The Task at Hand

The Task at Hand

Intro:

God is in the process of saving people's souls in this world. He chose before time began to send His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to earth to pay the penalty for man's sin through His death on the cross. After Jesus died for man's sin God raised Him from the dead. Jesus has provided the means of forgiveness for all who will turn from their sins and accept Christ as Savior. Jesus has provided forgiveness of sins and conquered death by resurrecting! This is Good News!

God has also chosen to use those whom He has saved to carry out His mission on earth. We are going to be reminded today what God wants the church to be doing during our time on earth. It is huge! It is something that Jesus has called us to give our lives to do!

Message:

1. 
   
   The Mission (Matt. 28:19-20)
   
   
   

A little less than 2,000 years ago, after Jesus Christ had taken the punishment for man's sin while He was dying on the cross and after He had resurrected from the dead, Jesus spoke some very important parting words. Jesus had gathered the disciples and shared with them their life's mission. As He was sharing the mission with them He reminded them that their mission would be empowered by Him. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. This is important for the disciples to know because their mission will be carried out on earth. Jesus Christ is all-powerful and is going to build His church (Matt. 16:18). There is nothing that will prevent Christ from saving souls.

The specifics of the mission are as follows:

#1 – make disciples of all nations

#2 – baptize them in the name of the Triune God

#3 – teach them all that Christ commanded

Here is what Jesus called the church to do in all simplicity:

#1 – evangelize the lost (Rom. 10:14-17)

#2 – identify them with God

#3 – disciple the believers (Col. 2:6-7; 2 Pet. 3:17-18)

#1 – The church, that is all born-again Christians, are to share the Good News with lost people around them. Proclaim the Good News accurately and God will accomplish what He has determined to do. Remember, Jesus will build His church. Salvation is a work of God. Christians are just messengers.

#2 – God calls those who accept Christ as Lord and Savior to be baptized in the name of the Triune God. This is for the purpose of identification. It is a public statement of accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. A born-again Christian is boldly saying that he is saved by and belongs to Christ.

#3 – God calls upon the church to be involved in discipling believers in truth of God's Word. The purpose is so that all believers will be complete/mature (Col. 1:28-29). God has placed pastors in the church to help this process of discipleship (Eph. 4:11-16). Pastors are given to help equip/train believers for ministry/service (12). As the believers are trained/equipped it is for the goal of building up (strengthening) the body of Christ. This equipping/training takes place until every single believer becomes fully mature (Christlike) (13). The process doesn't end until each believer is in heaven.

The mature believers won't be misled by false teaching because they have been grounded in God's Word (14). The believers are to speak the truth in a loving way, for the purpose of helping each other become spiritually mature (Christlike) (15). Christ has given every born-again Christian at least one spiritual gift which they received at salvation (Rom. 12:3-8). As each Christian serves and cares for one another (“proper working of each individual part”) Jesus uses the believers to strengthen the local church spiritually (1 Cor. 12:4-7, 11, 18) (16). All of this is contingent upon the people being saved.

Pastors must focus their time on equipping/training believers in the local church, so that the believers can care for one another. When the believers are equipped and caring for one another, Christ will strengthen the local church spiritually through the believers ministering to one another. The Word of God emphasizes that this is Christ's plan for strengthening the church.

1 – pastors are given to lead, teach, and equip/train

2 – believers being equipped/trained mature spiritually

3 – mature believers aren't misled by false teaching because they have been trained

4 – mature believers speak the truth in love to other believers to help them mature spiritually

5 – mature believers use their spiritual gift to serve and care for other believers; Jesus uses this serving and caring to strengthen the church spiritually

Here is an example in a local church setting:

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  pastors serve by leading, teaching, and equipping/training
  
  
  
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  deacons serve by helping to care for the church
  
  
  
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  congregation serves one another to strengthen the church, does the ministry
  
  
  

Conclusion:

So what is the mission of the church? Evangelism, identification, and discipleship. Christ carries out His mission through born-again Christians. The most important part of the discipleship process is to make sure that there is a good strategy in place to equip people to serve and live for God. I have been working on a process of equipping/training believers here, so that I am doing and we are doing what Christ has called us to do in His way. It is so essential that the process be in place so that people are being equipped and the church is being cared for by the church. As we fulfill Jesus' desire for us in this way, Jesus will strengthen the church.

Imagine a place where mature Christians are serving/caring for one another. Imagine a place where people are growing spiritually. Imagine a place where believers go out into the world and are sharing the Good News with lost people. Imagine a place where God is opening the eyes of lost people and saving their souls. Imagine a place where those newly saved people are being served/cared for by the church (the believers). Imagine a place where those newly saved people are being equipped/trained and they begin to mature spiritually. Imagine what God will do!

As believers are equipped/trained and mature spiritually, they are to be using their spiritual gift to serve the rest of the church. If the whole church is not serving and caring for one another, the church is weakened. If the pastor is serving and caring for the church by doing the ministry, then the church is weakened because he is doing the wrong thing. It is also against Christ's instructions (Eph. 4:11-16). The pastor needs to be praying and studying the Word of God, so that he can effectively lead the church and equip/train it for ministry. When he is equipping/training the saints to serve/care for one another, then the Word of God says that the church is strengthened. But, a pastor and local church have to have an intentional strategy to equip/train believers for ministry. I am hoping some time soon that I will be able to share this plan with you.