I’m not sure that we can give a more basic, simple, and foundational answer for the purpose of a local church than what we find written in Matt 28:18-20. Jesus makes clear that we are to make disciples. He gives us the guiding principle for why we are a church and what we are to do as a church. He clarifies our purpose and our mission as well as shapes our vision for the future. Jesus expects us to be disciples who make disciples.
We must be disciples to make disciples.
“Disciple” simply means “learner” or “student.” We are called to be students of Christ, but this learning is not simply an educational exercise. Learning who Christ is and what he has done for us and our salvation transforms who we are, why we are, and what we are to do. Thus Eph 4:20 reminds us of how we learned Christ, but also clarifies how what we have learned shapes the way we live.
As disciples, we are learning the good news about who Christ is and what he has done in history for our salvation. We are also learning his way of life as we ask how the person, work, and teaching of Christ effects our thoughts and ideas, our loves and desires, our choices and decisions, even our worship. In short, we are: Learning Christ & His Way of Life Together (Our Purpose).
We must make disciples to be disciples.
Matt 28:19 makes clear: we are to make disciples. Again, this commission clarifies our purpose, but it also describes our mission and directs our vision.
Mission describes what we are to do and flows out of our purpose. So, we are learning Christ and his way of life together, because we want to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to people in our city and around the world through what we say and do (Our Mission).
Whatever else we do as a church, we are seeking to make disciples through communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in our city.
- The Gospel: We must know, love, and speak the Gospel in accordance with the Scriptures;
- Prayer: We must ask God to empower us with the power of the Holy Spirit to communicate the Gospel boldly and lovingly;
- People: Simply put, God works through his people to call more people into his kingdom. People are at the core of disciple-making.
Finally, why? Why this purpose? Why this mission? What’s the rationale?
We want to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to see men and women converted, changed, and growing to maturity in Christ together with us (Our Vision). We want to be a community of disciples who make disciples together for the glory of God just as Christ commanded us to do.
To be continued.
Pastor John
