What is the mission of the church?

Changing the Mission of the Church

Charles Paul Conn tells of living in Atlanta several years ago. He'd noticed a listing in the Yellow Pages for a restaurant called Church of God Grill. Out of curiosity he dialed the number. Conn recalls the phone conversation as follows:

A man answered with a cheery, "Hello! Church of God Grill!" I asked how his restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and he told me: "Well, we had a little mission down here, and we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Well, people liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just closed down the church altogether and kept on serving the chicken dinners. We kept the name we started with, and that's Church of God Grill."

While this may be an extreme example, the Church of God Grill is not much different from what a lot of other churches have done in drifting away from God's purpose for the church. Examples could be multiplied of churches that are mainly in the business of providing day care, or health care, or shelter for the homeless, or recreation for their members, or civic service for their community. Apparently, many (if not most) think that it is the mission of the church to meet every real and perceived human need and desire - that somehow Christ died so we can have a basketball team, potluck dinners and a Christian singles dating service.

If we just took the Scriptures and tried to determine what the purpose and mission of the church is, what conclusion would we reach? Notice what the church did or was to do in the following passages:

The church supported the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15 speaks of "the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

The church spread the gospel. To the church at Thessalonica Paul wrote, "For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything" (1 Thessalonians 1:8).

The church supported preachers to preach the gospel. The apostle Paul commended the Philippian church in Philippians 4:15-16: "Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities." Elsewhere he said that he took "wages" from churches to minister the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:8).

The church edified itself (built itself up) through worship and teaching. Ephesians 4:15-16 informs us that when members speak the "truth in love" and do their part in the work, it "causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." When it comes to the worship assembly, Paul commands in 1 Corinthians 14:26 "Let all things be done for edification." Notice that he didn't mention anything being done for entertainment!

The church helped truly needy saints. Clearly the New Testament church was not the worldwide relief organization that modern men have made their churches out to be. The church helped some of its own needy (cf. Romans 15:26), but it was not charged with the mission of helping even all of them. In 1 Timothy 5:16, the Scripture says, "If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows."

Can we not see that the church has a mission that is spiritual? Her purpose has been determined by the One who built her and gave His life for her! Making money by selling chicken dinners may be a fine endeavor for an individual to take on, but it is NOT the mission of the church! May the path of the church here at New Georgia ever be guided by the question, "Is this what God wants us to do?"

- by Steve Klein

Sermons on the cross of Christ

The cross has come to symbolize many things –

In Roman times, it was reserved for the worst, vilest, offenders of the law in order to torture and humiliate them before the public as a witness to their disobedience of Roman law and authority. A roman citizen was rarely crucified because it was too repulsive and degrading.

- Today, for some, the cross has become a religious icon – appearing in stained glass windows of elaborate cathedrals, or in classic paintings.

- Or, it is a piece of jewelry worn around the neck for decoration and declaration.

- Some make ‘the sign of the cross’ as a good luck gesture, as if it holds special powers.

 -The cross is the subject of many of the songs we sing…

And - If we are not careful, we trivialize the cross...  But, for the apostle Paul, he said it is the cornerstone of faith.

It is the starting point. It is the place we begin to unfold and understand the mysteries of God, and his degree of love for us.

1 Cor. 15:3-6a reads, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time…”

Paul says this is of ‘first importance,’ this is the main point we have to get, this is where we start, without this piece of the puzzle – nothing else fits.

Christ died. He was buried. He rose. – That must be the essence of our faith.

In fact, he goes on to say in verse 17 “and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”

So, this Easter morning, I want to ask you, “What does the cross and the empty tomb say about Jesus?”

I want to share three observations this morning, and if you take the first letter of each word – it will spell the word CROSS:

1. The Cross and the Empty Tomb Speaks of: Christ’s Response to Our Sins and Selfishness

The cross of Roman times meant one thing – death. That was its only purpose. It was the cruelest, most heinous form of execution ever devised by mankind.

And yet, we must remember: We deserve death…

- All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

- The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life.

- There is none righteous, no not one.

Left to ourselves, we self-destruct. We are sinful and selfish. 

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” - Eph. 2:4-7

1 Pet. 2:24,25 says, “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

The cross demonstrates the EXTENT of Jesus’ love for us.

We deserve death, yet He offers life.

2. The Cross speaks of: Christ’s Reward for Obedient Servanthood and Sacrifice

Have you ever heard the expression, “Well, that’s some thanks I get…” when you have maybe done something nice for someone and they don’t appreciate it?

Jesus could have easily said that about his coming to earth. “[He] became flesh and dwelt among us so we could behold his glory, Glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” according to John 1:14…

…and what thanks did he get – being condemned, falsely accused, humiliated, beaten, spat upon, and put to death… “Some thanks I get!”

“Some reward…”  But, there is another aspect to the reward he received:

Paul in Phil. 2:5-9 says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,”

Never think the cross was easy for Christ to endure. If he had had his own way, he wouldn’t have done it, but “He became obedient – to the point of death.”

– In fact, Hebrews 5 states, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” – Heb. 5:8

Jesus had to learn obedience?  The creator of the universe, according to John 1, had to learn obedience – he had to learn to be human and face the pain and suffering of a fallen world. He had to learn to deal with the temptations you and I face every day.

He experienced the pain and penalty of every sin ever committed. He “who knew no sin became sin” on our behalf.

Our challenge is to become like him, to humble ourselves, to have the same mind/attitude he had, which Peter speaks of in1 Peter 2:21-23:

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

The NIV renders verse 23 as, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

They were not content with breaking his body, they were trying to break his spirit.

How did he survive the pain and agony of the cross, by revealing the secret that will help us through any and every circumstance – ‘he entrusted himself to the father.’

That is the reward Christ offers– He trusted God. If Christ could endure what he faced, we can certainly endure anything we may have to face in this life.

Do we entrust ourselves to the Father that he will see us through every situation in life?

Christ was rewarded for his obedient servanthood and sacrifice and we can follow in his steps and receive the rewards of Heaven because Jesus is today seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

3. The Cross, and the empty tomb, speaks of: Christ’s Redemption for Our Sins and Separation

Rom. 5:6-9 “For while we were still helpless (KJV - without strength), at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Jn. 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Cor. 5:21

The cross has spared us from the wrath of God and allows God to see us as righteous – made holy by the blood of the lamb.

Col. 2:13-15 “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”

What we were: hostile towards God… And we say, “No, not us. That was the Jewish leaders who placed him on the cross.”  But, we fall into the same category. We all, at times, have turned our backs against God.

The cross shows the extent to which God was willing to go to restore fallen man in his sinful state, to restore the relationship He had with man in the beginning, in the garden, when God looked upon his creation and said “it is good” and walked with man in the cool of the evening.

God’s voice from the cross is one of forgiveness. Restoration. Redemption. His response to our sin: “Though we have sinned” there is still hope.

There is forgiveness. There is an invitation back into his presence. We can enter the garden once again where the ‘tree of life’ will be found, and we can fellowship and walk with God forever – because of the power of the cross and the risen Christ.

Redeeming fallen man. That is what the cross was/is all about.

That is why Peter, James and John, Paul and so many others spent their lives in fervent devotion to Christ. Voicing the victory found in Jesus. That is why they were willing to die, if necessary, to spread the message of the cross.

Those who witnessed the cross, gave a ‘voice to the cross.’ They went about preaching and proclaiming the hope and salvation they had found in a risen Christ.

What voice do you and I give to the cross? Are we eager to let others know of the love that God has for us? That he sent his son so we might have life and have it abundantly?  

If the name of the savior is precious to you, will you not tell it today?

Is your voice, the voice of the cross?

Shared on Preacher’s Stuff by David Robison