The Mission of the Church (Matt 28:16-20) - CATC YA’s

Introduction

Pray for grace.

Introduce myself.

A Starting Point

Throughout the Spiring semester, we have been looking at the church.

We have seen:

The Global Nature of the Church.

The Local Manifestation of the Church.

Why the Church Is Important To Us Personally.

And tonight, we are looking at the Mission of the Church.

We have seen what the church is—a global people purchased by Jesus that is manifested through local expressions and exists for growth in Godliness—and we now are turning to look at what Jesus has given for the church to do.

One of the implications of looking at the essence of the church before her mission is that belonging to Jesus and a real local expression of his body is more fundamental to our Christian life than what we do for him.

The priorities of the Christian life are being first centered on Jesus, then renewed as community, and then sent on mission.

Jesus. Community. Mission. In that order.

If the Christian life were a river, Jesus would be the waterfall, the local church would be the ecosystem beneath the surface, and the mission of the church would be the flow of the stream to the coast.

In other words, the church’s mission is downstream from her identity and life together.

And still, the mission of the church is an essential element of the church.

Being part of the ecosystem of the river of the Christian life necessarily involves being caught up in its stream, which leads to the nations.

The clearest place we see the mission of the church is what is known as the “Great Commission” of Jesus, so our primary aim tonight will be to walk through Matthew’s account of it. But, first we need to see how the church’s mission fits into the story of Scripture.

The Great Commission is not random. It is a step in the fulfillment of God’s original redemptive plan and needs to be contextualized within the metanarrative of Scripture.

So, first, let’s look together at what Scripture tells us about God’s redemptive mission.

Genesis 3:15 ESV

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis

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Conclusion