Unfinished Church

What The Church Does

If you ask the average American Christian what the mission of the church is, most would tell you the commission Christ gave his church after the resurrection:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

And they would be right. However, when you ask them to explain what that entails, most would think of only evangelism. In doing so, they interpret “make disciples of all nations” to mean “convert individuals”. This is to ignore that Jesus here was talking about reaching all nations rather than some people, baptizing them, and teaching them all of his commands!

The verse immediately before is also necessary to understand this commission. He says the reason we are to do this is because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him! We’re not doing this only because it is a mercy to those who haven’t heard (and it certainly is) but because every nation on Earth is properly his and all are required to obey his commands.

What Does It Take

This mission takes more than converting individuals. Many of us were around for the rise of “seeker friendly” church. This was a movement that attempted to adopt as much of the way the world did things as it could without compromising “the gospel”. The reason is because they thought they could perhaps net more people into the pews if those pews were softer, if the choir were replaced with concerts, and if the sermons were self-help seminars. I say “were around” not because it died but because it became so successful that most congregations now adopt it to one degree or another.

In short, this was a church that took “our only purpose is to convert” to the logical conclusion. This false view of the purpose of the church was what left so many congregations so vulnerable to this movement. Believers who had been around for a while often saw the damage done to the body of believers by the movement, but were still unable to articulate exactly what the problem was.

After all, if the only thing that matters is that people were told Christ died for their sins and they will live forever with him if they believe than what does it matter how the church does basically anything else? If we’re just a giant marketing firm, perhaps all those other aspects of Christian life passed on to us from saints gone by were just silly, superstitious traditions with no purpose. At best they were what “worked” in the past to fill the pews and are no longer. All the instruction, admonition, and, worst of all, rebuke would just get in the way!

The reality is that the purpose of the church doesn’t end when a person comes to believe. That is just the beginning!

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:11-16

The goal is maturity in every way to become the body of Christ. This takes not only the work of evangelists, but also teachers, shepherds, prophets, and apostles. The American church has become lopsided on this and has forsaken the efforts to mature Christ’s body beyond the spiritual milk of evangelism.

The apostles rebuked congregations for becoming this as well (Hebrews 5:12-14)!

How To Repent

Taking a look around at the church of our time, it is likely clear to every single believer that we are being tossed by the winds of the world’s doctrines and ensnared by various human schemes. While it was once commonplace for actors to quote the Bible it is now common to hear pastors quoting Hollywood. While it was common for schools to teach from scripture it is now common to have “ministries” promoting evolution.

We live in a time of wickedness, sure. However, that wickedness is so vibrant and public because the church first became content with immaturity. We asked people to join us not in the world changing Kingdom of God that tore down evil strongholds with divine power (2 Corinthians 10) but to join a club with some rules of membership that are loosely enforced.

In our time of lawlessness, we have let our love grow cold. Having been rejected by those who hate Christ, we have decided a policy of nonconfrontation is safer than to fight the good fight and to stand! Our passion to see the body of our Lord growing and becoming more healthy and strong has been replaced by excuses about how that vision was “selfish” and how we should seek to serve the world most of all.

Perhaps these are the signs of the end of the age Jesus gave. If that is the case, resolve to not be one of the “many” who’s love grows cold! If we’re entering a time of such worldly power and evil that the only resolution is for Christ to come in final judgement, I can still rejoice in that. However, I won’t take that as an excuse to not do what we have been called to in the meantime and I’m hoping to encourage others who feel the same!