The Berney Points Series: The Mission Of The Church
Text: "And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ." (Eph. 4:11, 12)
By "mission," I have reference to the service or work God intended that the church of our Lord should perform upon earth. The fact that the church of the New Testament is a divine institution implies that it has a mission or work to do. It is inconceivable that God would build anything that has no mission. It is _likewise inconceivable that He would establish a church with a mission without giving clear revelation as to what that mission is.
Two things make a study of this kind important: (1) The confusion which prevails in the minds of many as to the work of the church. (2) The divinity of the church.
Some Erroneous Conceptions Of The Nature And Purpose Of The Church
1. Many today regard the church as merely a social institution. The social phase is the most important thing to them in their church affiliation. They seek a religious connection that will satisfy their desire for parties, entertainment, etc. It is certainly true that members of the church of Christ should enjoy one another's fellowship. And it is perfectly in order for them to seek and arrange, under the proper conditions and circumstances, to associate with one another in a social way. But, the church of our Lord is not a social club; nor is it a mere entertaining unit.
2. Some seem to think of the church as a fraternal order and nothing more. Their sense of obligation to it is on the level with that which they feel toward a club or a lodge. What they contribute to the church is given more with an attitude of "paying dues' 'than with the spirit of liberality. Members of the church have been known to impose upon one another. They make debts with brethren and are careless about paying them. When a brother tries to collect, they become highly offended. A preacher borrowed money in sizeable sums from some faithful brethren. They granted the loans because they trusted him as a brother. Much of the money has never been paid back. Years have passed since any effort to pay has been made. Statements and letters from them to him are ignored. It is true that we are brothers and sisters in God's family and that we are to be willing to serve and accommodate one another, but this is no license to mistreat and sin against one another.
3. Others seem to think of the church of the Lord as just a rival of denominational groups. In their thinking, the church would take its place as just another in a multitude of denominations. The church is the rival of denominations in one sense of the word. It is seeking the same souls that they seek. It is endeavoring to keep them out of and to recover them from the error into which denominational doctrines would lead them. But the New Testament church is not the rival of denominations in the sense of endeavoring to "outdo" them. Our motive for erecting meeting houses, holding meetings, doing works of benevolence and personal work should not be to make a bigger showing in these efforts than the denominations about us.
4. The church of God is not merely a benevolent order. Assisting those who are in temporal need is a work that members of the church must do if they would please the Lord. It is a work they will find great joy and delight in doing if they are truly Christian at heart. Personally, I do much teaching along this line. The church where I preach regularly gives much attention to this kind of work. We have a storage room in the meeting house. The members are trained to keep it filled with clothing and bed cover so that calls which come frequently may be answered in a practical way. Benevolence is a large item in our expenditures. But, the fact still remains that the church is not merely a dispensary of food and clothing.
5. Some use the church as a promoting agency. Salesmen sometimes so use the church. When they call on a prospect whom they know to be a member of the church of Christ, they introduce their sales speech by announcing that they, too, are members of the church of Christ. One is made to wonder if these same salesmen begin their speeches in this way when approaching a denominational person whom they know to be prejudiced toward the truth. Preachers and churches are often rated and classified according to their attitude toward this project or that in which others happen to be especially interested.
The Divinity Of The Church
Taking a look at some things which emphasize the divinity of the church will help us to understand and appreciate its mission. Let us consider some of the marks of the divinity of the church of the New Testament:
1. It is the result of God's eternal purpose. After discussing fully the unfolding of God's eternal purpose to redeem fallen man, in the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul declares that God raised Christ from the deal and made him to sit at his right hand, far above all rule, "and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all." (Eph. 1:22, 23) This alone is enough to prove the divinity of the church.
2. We see the divinity of the church in the great work of redemption wrought in it. Such purification of souls and redemption from sin as is described in Ephesians, chapters one and two, could never be wrought through a human institution. The church was purchased with Christ's blood. (Acts 20:28) The blood cleanses from sin. (1 John 1:8)
3. The reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles which was affected in the church is a demonstration of its divinity. "For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one man, so making peace." (Eph. 2:14, 15) There was deep enmity of long standing between the Jews and Gentiles. And yet, by means of the death of Christ, God brought those who had despised one another with a traditional hatred together in the church which was purchased by Christ's blood. No human program of peace could have affected such reconciliation.
4. Of course, we are impressed with the divinity of the church as we consider the divine foundation upon which it rests. "Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone." (Eph. 2:20) "For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 3:11) The importance of the mission of the church is suggested by its glorious foundation.
5. The church has a divine mission and destiny. It was built "for a habitation of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2:22) It is to dwell with him eternally. (Eph. 3:6)
6. The divinity of the church stands out as we consider how it is identified with Christ. It is his spiritual body. (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18) The mission of Christ and the mission of his church are identical. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) The word of God is the truth that saves. (John 17:17; Rom. 1:16) The church is to support and preach the truth that men may be saved by it. (1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 28:18-20)
The Work Of The Church As Suggested By Ephesians 4:11, 12
In the early days of the church's existence, before God's will had been completely revealed, God made provision for the instruction and guidance of the church in performing the work which he intended that it should do. This work is outlined in our text in three items, as follows:
1. "The perfecting of the saints." The saints are developed through spiritual knowledge. Throughout the New Testament the importance of knowledge is stressed. Christians are commanded to study. They are warned against the dangers of unbelief and ignorance. They are cautioned that there is always the danger of falling from the grace of God. (Phil. 1:9-11; Heb. 3:12-14; 10:24,25; Acts 20:28-31; 2 Tim. 2:2,15) By its teaching program the church, under the oversight of the elders, provides "feeding times" for the flock. One of the most important phases of the work of any congregation is such a program of teaching the word of God to those who are already members of the church.
2. "Unto the work of ministering." "The term used here, translated ministering, is the one which designates the work of serving or ministering to the wants of the afflicted — first of the household of faith; secondly, of all the suffering mortals of the earth." (David Lipscomb, A Commentary On the New Testament Epistles, Vol. IV, p. 78) It is clearly revealed in the New Testament that such work of ministering as described in the above statement is a duty enjoined upon Christians. (Eph. 4:28; Gal. 6:10; Matt. 20:28; James 1:27) With respect to work of this kind, many churches and individual members could learn a lesson of the danger of neglect from the priest and the Levite in the account of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10) There are a number of principles of righteousness involved in doing works of benevolence: (1) Self-consecration. In referring to the liberality of the churches of Macedonia, "in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints," Paul states that "first they gave their own selves to the Lord." (2 Cor. 8:5) (2) The proving of love. (2 Cor. 8:8, 24; 1 John 3:17, 18) (3) Gratitude. (1 John 3:16; 2 Cor. 8:9) (4) Sympathy. (1 Cor. 12:25, 26) (5) Glorifying God. (2 Cor. 9:12) (6) Keeping our hearts centered on God. (1 Tim. 6:17-19) (7) Following examples of churches in the New Testament. (Acts 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25, 26; 2 Cor. 8) This work is good and necessary, but "social betterment" is not the primary work of the church. The chief work of the church is to preach the gospel. (2 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 1:16) The church has been charged with the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the whole world. (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16) But, it has not been charged with the responsibility of caring for all of the poor and unfortunate ones in the world. This brings us to the next item:
3. "Unto the building up of the body of Christ." Again we quote David Lipscomb: "This embraces the teaching necessary to bring men into the church, and to perfect, build up their character and to direct their work after having entered it." (Ibid, 79) One way of building up the body is to convert men to the gospel of Christ. When sinners receive the word of God and obey it, the Lord adds them to the church. (Acts 2:47) The church is God's only agency in the work of evangelization. It is the "pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Tim. 3:15) It is compared to a householder who went out to "hire laborers into his vineyard." (Matt. 20:1-16) It is the sowing agency for the word of God, the seed of the kingdom. (Matt. 13:3-9; 2 Tim. 4:1-4) It is God's army and is to wield the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. (Eph. 2:10; 6:17)
Some time ago in a chapel talk in a Bible school, the writer discussed "The Church As It Is Presented In the First Three Chapters of Ephesians." After chapel, among other favorable comments from members of the faculty, one teacher stated with enthusiasm about as follows: "It was refreshing and inspiring to hear so much about the church in one discourse. We need to preach about the church more. We need to talk and think more about just the church!" To this the writer heartily agrees. It is impossible to overemphasize "the church" in our preaching and thinking. The very moment that fears arise within our hearts that we are over emphasizing the church of our Lord, we are treading upon dangerous ground.