The Church and Its Mission

Text: “Provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:23–24 RSV).

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:19–29

Colossians 1:19-29

English Standard Version

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[a] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Paul's Ministry to the Church

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Introduction

A church does not choose its mission any more than an aide chooses what task he will perform for the general or a herald chooses what message he will deliver in the name of the king. A mission suggests orders, and whenever people are sent on a mission or assigned a task to perform, they have received directions from a higher authority. Furthermore, those who are dispatched to fulfill a mission are not at liberty to change the orders or rearrange the assignment at will. God has chosen to carry out his plan and í purpose on earth through the agency of the church. No other plan is set forth, or even mentioned, in the Bible.

In our study of the church so far, we have examined the nature of the church, the growth of the church, and the undershepherds of the church. This morning we will consider the mission of the church. The words of our text, Colossians 1:25–29, comprise Paul’s commission from God in his own words. The essence of God’s commission to Paul is identical with the mission assigned to the church. Therefore we will discover that the mission of the church is, first, to fulfill the Word of God; second, to proclaim the mystery of the indwelling Christ; and third, to preach a universal gospel.

I. To fulfill the Word of God.

“To make the word of God fully known” (Col. 1:25 RSV). How can the church do this? The first chapter of Colossians shows us three ways.

A. The church must exalt Christ. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col. 1:17–19 RSV). This is one of the most magnificent statements in the Bible concerning the position of our Lord Jesus Christ in regard to his preincarnate glory, and it also establishes him as the head of the church. Paul said that Jesus Christ was one with the Father before anything was made. And not only so, after everything was created, he became the one in whom everything holds together. So this is our springboard. This is the way in which the church “make[s] the word of God fully known”—by exalting the incomparable Jesus Christ as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

B. The church must recognize its role as a co laborer with God in the ministry of reconciliation. “And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him” (Col. 1:20–22 RSV). What happened when people sinned? The most tragic fragmentation the world has ever known came about! When Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan in the garden of Eden, there was a moral explosion. Immediately, God, who had rested from his creative work on the seventh day, began a new work—the work of redemption, the end result of which was reconciliation, or the bringing back to himself of that which had been separated from him.

Then, to further compound the mystery of God’s sovereign grace, God made another decision in regard to this business of reconciliation: he decided to use the church. Paul said, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18). God was saying to the church, “This is a vital part of your mission on earth. You are to be colaborers with me in this ministry of bringing sinners face-to-face with their sins and with my saving grace!”

C. The church must consistently encourage growth and stability among its own. “Provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister” (Col. 1:23 RSV). What was Paul saying? When a person is born into the family of God, the church’s task is to teach and establish the new Christian in the faith. Sometimes young Christians get off on doctrinal tangents because the church is derelict in providing the proper spiritual diet. Thus the church that makes the Word of God fully known through its teaching and pastoral ministry sees its people grow in the grace of our Lord. It sees them become established in the faith.

II. To proclaim the mystery of the indwelling Christ.

Paul said of Christ’s indwelling believers that it was “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:26–27 RSV).

A. The mystery of Christ indwelling the believer was clouded in ages past. Through the prophets and through Old Testament symbols and sacrifices and types, God prepared his people for this grand and magnificent truth—that he would one day come to live within his people in the person of his Son.

B. Furthermore, this truth about “Christ in you, the hope of glory” has been made manifest. Phillips says that it means “as clear as daylight.” Not many experiences are quite as thrilling as that of watching the sunrise. It is a miracle! When the earth is shrouded by the darkness of night, the whole psychology of life is changed. All kinds of evil and crime find compatibility in the darkness. But after the night has ended, the eastern horizon begins to change. There seems to be a struggle as the long fingers of light heralding the rising sun begin to stab through the darkness.

When you see it, you know what is happening. There is no mistake! The sun is about to rise, and struggle though it may, the darkness is already defeated; it has no recourse but to slowly dissipate, fade away, and give place to the light. The same thing happened in the spiritual realm. The first finger of divine sunlight pierced the darkness of Ur of the Chaldees and lighted and warmed the heart of a man named Abraham. And the light kept coming, little by little, until Jesus came and the sun rose in its fullness and in its brightness.

C. What was the result? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We can say with all joy and assurance that the mystery is now an open revelation to those who will receive it. The sun has risen. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14 RSV).

III. To preach a universal gospel.

A. It is a universal gospel. Paul said, “Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28 RSV). This gospel is not to be proclaimed to only a select few or to an elite group. In his powerful sermon on Mars Hill in Athens, Paul declared, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30 RSV). In other words, the first note of the gospel is a clarion call to repentance. That is the doorway. For unless we repent of our sin, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. This call to repentance is issued to all people. It is universal in its scope.

B. It is also a warning. The word Paul used, translated “warning,” means to put in mind, to admonish. This warning is about the impending danger of losing one’s soul. Therefore the mission of the church is to be faithful in the warning aspect of its message.

C. “Teaching every man in all wisdom.” This correlates beautifully with our Lord’s great commission. After we have warned unbelievers of the danger of continuing in their sin, we are to teach them how to find deliverance from sin and guilt and find peace with God.

Conclusion

So there we have it. The mission of the church is to make the Word of God fully known by exalting the Lord Jesus Christ, fulfilling our role as co laborers with God in the ministry of reconciliation and encouraging growth and stability among the saints. We are to proclaim the mystery of the indwelling Christ and preach a universal gospel—warning and teaching all people that God, in his grace and mercy and inconceivable compassion, can save from sin and give assurance of eternal salvation.