Continuing on a series I started this summer that I called “Words to the Church” where I share some things that come to mind when I think of rebuilding the church into the earthly body of Jesus Christ.
Today I want to look at what our primary calling is to be.
Do you know what the primary calling for your church, in your community is?
I’ll give you a hint… i
t’s the same as every other church.
It’s the same as the church down the street. It’s the same as the one across town. It’s the same as the one in some small village in Africa.
The primary call for the church is to create disciples.
It’s Jesus’ final instructions to the 11 disciples.
On the day of Pentecost, they left the room they were hiding in and began to share and preach and to teach people about Jesus Christ. And when people joined the first church, they were cared for, they were taught, they were led to understand the significance and meaning of Jesus Christ in their lives.
From there, more leaders emerged, and more churches, and more Christians, and more leaders, and so on and so on.
Discipling the focus of Paul’s ministry. He taught, he encouraged and he even corrected the churches he communicated with, all in an effort to grow their relationships with Jesus Christ.
So what is the mission of your church? Is it to keep fundraising so you can keep the doors open so things can remain the same? Is it to keep doing the same things over and over again which hasn’t produced new members in the last 10 years?
Your mission is to build disciples. Your mission is to foster new Christians into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Your mission is to look like the first Christian church after the day of Pentecost (well, hopefully without all the Christian leaders going to jail or being murdered).
Jesus Christ gave clear instructions to those he left behind, the one’s he built this church on.
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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.
How are we doing?