Why Does Our Church Exist?
Refreshing: Mission/Vision/Values 2026 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Go Fish song lyrics: “My very own church.”
If I had a church
This is what I would do
I'd put a pop machine
In the back of every pew
We would only sing songs
That were picked by me
And we would get out just in time
To watch football on TV
If I had a church
There's a lot I would do
I'll make sure everyone was nice
And I would be nice, too
And the very best thing
I'm happy to report
Is everybody would love God
(Yet the sermons would be short)
What is the purpose of the church? Why do we exist? Who are we?
Today we’re doing something very special. We’re talking about DNA. The kind that shapes not the human body, but a church and a people. We’re talking identity today.
Last year, as a congregation we explored together new mission and vision statements that help reflect who God has made us and how He’s shaping us.
What is Mission?
Mission is why we exist. What does the church exist? Why is Leask Gospel Tabernacle here? God’s Word is our final authority on mission.
What is Vision?
Vision is about who we are. Both who we are right now, and who God wants us to be. Again, we need to find this in Scripture, and prayerfully discern how God is leading us and His vision for who we are.
It’s important that we keep those things front and center, because together they remind us how God is leading us, and keep us on track. To that end, over the next three weeks we’re going to talk about why we exist, who we are, and the values we believe God has given to us as believers at Leask Gospel Tabernacle.
There is so much that could be said about the mission of the church. We don’t have time today to explore it all, nor do I claim to have it all figured out. Today, we’re going to focus on three important Scriptures that shape who you and I are, and how God has called us to live for Him in this world. Let’s start with Mission.
Mission - Why Does the Church Exist?
Mission - Why Does the Church Exist?
So, play the hypothetical with me for a minute: What if someone came up to you at the store and said “hey, why does your church even exist?” What would you do with that? What would you say?
I’d probably start with “Um…” because I suck at being caught off guard. :)
This is what that stranger is really asking: what’s the point? What does that church you are part of exist for? Is it for ourselves, or for someone else?
When answering question like this, we should always turn to Scripture:
Hebrews 12:2 says:
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. Meaning, if there is anyone qualified to give the ultimate mission for the church, it is our Lord! And He gives us a very powerful answer in Matthew 28:16-20.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Let’s get into the context of this passage. We are right at the end of the gospel of Matthew. In the last chapter of Matthew, we see Jesus risen, and then the cover up by the Jews, who feared that tails of his ressurection would get out. Matthew ends his gospel with this commission.
First we read that the disciples travelled to Galilee. As we read in v 10:
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
This is what Jesus spoke to the two Marys who went to His tomb and found it empty that wonderful Sunday morning. Each gospel helps us piece together the 40 days following Jesus’ ressurection to His ascension. He was on the road to Emmaeus. He met with the disciples in the upper room, and then later with Thomas. In the following days, His disciples travelled separately to Galilee, where they met Him. It is possible - by the time we reach the last part of Matthew, that up to 500 disciples are on the mountain with Jesus! When they saw Him, we read that they worshipping Him, and yet some doubted. Most likely, this was not the 11 closest to Jesus - who had shared the last supper and who we know as the apostles. These would have been others in the crowd.
They begin to worship Jesus - an appropriate response to meeting the risen Lord face-to-face! Yet some doubt. This word for doubt literally means to lack confidence, have doubts about, or a hesitation. Why did they hesitate? Because their faith was weak. Lest we judge them too harshly, keep in mind: This is a theme in Matthew’s gospel. The weakness of the disciples comes up a few times. Yet the strength of their faith grows as they realize the power and presence of the risen Lord - the Book of Acts showcases this! (VanZandbeek, Jan 2025)
It is here we see Jesus give the great commission:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
We must realize that bracketing the charge to make disciples are two very important statements about Christ. This first one tells us that Jesus has all authority and power. While in submission to His Father, we also read that
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
So Christ is all powerful.
Then Jesus says
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,
Therefore links what is about to be said with what was said. In other words because Jesus is powerful, because He has authority we must go and do what? Make disciples. Another way to say disciple is Jesus-follower. We are to be disciple-making disciples. We should be sold out for Christ, and leading other to Him. Who do we make disciples out of? All nations.
If you go and read the book of Acts, you will see quite quickly that God moves powerfully to bring the good news to all peoples and groups. As the gospel goes forward and people believe, we see the people of God - the church - living differently. They are transformed! So when we go and witness and lead others to Jesus, we are actually participating is God’s mission to restore. God is creating a new humanity from the old, through the power of the gospel! One that is transformed - with power to overcome sin, Satan, and with hope for now and the future.
Why then baptize them in the Father, Son, and Spirit? This is Christian baptism. Baptism is a first step of obedience. When someone is saved, one of the first things they need to do is be baptized. This is an outward expression of an inward change, and part of welcoming into the church. But it is distinctly Christian, for we are baptized into the threefold name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Our triune God!
Yet Jesus is not done:
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
We must teach those we disciple what we have been taught. This does two things. First, we should be careful to encourage and build up fledgling believers in their faith. They need to be taught Scripture and spiritually fed, so that their faith might mature. But you know what else teaching does? It forces those teaching to grow too. It’s hard to lead someone where you haven’t been before. Moreover, when you teach someone what you have been taught, it forces you to go over it again. This gives opportunity for God to apply these principles to your heart afresh - growing you in the process.
Finally, Jesus gives His end-bracket statement:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Do you know what Jesus told the disciples in Luke 24 49?
And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
This promise of the Father was the Holy Spirit. Until His coming, the church was actually given strict instructiuons to wait on carrying out the mission. Do you know why? Because it was never meant to be accomplished in our own strength.
You may look at a passage like Matthew 28 and think “how can I make disciples? How can I witness, or teach?” Here’s a news flash, most of us fake it till we make it a lot more in life than we want to admit! We are human, we struggle, we fail, we are weak. How then do we accomplish a mission to reach all nations with the hope of salvation for broken humanity? through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. He does not leave us or forsake us, but instead is with His people! He is with us right to the end of the age. But what about after that?
When this world is said and done, Christ does not leave us. Instead, He calls us to Himself as we read in John. And finally, we will dwell with Him, and He with us, for eternity. Wow!
So the mission - the why we exist of the church is simple: To walk in the power of Christ (given through the indwelling Holy Spirit) making disciples of all nations. To that end, our mission statement is:
Mission Statement: Developing Passionate Jesus followers.
A mission statement should reflect and follow the great commission from Jesus. In four words, we answer based on Scriputre why we exist: to develope (both make and teach) Jesus-followers (or disciples) that are excited about their faith and 100% sold out for God!
That’s our mission. Which leads us to a second important question: How do we live it out?
Vision - How is God Shaping Us?
Vision - How is God Shaping Us?
Vision. Vision is about ask who are we? Vision is about now and the future. Who are we now, and how is God shaping us for the future?
Our church’s vision statement is: “Taking Christ with us everywhere.” We want to be carriers of God’s presence into our communities - living as lights where we are planted. Added to this, for this season I’ve felt like God is calling us to press into Him. Why? So out rots can go deep, and then our branches can span out. To that end, let’s turn to two passages that this vision is based in:
Let us turn now to Matthew 5:13-16:
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Has anyone here ever had unsalty salt? No! Why? Because it’s not possible. You’d have to break down the actual elemental compound to not have salt be salty. So why would Jesus say something like this?
Because while salt cannot be unsalty, it can be contaminated. Jesus is talking in hyperbolie here: what if it did lose its taste, then what? It would be good for nothing! Similarly, if salt becomes contaminated, it is no longer useful and must be discarded.
Similarly, Jesus says that no one would light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Neither could a city - set atop a hill - be hidden. These things wouldn’t make any sense! Why hide a city set on a hill? That doesn’t work. Why light a lamb to then stick under a bowl? It doesn’t serve its purpose!
Similar the Christian, if contaminated by the world, looses the potency of their witness. You were not made to be hidden, you were made to shine and shine bright for Jesus! We are - as one person I’ve heard say - “carriers of His presence.” Scripture is clear that the Holy Spirit dwells inside every person who know Jesus as Lord and Savior. You are light-bringers. Jesus said in John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
We - as His people, reflect that light to the world. So we too are light in this dark world. And we must not hide it!
Now over to…
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Why this passage? Because it again reminds us of mission! The disciples come to Jesus, and they still don’t quite get it. So they say “hey Jesus, are you going to do your conquering thing now and overthrow our oppressors and establish the long awaited kingdom of the Jews again!?” In the Old Testament, Messiah was supposed to do this!
But notice what Jesus says: first
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
Notice first that Jesus doesn’t play into the “end of the world/conquer whoever is oppressing us” mindset. Instead, He reminds His disciples and us that the future is in God’s hands. Then, He points them to mission!
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Again I go back to what we read in Matthew 28! Why does Jesus bracket the mission with these statements about His power and being with us? Because we are supposed to be empowered by God to fulfil His plan and purposes. And where are we to go? To the ends of the earth! That’s God’s plan, that everyone, everywhere, should hear the good news!
The vision is simple: Be an evangelist - take Christ with you - everywhere you go. God is not the God of accident. He placed you in wherever you are: Leask, Marcelin, BL, Muskeg, Misty, for a reason. He wants you there and He wants to use you as salt and light wherever you are put. The beautiful thing? You’re not doing this alone! You’re living out God’s mission through the power of the Holy Spirit! And again vision is about now and the future. Meaning that we also are asking God to grow us in the vision He’s given us.
Conclusion - How do I fit in?
Conclusion - How do I fit in?
Mission: Developing Passionate Jesus-followers.
Vision: Taking Christ with us everywhere.
So let me ask you, how do you fit into this? As you read Jesus’ words about making disciples, as you read His words about the power of the Holy Spirit, where do you find yourself?
Mission, and Vision, are about the people who live them out. Together, we have a mission from Jesus to make disciples, teaching them what we have been taught. Together, I believe God is still calling us to take Christ everywhere. I think He is actively growing us in this vision.
Think back to those song lyrics for a minute. Hilarious as they are, they illustrate a very real want for us sometimes to make the church into whatever we want it to be. We get comfortable, and we want things to be nice for us.
Can I encourage you to press into God, starting right now? Let Him light a fire for Him and His mission within you. Let Him begin to stir your heart with a deep dissatisfaction with the ways things are, and a desire to be different, and see God move in mighty ways!
Pray
Notes:
What is your personal mission?
How do you see yourself as part of the vision?
