A primer for those new to church.

AXIS CHURCH

What is the function of the church?

One size does NOT fit all!

Our goals

Over the next three months we will:1) Study scripture together to learn Missio Dei

2) Develop an understanding of the Church

3) Identify the unique qualities of our target

4) Develop plans for Axis’ approach to ministry

1. God saves through the power of the gospel, not the power of a method or model.

Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who

believes: first for the Jew,

then for the Gentile.

2. The _____ __ _____ is the primary tool in Salvation.

2 Timothy 3:15

Romans 10:17

Word of God

…and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for

salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Axis Church will preach the Wordand be built on the Word.

3. Scripture alone determines the central essence and function of the church. Regardless of the model selected, there will be certain elements common to every New Testament church.

What is the function of the church?What things are common to every church?

What is the function of the church?

1. THE GREAT PROMISE2. THE GREAT COMMANDMENT3. THE NEW COMMANDMENT4. THE GREAT COMMISSION5. THE EXPANSION OF THE KINGDOM6. THE MISSIO DEI7. THE INCARNATION

The Great Promise

Matthew 16:18 – I ____ _____ my church and the gates of hell will ___ _____ against it.

will buildnot prevail

The conception of every newborn church is an affirmation that Jesus is building His Church, and that His church will always prevail. When Jesus gave the Great Commission and the Great Promise, He forever linked church planting with evangelism.

The Great Commandment

Matthew 22: 36-40

Love God…Love your neighbor…The purpose of the church is to help the members fulfill this command. We must constantly focus the church upward (Love God…) and outward (Love your neighbor…. ).

How important?

Matthew 22:40

All the Law and the Prophets hang onthese two commandments.

A New CommandmentJohn 13:34"A new command I give you: Love

one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.“

God commands us to build community by fulfilling the sixteen “one another” commands found in the New Testament.

The Great Commission

Mark 16:15-16

Luke 24:46-48

John 20:21

Matt. 28:18-20

The Great Commission Is

What? Make disciples.How? Every New Testament Church will: A. Go! Intentionally Pursue the LostB. Preach the GospelC. Baptize ConvertsD. Teach and Train Believers

The Expansion of the Kingdom

Evident in the Old Testament

Evident in the New Testament

HOW IS THE KINGDOM EXPANDED? HOW WAS IT EXPANDED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?

MISSIO DEI

Mission is not something the church does for God. It is the church getting in sync with the heart of God.

MISSIO DEI – Latin phrase meaning…

INCARNATION

The incarnation of God taking human flesh not merely revealed God to man, but also modeled evangelism to man. It is not enough to merely tell the Gospel. It must be lived out with and before people in Christian communities. The New Testament way of doing this was through establishing new churches.

1. THE GREAT PROMISE – God builds it. UNSTOPPABLE2. THE GREAT COMMANDMENT – Love God & Love

Neighbor3. THE NEW COMMANDMENT – Love one another4. THE GREAT COMMISSION – Go! Make Disciples.

Baptize.5. THE EXPANSION OF THE KINGDOM – Scriptural

model is to plant churches6. THE MISSIO DEI – The Mission of God. Reach people7. THE INCARNATION – Live it. Model it.

The Function of the Church

4. America is more diverse than ever. Nearly every community is marked by unprecedented levels of increasing ethnic and generational diversity.

5. Different target audiences demand different methods and models of ministry.

6. Cultural realities demand churches to employ more indigenous outlooks.

7. Cultural diversity demands diverse paradigms.

8. Paul actively believed in the need for contextualizing the message of the gospel in order to reach people for Christ.

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law

but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so

that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in

its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9:21-23

Was that stuff easy for Paul?• Saul (Paul) was born around the same time as Christ.

Received the best education possible.

• Tribe of Benjamin. Pure and unmixed Jewish blood. A staunch and upright Jewish character.

• “Acts 23:6 “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.”

• Sent to the Jewish school of learning at Jerusalem to study the law. 13 when he began his studies under the well-known educated rabbi Gamaliel.

• After his studies he returned to Tarsus but soon after the death of Christ he returned to Jerusalem where Christianity was becoming wide-spread. Saul persecuted the Christians.

• Paul was on the Damascus road to carrying a list of suspected Christians when struck blind and fell before the living Lord.

• Began preaching salvation through faith in Christ and not law. Opposed by both the Jewish and Christian communities.

• Planted churches. Most all of Paul’s writings were done during his times of imprisonment.

As a Pharisee, it should have been a challenge to mix with Gentiles but he was sure of his purpose.

9. Paul modeled that use of the appropriate method and/ or model can enhance the spread of the gospel.

10. A method or model is like a language: none is necessarily right or wrong. Employing the right one can greatly increase effectiveness. • (Example: speaking either English or Chinese is not

morally right or wrong. But to hold worship services totally in Chinese in Gorham would be totally ineffective and irrelevant).

11. A model or method that is highly appealing to one type of target audience may actually be repulsive to another. 1. a loud electric rock band leading worship for an

audience of 70 year old church members2. a hand bell choir for an audience of unchurched

twenty year olds

3. Other examples?

12. The challenge of the 21st century church leader is to discover and employ effective methods and models by shaping:

his DNA

the DNA of the key leaders

the DNA of the launch team

understanding the DNA of the target audience.