The Purpose Of The Church
The Great 'GO' Mission
What is the purpose of the church? Let me rephrase that question: What was the church set aside to do? We may all have different ideas, but the great commission is the purpose of the church!
Jesus said that we are to GO and MAKE disciples of all nations, BAPTISING them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and TEACHING them to obey everything Jesus had commanded.
Are we fulfilling the great commission for which we have been set aside?
Traditionally, we saw the purpose of the church as saving people out of the world and into the kingdom of God. By way of an unfortunate analogy, it was as if the world was an ocean and everybody was drowning. The church was a lifeboat and a Christian's job was to rescue people out of the waters and into the boat.
We reduced salvation to saying the 'right' words and praying the 'right' prayer. It made the church passive and incidental.
Tomorrow People In A Today World
We are Tomorrow People, living in a Today World. Our aim is not to merely hang on until tomorrow comes, but into manifest tomorrow while it is today.
Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt flavours and preserves, light brings vision and clarity. We are to actively improve the present with the kingdom of God.
It is in beholding and contemplating the glory of Jesus, that we manifest tomorrow today. That is a vision worth living for!
Tomorrow People In A Today World
We are Tomorrow People, living in a Today World. Our aim is not to merely hang on until tomorrow comes, but into manifest tomorrow while it is today.
Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt flavours and preserves, light brings vision and clarity. We are to actively improve the present with the kingdom of God.
It is in beholding and contemplating the glory of Jesus, that we manifest tomorrow today. That is a vision worth living for!
Kingdom Theology gives us a different perspective: In a nutshell, there are two kingdoms in conflict, the present, evil age (kingdom of darkness), and the future age (the kingdom of God).
The kingdom of God is everywhere that God's rule and reign is made perfect. The future age broke into the present age with the arrival of Jesus, and since then, the kingdom of God has been growing and invading this age to redeem people, and creation itself, back to God.
Soon, this present age will pass and the future age will remain forever. But we do not transition from present to future in an instant! We become the future in the present. We live in the presence of the future. If the present age is NOW and the future age is NOT YET, then we are the already, not yet people.
We live between the times! God's kingdom is a becoming kingdom and we are the becoming people. That implies then that we have to die to the present and live for the future. It implies action, growth and learning.
We are to be disciples of Jesus, so learning to become like him in every way, and disciplers, who do what Jesus does. The great commission is active, engaging and transforming, not just of our own lives, but also the lives of others. It really is the great GO Mission!
Additional Resources on Kingdom Theology
