the purposes of the church -2

8/11/2019 The Purposes of the Church -2

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THE GREAT

COMMISSION: THEPURPOSES OF THE

CHURCH


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First we will look at the structure

of the Great Commission . Secondly we will look at the GreatCommission and the purposes ofthe church.


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GREAT COMMISSIONMake d is c ip lesGoBapt iz ingTeaching

Source o f m i s s ion

Scope o f m i s s ion

Con ten t o f m i s s ion

Shape o f m iss ion


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The Secret of Accomplishingthe Great Commission

1. The Promise of His Power

2. The Great Commission

1. The Promise of His Presence


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The Great Commission: The

Purposes of the ChurchThe Great Commission has fourmain elements . These are:

1. To make disciples2. Go or going

3. Baptizing them4. Teaching them


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To Make Disciples - Mission

To make disciples is the main verb of thepassage. It is in the imperative command. The Great Commission commandthe church to make disciplesTo make disciples is the primary mission ofthe church.Like fire exists to burn so the churchexists to make disciples .To make disciples is the same asevangelism .


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Evangelism: Mission of the

Trinity and the ChurchMission of God the Father John 3:16Mission of Jesus Christ Luke 19:10

Mission of the Spirit John 16:8; Rev. 22:17Mission of the church - the body of Christ Matt.28:19; Acts 1:8; Rev. 22:17To make disciples therefore is the primary mission of the church given by Jesus.We must never stop to evangelize. When we do weloose the meaning of our existence .


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Go or GoingGoing is a participle (helping verb) in theGreek. The command is not in the word go. We may be going places, towns,

villages but if we do not make disciples weare not achieving the Great Commission .However, we cannot make disciples if we donot go to the next house, village, town

etc. Thus going assists in accomplishing theGreat Commission.The command therefore says , as you gomake disciples .


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Baptizing them Baptizing who? Baptizing them . Who thenis the word them refers to? The disciples ,those who already believed in Jesus . (Mark16:16) .We do not baptize all the Tom, Dick, andHarry that walk off the streets to the

church.We baptize disciples who accept Jesus asSavior and Lord of their lives.


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Baptism and FellowshipBaptism is a doorway to the body of Christ (1C0r.12:13)Luke says: So those who received his word werebaptized And the Lord added to their number dayby day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41;47)Baptism admits ones into the membership and thefellowship of the church.Thus the NT not only calls us to believe in Jesus butalso to belong in the body of Christ.Therefore one may believe in Jesus individually, buthe is never meant to live individually . The call todiscipleship implies a call to faith in Jesus and tofellowship is the body of Christ the church.


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Baptism and FellowshipRick Warren writes:

As Christians were called to belong , not just to

believe . We are not meant to live lone-ranger lives;instead, we are to belong to Christs family andmembers of his body. Baptism is not only a symbolof salvation , it is a symbol of fellowship . It notonly symbolizes our new life in Christ, it visualizes a

persons incorporation into the body of Christ. T he Purpose Driven Church, 105


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Baptism and DisciplesBaptism is not the means of making disciples.It characterizes it. He that believeth andis baptized shall be saved (Mark 16;16) The means of making disciples is thepreaching of the gospel (Mark 16:15,16;Acts 14:21). It is when you preach Jesusthat disciples are made. Once disciples theyare baptized as a sign of genuine faith inJesus.Thus baptism characterizes discipleship .


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Teaching them Teaching them ? Who does the word them refersto?It refers to those that are already baptized. Isteaching them pre-baptism or post baptism instructions?It is teaching the baptized disciples to grow inJesus Christ, therefore post-baptism instructions .This is where nurturing is in the context of theGreat Commission.Therefore nurturing is part of our mission.


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Nurturing: Purpose of the

ChurchThus disciple making does not end in baptism .It is a process of growth from a lesser faithto a greater faith in Jesus. (Jon Pauliencomments on John 2)The purpose of teaching them (nurturing) isthat the new disciples may grow into maturityin Christ . The NT not only invites people toaccept Jesus by faith as their Savior andLord. It also demands that people grow intomaturity in Jesus . (Eph 4:12-15 )


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The SDA Church and TheGreat Commission

The SDA church is very good in in evangelismmaking disciples and baptizing them . Butvery weak and lacking in teaching them nurturing them to maturity and keeping themin the church.

But the Great Commission calls the church to make disciples, baptizing them, and teachingthem caring for them.


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Annual council and

NurturingJames Cress ministerial secretary of the GCsays:

The church task is not completed just when

people are baptized. In fact, the Bible and E.G.White say that those brought to conversionwithout adequate efforts to follow-up, nurture,and discipleship, end up worse off than if theyhad never been contacted .South Pacific Record, Balancing the church,Nov. 6, 2004, 6


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Gary KrauseThe call to outreach and the call to nurture are both vital part of our mission . Ignoreeither , and our mission is distorted andunhealthy . Ibid. The Great Commission gives us a balanceministry of making disciples, baptizing them,

and teaching them . Failure in one of these areas and our missionis distorted and unhealthy . Ibid.


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October Annual CouncilIn the Annual Council (Oct. 9-14), thedelegates voted to accept therecommendation of a working committee onthe new SDA church fundamental belief -28, which will be on the agenda of the2005 GC session. The new fundamental isGrowing in Christ . Ibid.

Thus teaching them nurturing will now beconsidered as important as the Sabbath,the Second Coming, etc.

the purposes of the church -2

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