THE PRIMARY MISSION OF THE CHURCH

1
THE PRIMARY MISSIONOF THE CHURCH

• AND ITS DETRACTORS

2
WARUM SIND WIR MENSCHEN DENN HEIR AUF ERDEN?

• um in den Himmel zu kommen
• If that is true, why are we still here?
• Does God have something for us to do before we go
  to heaven?

3
The State of the Church

• Museum / Monuments
• Maintenance
• Missional / Purpose Driven

4
ELEPHANTS / RABBITS

• Elephants
• Fertile only 4 times a year
• One baby per pregnancy
• 22 month gestation period
• Sexual maturity at age 18
• Maximum growth potential in 3 years from 2 to 3

5
On The Other Hand

• Rabbits
• Almost continually fertile
• Average 7 babies per pregnancy
• 1 month gestation period
• Sexual maturity 4 months
• Maximum growth potential in 3 years from 2 to
  476 million

6
CHURCH MULTIPLICATION

• If we begin with a church of 12 people who
• Multiply themselves by 2 every 12 months,
• Assuming some churches will not multiply
• And 1 out of 4 churches will close down for
  various reasons during a 5 year period,
• After 20 years, 165,888 churches will exist with
  1,990,656 new Christians continuing the
  multiplication process.
• THE NUMBERS ARE ASTRONOMICAL FROM THERE ON!

7
QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED

• Will the Missouri Synod ever be a growing church
  again?
• Will our congregation ever grow again?

8
THE CHURCH IS GROWING!

• Worldwide
• 3,500 new churches every
  week
• 90,000 new believers every day
• In Iran, more Muslims have become
  Christians since
• 1980 than in the previous 1000
  years.

9
AND GROWING

• In 1900, Korea had no Christian church.
• Today, 35 of Korea is Christian
• 7000 churches exist in Seoul alone.

10
AND GROWING

• In Islamic Indonesia, the number of Christians
  has grown so dramatically, the government wont
  release the figure. The estimate is between
  15-20

11
AND GROWING

• In Russia, after 70 years of oppression,
  Christians number 56 of the population (85
  Million)
• Every day in India, 15,000 become Christians

12
YET,

• The number of adults attending church in USA is
  decreasing.
• 60 of all churches in America did not add one
  adult convert last year.
• More churches close than are opening every year.

13

• Conversions to other religions
• and dropouts from Christianity
• are escalating.
• The decline in Christianity in America has been
  going on for over 50 years.
• To many churched people believe and behave
  identically to their unchurched counterparts.

14
AND,

• Before we wake up tomorrow, thousands of lives
  will be changed forever.
• In a typical day in the USA. . .
• 10,799 babies will be born (3,445 to a single
  mother) and 3,246 fetuses will be aborted.
• 6,403 people will die 84 suicides, 45 with AIDS
  and 43 from chemical abuse

15
AND

• There will be 6,148 marriages
• And 3,110 divorces
• 4,630 fifteen year old girls will have
  intercourse for the first time (with 4,630 boys)
• 1,312 students will drop out of high school
• And, 6,000 young adults under age 18 will try
  their first cigarette

16
AND

• 28,206 people will be arrested
• with 4,274 being drug related
• 3,396 households will file bankruptcy
• 63,288 will depend on food stamps for their
  survival

17
AND

• In that same 24 hour period, thousands will reach
  spiritual turning points
• 411 Americans will convert to
• the Muslim religion
• 872 will become Mormons
• 8 Christian Churches will close their doors
  forever

18
AND,

• BY THEIR OWN ADMISSION, EVERY 24 HOURS,
• 4,482 WILL DIE
• NON CHRISTIANS

19
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

• What part of GO and MAKE dont we understand?
• Christians reproduce Christians
• Churches reproduce churches

20
DO WE UNDERSTAND

• God the Fathers purpose?
• God the Sons purpose?
• God the Holy Spirits purpose?
• AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE CHURCH TODAY?

21
GROWTH INVOLVESTWO THINGS

• AN UNDERSTANDING OF GODS PURPOSE (MISSION)
• THE COMMITMENT TO GO AND DO GODS MISSION
  (MINISTRY)

22
Its not as simple as it sounds, because

• Ministries often ignore Gods Mission (purpose).
• Gods purpose (mission) is often confused by
  Detractors encouraged by Satan.
• The subtle battle goes on daily.

23
WHAT ARE DETRACTORS

• Anything that takes us away from GODS PRIMARY
  MISSION
• Directly effects our attention, energy and
  resources.

24
GODS PRIMARY PURPOSE (MISSION)

• He made known to us the mystery of His will
  according to His good pleasure, which He purposed
  in Christ
• to bring all things in heaven and on earth
  together under one head, even Christ . . . .
• He works out everything, in conformity with the
  purpose of His will.
• Ephesians 1 3-14

25
IN KEEPING WITH HIS PURPOSE,

• The Father sent His Son To seek and to save all
  who were lost.
• Luke 19 10

26
THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS SENT BY THE FATHER AND THE
SON

• But you will receive power when the holy Spirit
  comes on you and you will be my witnesses in
  Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of
  the earth.

27
THE SPIRIT ENABLES AND EMPOWERS THE MISSION

• To teach us all things (John 1426)
• To remind us of all things Jesus taught and to
  testify about Jesus (John 15 26)
• To empower and give boldness to be His witnesses.
  (Acts 1 8 4 31)

28
THE SPIRIT WORKS

• In the hearts of believers
• In the hearts of prospective believers
• He prepares the heart
• Convicts of sin
• Gives faith
• Assures of forgiveness
• Prompts repentance
• I Corinthians 12 13

29
SOMETIMES LANGUAGEDILUTES THE MISSION

• Some object to the use of
• the terms primary mission
• They use instead, Primary
• Objective
• Goal
• Task
• Activity
• Function

30
DEFINITIONS

• Purpose / Mission Sent to accomplish a work for
  someone else.
• Objective Points to what is to be accomplished
• Goal Focuses on the immediate results to be
  accomplished
• Task What needs to be done to accomplish the
  mission, objective, goal
• Function a normal, proper, ongoing activity of
  the purpose

31
AN ANALOGY

• A child falls into a well and is stuck 75 feet
  down in the pipe.
• Thousands try to rescue her.
• What was their mission (purpose)?
• Their objective?
• Their goal?
• Their task?
• Their function?

32
THE APPLICATION

• The Church of Jesus Christ
• The purpose (mission)?
• The objective?
• The goal?
• The purpose?
• The task?
• The functions?

33
DETRACTORS

• Sidetracks
• moves away from the main track
• Dilutes makes weaker
• Confuses makes indistinct

34
THREE DETRACTORS

• Confusing a Function of the church with
  the Primary Purpose.
• Making the Means of Grace the Primary Purpose.
• C. Making the Preservation of
• Pure Doctrine the Primary Purpose.

35
A. CONFUSING FUNCTION WITH THE MISSION

• Functions are an important part of life and
  living.
• Church functions relate directly to the Primary
  purpose.
• Inreach purpose serve and support the Body
• Outreach purpose motivate and equip Christs
  witnesses

36
FIVE FUNCTIONS OF THE CHURCH

• WORSHIP
• EDUCATION
• WITNESS
• FELLOWSHIP
• SERVICE

37
1 WORSHIP

• Normal and natural of the faith
• Nurtures and builds up the Body
• Motivates and equips disciples
• FOR WHAT PURPOSE?

38
2 Education

• Teaching before or after a person becomes a
  disciple?
• Nurturing /equipping follows
• FOR WHAT PURPOSE?

39
3 WITNESS THE GREAT COMMANDMENT and THE
GREAT COMMISSION

• A function of what Christians say and do.
• LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.
• Opening doors and windows.
• They will know we are Christians by our
  love.
• WITNESS / PLANTING SEEDS
• The mutual conversations of Christians
• Christians talk about their faith.
• They share what God is doing in their lives.
• God uses our witness to build and strengthen
  Christs Body
• God uses our witness to speak the gospel to the
  lost that they, by the Holy Spirit, might be
  saved.

40
4 FELLOWSHIP

• There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
  male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
  Jesus. Gal. 3 28
• The Church is one in Jesus.
• It expresses that oneness in different ways
• As an inreach dimension, and they devoted
  themselves to the Apostles teaching, to
  fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
  prayer. Acts 2 42
• But there is also an outreach dimension.
• John 17 28, brought into complete unity to let
  the world know that You did send me (to and for
  the lost).

41
5 SERVICE

• The Great Commandment
• Is not the Great Commission
• Does not detract from the Great Commission.
• Part of the life of good works.
• The Great Commandment serves, partners with, the
  Great Commission.
• Christs words explained His works.
• Christs works authenticated His words

42
LIKE ALL FUNCTIONS, SERVICE HAS TWO DIMENSIONS.

• Inreach
• Christians take care of one another. Acts 2
  44-45
• Outreach
• Christians reach out to the needs of all people.
  Matt. 25 Gal. 6 10
• The least of these my brothers

43
FUNCTIONS ARE NOT THE PRIMARY MISSION

• Important, God pleasing
• Not ends in themselves
• Or, be allowed to focus so much of our
  energy/attention on the doing,
• that they detract from accomplishing the mission.

44
B. MAKING THE MEANS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE

• Are the means of grace (Word and Sacraments) the
  primary mission,
• Or, are they the means by which we accomplish the
  mission?

45

• Faith is the SOLE work of the Holy Spirit.
• Faith comes from hearing the Gospel, the Good
  News of Jesus Christ.
• My mission is to seek and save the lost
• Using the means (seeds) God has given.
• I Cor. 9 that I might save some

46
GODS INSTRUMENTS

• We sow the seed (Gospel) to have a Harvest.
• God causes the seed to grow
• We work the soil, plant, fertilize, cultivate and
  water, in season and out of season.
• My hearts desire and prayer to God is that they
  be saved.
• Rom. 10 1

47
SCRIPTURES FOCUS

• Sometimes it emphasizes the means. Acts 20 24
• if only I may finish the race and complete the
  task the Lord has given to me. . . .testifying to
  the Gospel of Gods grace.
• The race the mission
• The task the means
• testifying
• preaching

48

• Sometimes it emphasizes the mission.
• I Cor. 9 19-22
• I make myself a slave to everyone , to win as
  many as possible. I became . . . . So that by
  all possible means, I might save some.
• God does the saving.
• Paul equates winning with saving
• God and Paul have the same mission seek and
  save the lost!

49
OUR BUSINESS IS TO DO GODS BUSINESS

• Even the preaching of the Gospel, the
  administration of the sacraments, and Bible study
  are not the ultimate goals of the church. The
  churchs ultimate mission is to bring lost
  children back to the Fathers house.

50
THE CHRISTIANS MISSION

• The purpose for which God sends out His people
  is not to build the church but to win the world
  to Christ.
• Richard Schultz

51
C. MAKING THE PRESERVATION OF PURE DOCTRINE THE
PRIMARY MISSION

• Healthy tension between the twin focal points
  of two Ps
• gt Preserve the Gospel
• gt Proclaim the Gospel
• What is the primary mission?

52
A QUESTION?

• Does God work through churches and organizations
  which include some false teaching in their
  proclamation of the Gospel in order to win the
  lost to Christ?

53
AGREE OR DISAGREE?

• God does not use false teaching, but he does
  use the truth of the Gospel that is there even
  though it may be surrounded by false teaching.

54
OUR GOAL IN MISSION

• To proclaim the purest Gospel possible.
• The point is
• - not that we agree with or overlook
• faulty teaching,
• - or not try to correct it.
• To be aware of the danger of letting preserve
  absorb so much of our energy, time and resources
  that proclaim suffers.
• And we have little or no time to go, seek and
  save the lost.
• We must be clear on the Gospel.

55
2 CORINTHIANS 5 6

• God reconciled the world
• through His Son.
• He committed that message to us.
• We are to do something with it.
• Live it
• Tell it
• The Gospel is the means the Holy Spirit uses to
  accomplish Gods reconciling mission.

56
LUKE 5

• Preparing nets is not the mission.
• The mission is to catch fish.
• The nets, mending the nets, the boats, rowing
  into the deep, throwing out the nets Functions
  with one purpose,
• TO CATCH FISH!

57

• GO!