Call to missions
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- . See Matthew 25:14-28.
- 4. Fellowship
- 5. Evangelism
| 3. Service The first church had everything in common and sold their possessions to give to the needy (Acts 2:44,45). Such generosity was inline with the teaching of Jesus to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). This should not be misunderstood to mean that we should abandon the right to own private property. On the contrary, Jesus encouraged us to be good stewards of the property entrusted to us. See Matthew 25:14-28. Governments have tested political systems that prohibit ownership of private property and have found that such systems inhibit economic progress. Instead of eliminating the ownership of private property, the passage in Acts 2 teaches us to freely share private property with the needy. We serve others by sharing possessions. We also serve others with our time. By visiting the sick, the incarcerated, and the bereaved, we bring comfort to those in need. We can help people by sharing our expertise—agricultural, medical, business, legal, or expertise in other fields of study. 4. Fellowship Those in the early church devoted themselves to the fellowship (Acts 2:42). They worked at being unified in heart and mind. The church meets the basic need of people to interact in harmony with other people. If you ask a Christian fora list of Page 2 of CHURCH LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION - Purposes of the Chruch 1/7/2012 http://test.missionstraining.org/churchLeadership/PurposesOfTheChurch.php people that he knows, chances are he will include the names of people in his local church. The primary social contacts of many Christians are people in the church. God intends that the church work together as the body of Christ. Believers are baptized into the fellowship of believers. Believers are not baptized to work apart from the church. Each believer has one or more spiritual gifts, and believers working together exhibit all of the spiritual gifts (Romans 12:4-8). Together the church accomplishes much. As individuals working alone, the church accomplishes little. When a local church exhibits the joy of fellowship, it functions well and believers want to remain in the church. The first church had joyful and sincere hearts (Acts 2:46). Such fellowship attracts others into the church. 5. Evangelism The scripture teaches that daily the Lord increased the number of believers, indicating that there was evangelism (Acts 2:47). Perhaps some people joined the church because they saw the church meeting in the temple courts (Acts 2:46). Neighbors, friends and family of believers may have joined the church because they observed believers breaking bread in their homes (Acts 2:46). Some may have joined the church because they saw the generosity of believers (Acts 2:45). Others may have joined the church because believers went out sharing the Good News of Christ—following the Apostles teaching (Acts 2:42; Matthew 28:18-20). Evangelism takes place by practicing the word and by proclaiming the word. If believers only believe in Christ, and never tell others why they believe, not many people come into the church. If believers tell others they believe in Christ, yet fail to live like they believe, not many people come into the church. But when there is enthusiastic and joyful sharing—both in word and inaction the Lord draws many people into the church. As missionaries, we are to teach congregations to practice all five of these functions—worship, proclamation, fellowship, service, and evangelism. It is helpful to analyze the health of a church by determining if all five functions are being performed. If some are absent, then the leaders should emphasize those functions in that church. Download 2.95 Mb. Share with your friends:
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