The Mission of the Church

Dr. Douglas A. Blanc, Sr.

Co-Founder and President of Laborers Together, a mission agency based in the USA and dedicated to obeying the Great Commission through ministry partners seeking to evangelize the lost and build up the body of Christ. Dr. Blanc is the Global Academic Director for USA-based Independent Gospel Missions and Vice President of the Ichthys Foundation (Poland).

www.sent2all.com www.igmonline.org http://www.wydawnictwotheologos.pl douglasblanc@frontier.com 518.752.5622 Twitter: https://twitter.com/sent2all

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

Text: Luke 24:46-49 The greatest evangelists in the world are each one of us empowered and working together to make the gospel of Jesus Christ known to our generation.

1. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MISSION A. JESUS WENT UP (Luke 24:46-49)

Before returning to the Father, Jesus spent 40 days with his disciples to convince them and prepare them for their future duties. Just prior to his ascension, Jesus told his disciples many details about the mission he began and was giving to them: (1) He reminded them about what he came to do, v. 46. (2) He told them what he wanted for all people, v. 47. (3) He explained to them how the gospel should be shared with others (proclaimed as good news, a message having elements of blessing and judgment), 47. (4) He performed miraculous works as convincing proof of his presence with them and power provided for them (by the soon to arrive Spirit), v. 48 (Acts 1:3). (5) He told them about his Fathers promise to equip them with power from above, v. 49 (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17-21). (6) He commanded them not to continue the mission he had begun, but to wait until the promised power arrived, v. 49.

B. THE SPIRIT CAME DOWN

(1) The coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost fulfilled in part the Fathers promise of power spoken by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17-21). John the Baptist described the fulfillment as a baptism Jesus would perform on his body, the church (Luke 3:16-17; Acts 1:4-5). (2) After he ascended into heaven Jesus poured out the Spirit he had received from his Father (Acts 2:33). He performed this same baptism upon the

Samaritans (Acts 8), the Gentile household of Cornelius (Acts 10) and 12 disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus (Acts 19). (3) The body of Christ, baptized with the Holy Spirit was now an empowered and unified missionary movement of Jewish and Gentile believers. (4) The intended purpose for the Spirits power is to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ to everyone in the world both in word and in deed (Acts 1:8).

C. THE CHURCH WENT OUT

(1) The book of Acts tells how the early Christian movement spread the gospel message through the known parts of the world. (2) The advance of the gospel was strongly opposed by the Jews who considered Christians to be an apostate (false) sect within Judaism (the religion of the Jews). (3) The Roman Empire persecuted the early Christians as atheists who refused to recognize Caesar as Lord (God) and to honor the gods of Rome. (4) Jewish and Roman persecution did not weaken the early church or suppress the witness of the Christian movement; instead, it grew as gospel messengers empowered with the Spirit obeyed their Lords command to complete his mission (Acts 8:4; Luke 19:10).

2. THE APPLICATION OF THE MISSION A. WHAT WE NEED

(1) The above description of the advance of the early Christian movement demonstrates the power which is needed for us to complete the mission in our generation (John R. Mott and the Student Volunteer Movement).1 (2) The difference between us and the disciples of Jesus commanded to wait in the Upper Room (Luke 24:46-49) is that since the Spirits outpouring at Pentecost we (as the body of Christ) possess the empowering role of the Spirit. (3) Jesus challenged his disciples to abide in him and warned them that without him they could do nothing (John 15:5). This is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives; to enable us to live Godly lives and to empower us as witnesses to proclaim the good news about Jesus. 2

(4) We can preach and witness, but we cannot do so effectively without the power of the Spirit (we must be filled with the Spirit who has already been given, Eph 5:18; filled refers to an ability to manifest the life Jesus which results from surrendering our lives to the influence of the Spirit; see Acts 4:12-13).

B. WHY WE FAIL
Failure in the performance of the mission by Christians is directly linked to not rightly appropriating the power of the Spirit. (1) One way to not appropriate the power of the Spirit is have a lifestyle that contains attitudes and actions which are contrary (oppose) to the expressed will of God in his Word. The Bible refers to this as grieving (causing pain or sorrow to the heart of God) the Spirit (Eph 4:30). (2) Another way not to appropriate the power of the Spirit is to reject the role of the proclaimed or prophesied Word of God. The Bible refers to this as quenching (putting out the fire or passion for God; the Spirit of holiness, Ps 51:11) the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19). We need to be set on fire by the power of the Spirit to live holy lives to shine as lights in this sinful world (Phil 2:1415).

SOME CLOSING POINTS

If you are a Christian you are part of the church which is the body of Christ. The church was given the gift of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost for the purpose of fulfilling the mission of Jesus. The Christian movement is a missionary movement. Every Christian is part of this missionary movement. The movement is powered by the Spirit who makes Jesus known through the lives of every Christian who is yielded to his influence. We must seek to be Spirit-filled missionaries who proclaim the good news of Jesus to our generation. We must stand guard over our hearts so that we do not grieve or quench the Spirit. Christians who grieve and quench the Spirit are poor missionaries because it is their life others see and not the life of Jesus (hypocrisy). Let us reach our generation with the gospel, as many people as possible in our lifetime. 3

John R. Mott (1865-1955) became part of the YMCA Student Volunteer Movement while a student at Cornell University. Mott soon became a leader in the SVM and was instrumental in enlisting over 20,000 student volunteers for foreign missionary service. At age 81 he was awarded the Nobel Prize. He wrote a best-selling book in 1900 titled, The Evangelization of the World in This Generation. The book issued a call to the present generation to reach the present generation in their lifetime.