The Progress of the Church and our Personal Responsibility.

Why does the church do what it does? Why do we gather? Why don't we do certain things? We must answer not in terms of resources or building but instead of the mission. We will look at the progress of the church and see the direct connection we have today with the first church commissioned by Jesus Christ.

Introduction: The Commencing of the Mission of the Church

Before Jesus sends his church, He prays for her in John 17:15-19. As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends us. Just as Jesus prays, we ought to be praying that God would bring the lost to us and us to the lost. John 20:21-23 gives the formal commissioning (sending us out to give the gospel). Jesus had given us an example, as this was also His mission. But He doesn't send us out empty-handed; He gives us the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what Jesus did. Since we are also recipients of Jesus’ forgiveness, we proclaim and model what forgiveness looks like.

In John 21:15, Jesus reminds Peter not to forget the mission he was called for. Jesus isn’t after performance, but hearts. Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him to reorient Peter back to the mission.

Part I: The Continuing of the Mission of the Church

The next step in the progress of the church, continuing the mission that Jesus gave, is described in Acts 1:8: “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

Geographically, our witness and influence moves from an inner circle then extends further out. The way the Spirit works in the church is probably far different than how we would work in the church. Everything started in Jerusalem. In Acts 2, we see the Holy Spirit moving in Peter to preach to thousands to repent and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and they were added to the Church. From there, the Gospel spread to all corners of the Roman empire, even though it was under persecution.

Part II: Celebrating the Mission of the Church

In Ephesians 3:21, Paul gives glory to God and celebrates God’s work through His church even though he is in jail (Ephesians 4:1, 6:20). Why can Paul celebrate in a situation where most of us would be crying? The answer is in Ephesians 4:1. Paul implores us to walk in a manner worthy to the calling to which we have been called, in other words, the mission. In Ephesians 4:11, we see that God gave various other gifts to equip the saints. It’s not just elders who do the mission of the church, but each one of us whom God will work through.

Application Points

You may feel that you go throughout your day without a lot of spiritual impact. Could it be because you haven’t prayed for opportunities each day for God to work through you? We go out in the same manner that Jesus went out and sent the disciples out. We have to seek God to work and to do because it is all in His hands.

• Is the Holy Spirit working in your life? Will you come to Jesus today and place your faith in Him? When He saves you, He brings you to obedience. One the first marks of a believer is baptism. The Spirit of God wants you to obey, so don't fight Him in that obedience issue. Once you do that, the next step is become one who has been "added to" the church. This is the equivalent to church membership.
• If you are a believer, Jesus is always reorienting us, just like He did with Peter, to focus on our mission. The emphasis is not on power, prestige, or money. The emphasis is not on our lives, our schedules, jobs, or events in the world. The emphasis is on Jesus' question, “Do you love Me?”
• Are you off mission? There are a lot of things that can distract us or be added to our mission over time. But God is in charge of how the church grows, though it may be very different from how we see the church. Trust His work and align yourself with His purposes.

Tools for Further Study

Cross References to Explore:

• Acts 20:12-15
• Acts 2:5-6, 22
• Acts 2:37-41
• Acts 11 – elders are added to the church