Back to Basics

1. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
The need to emphasize the church as a Divine
institution with a Divine purpose is
essential to understanding Bible authority.
John 4:20-23, Jesus clearly tells the woman
she worships in ignorance (without
knowledge) and the Jews know what they
worship because salvation is if the Jews, yet
true worshippers of God would worship in
Spirit and Truth.

2. • So now we see Jesus clearly saying the Father
seeks “such” to worship Him (vs24).
• Where is this place to properly worship God
going to be? Certainly not in the mountains of
Dan or Bethel, nor even at Jerusalem. But
where?
• Here we must determine what the Father had
in mind for His Son to accomplish in order that
we might worship Him properly. This place is
called the “church”.

3. BUT WHICH CHURCH?
• From the scriptures:
– Matthew 16:18 “ I will BUILD MY church”
– The word “my” is a personal possessive pronoun
(belonging to Him)
– The word “build” means to establish, found
– The word “church” means body (Eph 1:22-23)
• Then He would found, establish, erect, the body
which would belong to Him, i.e the church, the
church of Christ.
• Acts 2:47 “added to the body”

4. Result of God’s eternal purpose
• Eph 3:8-10
– Eph 3:11 plan from eternity
• He is the supreme architect
– The pattern is of divine origin, from divine wisdom
and planning
• The pattern also reflects divine will
– Matthew 28:18-20 (observe all things)

5. Examples of Divine Patterns
• Gen 6:13-22
– Noah given a pattern for the Ark
– Followed the pattern and was saved
• Gen 7:1-5, 1 Peter 3:20,Heb 11:7
• Exodus 25:9-40
– Moses given pattern for Tabernacle
• Build it according to the pattern Exodus 26:30
• Same principle applied to the church
– Heb 8:1-5, 1 Cor 3:9-17

6. The Divine plan for the church
• Eph 4:11
– Apostles and prophets
– Evangelists
– Pastors and teachers
• Divine wisdom has given this arrangement
through which the church is to accomplish its
Divine mission

7. Divine program of Activity
• Eph 4:12
– “For the perfecting of the Saints”
– Perfecting means to be made complete
• For the work of the ministry
– Ministry means to serve
• Unto the building up of the body of Christ
– Meaning the preaching of the gospel to a lost and
dying world

8. What the mission of the church is not
• Not Social
– The church is not the center of social activity
– Paul taught if a man be found slave or master, becoming a
Christian would make a better slave or master out of him 1
Cor 7:20-22
• He also taught the home is to be the center of social
activity 1 Cor 11:20-22
• Not recreational
• Not a court for domestic relations
• Not to be in business
• Not a political pac

9. • No man has the right to prostitute the energy,
strength, zeal or resources of the church to
serve the aims or purposes of human desires.
The church should be and must be kept
faithful to the divine pattern and purpose for
which God intended from eternity.
• THE ONLY BUSINESS THE CHURCH SHOULD BE
INVOLVED IN IS PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO
THE SAVING OF SOULS.

10. • The implementation of plays and skits to
convince people to become a Christian is
nothing more than entertainment.
• We only have the gospel of Jesus Christ
which contains His truth to convince people
to become a Christian. (Romans 1:16)
• When we have to resort to “other” means
of preaching the gospel, have we not truly
become “like the nations”? (1 Samuel 8:5)