their church, but they pass on any first-hand involvement with
“going into all the world.”
It’s time for the Church (all believers) to wake up and rise up to
fulfill our “Great Commission.” The responsibility of sharing the Good News
falls on the shoulders of every believer, not just leaders of the church. We
need to adopt the same attitude the Apostle Paul expressed in Acts 20:24. “I
consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete
the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of
God’s grace.”
Every believer in Christ has been given the task of testifying to the
gospel of God’s grace. Each true believer experienced God’s grace when they
accepted the free gift of eternal life God gave through the sacrifice of His
only Son, and so are uniquely qualified to testify of it. We are not called to
“save” people; Jesus is the Savior. He’s done the hard part. We get the
easy part. We are called to be “witnesses.”
We love sharing the good things God has done in our lives with our church
friends. Testimonies are wonderful and can build faith among believers. But if
our testimony never travels beyond our circle of church friends, are we doing
what Jesus commanded us to do? Jesus didn’t commission us to establish our own
little “bless me” clubs. He commissioned us to go into all the world and
preach the gospel. To do that, we’ve got to get the good news outside of the
church walls. That is our purpose; out heavenly mission. Everything else, though
possibly important, is secondary.
Here’s something to think about . . . If a McDonald’s Restaurant opened in your town but never served hamburgers, would it really be a McDonald’s? If this newspaper wrote articles and sold advertising but never printed a paper would it really be a newspaper? Along the same lines - if the Church, the collective body of believers, is not fulfilling the main mission it was created for, that is, witnessing (sharing the Good News), is it really a “church?”
Back for more Good News
Victorious
Faith Ministries
219 State Street, Algoma, WI 54201
Phone: 920-487-5775
©2000 Victorious Faith Ministries