The simple answer to our question is: It’s the purpose of
the Church! Right now, my Reformed brothers are screaming “Foul!” because the
Westminster Confession states that the chief end of man, and by extension the
Church, is to glorify God. Point conceded. However, that is dangerously vague;
it doesn’t give us marching orders. The Church glorifies God by fulfilling its
purpose, to make disciples. And my Purpose Driven brothers are crying out, “But
there are 5 purposes.” I honestly wish there was a different word being used. “Purpose”
is your reason for existing. While I believe that the PD model is not only valid,
but useful for maintaining a holistic, well-rounded, “healthy” church, I also believe
that it allows for individual churches and individuals to compartmentalize and
re-prioritize.
Why do I say that Discipleship is the purpose of the Church?
Because of the Great Commission. Do you know what I’m talking about? Do you
know where it is? If you said Matthew 28, you get half credit (because we like
to treat Discipleship as though it’s school and there will be an exam at the
end – but that is a post for another day). Let’s look at the Great Commission
as it appears in Scripture:
Matthew 28:18 -20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go 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 I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-16 He said to them, “Go into all the world and
preach the good news to all creation. Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be
condemned.”
Luke 24:45-48 Then he opened their minds so they could
understand the Scriptures. He told them,
“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the
third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name
to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You
are witnesses of these things.”
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the
Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (This is one we will come back to….)
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Maybe you don’t get half credit but 20% credit, since the
Great Commission is found five times in Scripture. You see, The Great
Commission, Christ’s instructions to the Church concerning what she is to be
doing until He returns, is about Discipleship. It is by fulfilling this purpose
in the manner in which He commands that the Church glorifies God. And the whole
(Church) is the product of the parts (the faithful). This is not something that
someone can opt out of or delegate to “professionals.” This is the calling of
everyone who has called upon the name of the Lord.
Do I hear moaning? Do I hear complaints that I have made the
case with those verses for the mission of the Church being Missions/Evangelism
and not Discipleship? That’s the next post….
Posts
The marching orders of discipleship, imo, is greatly needed. You hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteFor those that are hungry, er, starving, er, dying for lack of discipleship....what now?
This blog is a start. Only the Lord knows where it will go from there. But I feel the times are right for revolution. We just need some "radicals," urban or otherwise, who will fall to their faces and cry out, "We will seek to be faithful to our calling, oh Lord!" & then rise up to proclaim "Who wants to join us on the most amazing (and rewarding) adventure imaginable?"
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