The
Problem
Anybody who knows me very well knows I
care deeply about church membership, church polity, the centrality of the
gospel, doctrine, and community. I have devoted my life to serving the local
church, and I strive to do that in a well-rounded way. However, though I love
the bride of Christ, I also love the lost, and even more so I love Jesus and
desire to see His glory displayed, proclaimed, worshipped, and enjoyed among
all peoples.
That being said, throughout my time in
ministry I have been told again and again that I care too much about
evangelism, discipleship, and especially missions. I am currently the associate
pastor of my church and the main focus of my job is evangelism, discipleship,
and missions. So, I suppose it’s somewhat understandable that I’m perceived as
someone who emphasizes these things too much because, in part, that’s my job.
But, I don’t think it’s simply because people misunderstand my job that people
think I care too much about these things; I believe it’s because they misunderstand
the mission of the church that they feel this way.
The
Mission
The Old Testament tells us, “It is too
light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and
to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the
nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the
peoples” (Psalm 96:3)! “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the
glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will
be great among the nations” (Malachi 1:11a).
The New Testament tells us, “You (Christians)
are the light of the world [therefore] let your light shine before others, so
that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in
heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). “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” (Matthew 28:9). “But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my (Jesus’)
witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the
earth” (Acts 1:8). “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed
throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will
come” (Matthew 24:14). “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that
no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and
languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice,
‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’”
(Revelation 7:9-10)!
While there are so many more I could
quote, looking at these verses it’s easy to see that God cares about His glory
among the nations (people groups). And the way in which He has chosen to
display His glory among the nations is through people; people who proclaim, worship,
and enjoy the glory of God in Christ among all peoples. This is what Paul was
getting at when He said, “that through the church the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places”
(Ephesians 3:10). In other words, God is making His glorious gospel of grace
known to the world, even angels and demons, though the church.
That being the case, how does the church
go about displaying God’s glory and making the gospel visible? Mark Dever says,
“The proper ends for a local
congregation’s life and actions are the worship of God, the edification of the
church, and the evangelization of the world. These three purposes in turn serve
the glory of God.”[1] Pastors Greg Gilbert and
Kevin DeYoung say it like this, “[T]he mission of the church is to go into the
world and make disciples by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power
of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might
worship and obey Jesus Christ now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father.”[2]
So, though I only quoted a few verses and a few
pastors (for times sake), I am arguing that biblically the mission of the
church is to glorify God by spreading the gospel and making disciples of Christ
among all the peoples of the world. The church does this by preaching the
gospel, gathering disciples into the local church and helping them grow in the
gospel, planting churches centered on the gospel, and equipping them to do the
same. If I’m even close to being right—and the church doesn’t put a heavy
emphasis on evangelism, discipleship, and missions then it has lost sight of
the very purpose of its existence. Professor and author Andreas Köstenberger says, “The church ought to be
focused in the understanding of its mission. Its activities should be
constrained by what helps others come to believe that the Messiah, the Son of
God, is Jesus.”[3] If
we aren’t doing this can we really say we are a church? No doubt, there are
other things we have to do, but shouldn’t we emphasize the very mission of the church?
The Promise
On the one hand I get
the arguments for a church focusing inward. “If we keep giving towards missions
we won’t be able to pay our bills… If we send our brightest and best to go
plant churches we won’t have any leaders here…” But we must remember that God
loves a cheerful giver, and that God blesses obedience. Now, I don’t mean that
a church shouldn’t worry about their own health; that’s where discipleship
comes in. And I’m not saying that if a church participates in missions by
giving, going, and praying that God won’t allow that church to close the doors
to its building and disband. But what I am saying is that the mission of the
church will be accomplished.
Even if our churches
aren’t successful the church will be. Jesus promised that, “the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). And as we saw earlier, the
mission will be accomplished. John tells us, “After this I looked, and behold, a great
multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed
in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud
voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’”
(Revelation 7:9-10)! People from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be saved.
After disciples have been made of all nations then the end will come (Matthew
24:14). And when the end comes then Jesus will make all things new and we will
live forever with Him in the New Heavens New Earth (see Revelation 20-21). And
then, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as
the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
This will happen. The Lamb will receive
the reward for His suffering. God’s glory will be made known among the nations.
It’s a promise from God so it is as good as done. There is no question about
it, the Great Commission will be fulfilled. The question is, will we take part
in it? Will we be focused on the Kingdom of King Jesus or our own?
Get to
Work
Jesus said, “I have other sheep that are
not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So
there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16). In other words, Jesus has
elect that have yet to repent and believe. They must first hear His voice;
meaning they must hear the gospel. “For everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And
how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach
unless they are sent” (Romans 10:13-15)?
How will Jesus’ sheep hear his voice? We
must give, we must send, we must pray, we must go, we must preach. We must
emphasize evangelism, discipleship, and missions. We must preach the
gospel. If we truly are a church, our
only other option is to be disobedient. May we not grumble and disobey, but may
we get to work. “As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who
preach the good news’” (Romans 10:15b)!
Yes, we must be about the ordinary work
of the church. Elders must lead and equip, deacons must serve, and the
congregation must submit, learn, grow, and faithfully go about the work of
ministry that God has called them to, namely being ever-growing disciples who
make disciples who do the same. But we must realize that this all plays a role
in our mission to glorify God by spreading the gospel and making disciples of
Christ among all the peoples of the world. Everything the church does in
someway should work towards evangelism, discipleship, and missions; if not, we
are missing the point…
Conclusion
Christ will receive the reward for His
suffering. God’s glory in Christ will be displayed, proclaimed, worshipped, and
enjoyed among all peoples. One day there will no longer be people unreached by
the gospel. God’s Word promises, “Those who have never been told of him will
see, and those who have never heard will understand” (Romans 15:21). So, while
there is no guarantee that our church buildings will stay open, or that our
churches won’t disband; one thing we no for sure is that God’s Kingdom will
prevail. The Kingdom of Christ is far more important than our buildings and
resources, even our very lives. So may we be willing to count all things as loss
for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus and sacrificially living for
His glory among all peoples. Regardless of what happens, we’ll never regret
doing that…
As for me, I will continue, Lord willing,
to emphasize evangelism, discipleship, and missions. Lord willing, I will
continue to preach gospel-centered expository sermons. Lord willing, I will
continue to do my part in the everyday work of the local church. And Lord
willing, God will pour out the lives of me, my family, and the church God has
called me to—for the fame of Jesus among all peoples.
What about you?
[1] Mark Dever, The Church: The Gospel Made
Visible (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2012), 69.
[2] Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert, What
Is the Mission of the Church? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 241.
[3] Andreas J. Köstenberger, The Missions of Jesus and the Disciples according to the
Fourth Gospel: With Implications for the Fourth Gospel’s Purpose and the
Mission of the Contemporary Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 219.
