43 - THE AIMS OF THE CHURCH
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com manded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20
INTRODUCTION
Every institution can only justify its existence as it accomplishes its objectives. The aims of an organization give it a sense of direction and determine its course of action. What is true of a commercial institution is also true of the divine institution of the church.
There are many forms of the local church. Some are centered around liturgy. Others are centered around evangelistic preaching, while other churches resemble a Bible College classroom. There is room for variety, but all churches have been given a set of goals to give them direction and purpose. There should be no confusion about the "marching orders" given by Jesus Christ. "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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" (Matthew 28:18-20). The Great Commission is many times applied to foreign missions but often neglected at home. But God has only one strategy since he returned to heaven, and that works in every place at all times. The controlling purpose of the local church is to make disciples. Those who are evangelized are then to ’ be baptized, which is a testimony of their identification with Christ. The final phrase of this simple command is to educate those disciples to effective Christian service. The Commission to the church is a unit; the Christian cannot choose one aspect and neglect the others. The Great Commission is a single command involving three steps, evangelism, baptism, and education.
EVANGELISM The Greek word for "go" (Matthew 28:19) is a participle which means "while you are going," but it has the force of an imperative when it appears with an imperative, as "teach." Christ assumed the disciples would be in the act of going into all the world with the gospel. The word "teach" is an imperative, which is a command to obey. Actually, the word translated "teach" in the King James is the verb form of "discipline" which means "to make disciples." Making disciples is more than getting decisions; we are commanded to make people into followers of Jesus Christ. "Making disciples" means to lead them to be born again, then baptized, and finally taught in the Christian faith. "Make disciples" is an imperative that demands the full attention of every New Testament church. At least six elements are involved in the biblical idea of disciple- making.
Vision. We must know what we want to do if we will accomplish our task. "He that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope" (1 Corinthians 9:10). Vision is essential to keep a church heading in the proper path. The vision must begin with the pastor and he must share it with the congregation. In the Old Testament, one of the titles of the man of God was "seer" (1 Samuel 9:9). He was the one who saw first, saw most, and saw farthest. The man of God who leads the church today must see a "vision," not some "psychic phenomenon," but a clear goal of the purpose of the church to win people to Jesus Christ, to get them baptized, and to teach them the Word of God. As Jesus was engaged in his ministry, he saw the multitudes (Matthew 9:35-36). That vision motivated him to deeper concern to do the work of God. A second aspect of vision involves the ability of the man of God to realize his calling and to have an inner confidence of what God is going to do through him. This personal vision accounts for some of the success in the apostle Paul’s ministry. The Lord told Ananias concerning Saul of Tarsus, "I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake" (Acts 9:16). Later, when Paul was starting the church at Corinth, God appeared to Paul in a vision to assure him he was still going to use him in that city to reach many people (Acts 18:9-11). A final dimension is a vision of God. With the physical eye it is impossible to see God (John 1:18), yet it is possible to have a correct vision concerning his person and nature. Such was the experience of Isaiah as he received direction for his ministry (Isaiah 6:1-13). We cannot have a correct vision of God without a correct understanding of Scripture because the Bible alone contains the correct doctrine of God. The first step in accomplishing the aims of the church is to ask God for a vision concerning the lost, concerning the work, and concerning God himself.
Compassion. A second element of evangelism is compassion. When Jesus "saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them" (Matthew 9:36). The word "compassion" comes from a Latin term meaning "to suffer with." Compassion is the ability to share in the emotional experiences of others. It is love translated into action.
During the days when Dwight L. Moody conducted a Sunday school in Chicago, one small boy traveled halfway across the city to attend. When asked why he would go so far to attend. Mr. Moody’s Sunday school, the boy responded, "Because they love a fella over there." People will be drawn to the Lord by the love of a Christian. Jude wrote, "And of some have compassion, making a difference" (Jude 1:22). Reaching. A third dimension of biblical evangelism is reaching. To reach means simply to use every available means to make contact with people and motivate them to give the gospel an honest hearing. It is not just enough to hand a gospel tract to the unsaved and assume we have done our duty in evangelism. We have not completely given out the gospel until we have urged the person to-respond. The apostle Paul described the doctrine of reaching people, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain [reach] the weak: I am ’ made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). "Reaching" did not involve the compromise of biblical convictions but- rather the application of common sense to preaching the gospel.
Testimony. The word "testimony" or "witness" also sheds light on the nature of biblical evangelism. Every Christian is to be a witness for Christ (Acts 1:8). In a court of law, a witness is called upon to give testimony to his experience, not ’ his opinion or his judgment. In the same manner, Christians are called upon to give testimony concerning what they have seen, heard, and experienced in Jesus Christ. Sometimes this can take the form of a nonverbal testimony.
We witness for Christ by our godly living. The lame man healed outside the temple by Peter and John was a nonverbal testimony of what God can do in a life (Acts 4:14). The same was true in the experience of Lazarus after his resurrection (John 12:11). But we should go beyond a nonverbal testimony, and give a vocal witness for Christ. The apostles acknowledged, "We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). Testimony is an effective tool of evangelism because people cannot deny living evidence of the truth.
Preaching. Preaching is an important part of evangelism. Mark records Jesus’ commission, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). Christ’s last command became the first concern of the scattered church. "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). Preaching is not just giving a biblical speech in the church’s pulpit. When we share Jesus Christ with a lost person, we are technically preaching. Preaching is communicating the gospel in an understandable manner and motivating that person to respond. Preaching is giving biblical content with persuasion so you convince the person to become a Christian. Preaching the gospel is essentially the same whether addressing a large crowd or talking with an individual.
Persuasion. Persuasion is the final aspect of biblical evangelism. This involves a conscious attempt to motivate the lost to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. We should have an urgency in pressing the claims of Christ upon the lives of the unsaved. The Christian is urged to "go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (Luke 14:23). The burden of the lost was a strong motivating factor in the ministry of the apostle Paul (Romans 10:1-3). Because of this urgency, he testified, "We persuade men" (2 Corinthians 5:11).
BAPTISM
Disciple-making is the primary imperative of a local church and part of that command includes baptism. Baptism, in this context, involves more than placing a person in water. The true meaning of baptism is identifying the person with Christ. First the Christian is identified with Christ as he died, was buried, and then rose again from the dead. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Romans 6:4-5). Only after a person is saved (which means he has been identified with the death and resurrection of Christ) can he, with any significance, partake of water baptism. Just as we are identified with the Body of Christ in his death on the cross, so we should be identified with the Body of Christ in baptism. Paul identified "the church, which is his body" (Ephesians 1:22-23). Again the church is called his body (1 Corinthians 12:25). Water baptism is an act of identifying the convert also with a local body of believers, since the church is an organized assembly (body) of believers with the responsibility of evangelizing the unsaved, educating Christians, worshiping God, and administering the ordinances. Identifying with the church carries with it a fourfold obligation.
Bible discipline. When a believer identifies with the church, he places himself under the discipline of the Word of God. The preaching or prophesying of the Word of God includes "edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3). For most people, placing themselves under the discipline of the Word of God will involve regular attendance at the preaching services and participation in some kind of consistent Bible K study, such as Sunday school. Every church should have some kind of Christian education program that has a systematic, comprehensive, and complete coverage of Bible content, doctrine, and life expectation.
Gifts. Another reason people identify with the church is to develop their spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to every Christian (1 Corinthians 12:11). These gifts were given for the benefit of the church as a whole (1 Corinthians 12:14-27). As every believer has a spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 7:7), it is important that they all identify with a church where they can exercise that gift in ministry.
Worship. A purpose of the New Testament church is to glorify God and help every believer worship God (Luke 24:52-53; John 4:23-24; Acts 2:47). Worship is not an option but an obligation. It is giving to God the worth due him. Worship is not concerned with the needs of man. It is concerned with magnifying God. Since God wants worship from man individually and corporately (John 4:23-24), it remains the duty of the church to worship him together.
Fellowship. The church is also a place of fellowship. The gospel unites believers of various backgrounds in Christ, thus providing a basis upon which fellowship can occur (Galatians 3:27-28). Biblical fellowship involves a caring for the needs and concerns of one another. The koinonia is a part of the New Testament Christian experience in the church.
EDUCATION The final phase of the Great Commission is teaching, or education. Just as Jesus taught his disciples (Matthew 5:2), so we, in making disciples, are responsible to teach our converts all that we have learned from the Lord (Matthew 28:20). This process has been called "reproducing reproducers." Those we teach should in turn teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Education is never an end in itself but rather a means to an end, which is the mature believer (Ephesians 4:11-12). A balanced educational program in the church will provide training in four areas.
Bible content. The apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian elders, "I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). The aim of every church is for the believer to know the doctrines contained in the Bible. A knowledge of Bible doctrine will produce several benefits in the life of the believer. THE BENEFITS OF KNOWING DOCTRINE 1. Protection from sin (Psalms 119:9-11) 2. Growth in the Christian faith 3. Understanding God’s purpose for life 4. More effective ministry for God
Training. Whereas teaching usually includes content, training puts into practice what is taught through theory. However, both teaching and training must be present for a well-balanced ministry. The aim of the church is to train Christians to be able adequately and faithfully to carry out their responsibility both inside and outside the church.
Attitudes. The attitude a person has toward the Christian life will reflect the quality of his walk with God. The ultimate aim of education (beyond content and skills) is the communication of biblical values and attitudes in accordance with the standards of Scripture. Proper attitudes will be based upon a person’s knowledge of the Bible, but a good knowledge of the Bible does not necessarily guarantee biblical attitudes.
Growth to maturity. The final goal of Christian education in the church is to produce spiritual growth, "for the perfecting [maturing] of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). Christians will grow to spiritual maturity through proper application of the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:10-14). A biblical education recognizes the work of the Holy Spirit through the human teacher as the path to spirituality (John 14:26). However, in the final analysis, spiritual maturity, Christlikeness, is the final step in the process of disciple- making.
CONCLUSION The church of Jesus Christ has clear-cut biblical aims. But many churches ignore its clear-cut objectives and, as a result, they fail. It is the responsibility of a church to evangelize the w lost, identify new converts with the church and train them in effective Christian service. Only as the church fulfills its objectives does it justify its existence.
DAILY READINGS Monday: Matthew 28:1-20 Tuesday: Matthew 9:35 - Matthew 10:7 Wednesday: Acts 1:1-11 Thursday: Mark 16:9-20 Friday: Luke 14:15-24 Saturday: Acts 5:17-42 Sunday: Acts 17:1-9