When one is saved from their sin and finds forgiveness through the gospel of Jesus Christ by faith, they are not automatically raptured up into heaven. The church of Christ and all its members are still on this earth. Why is this? Why would Christ not bring us to be with Him (John 17:24) once we place our faith in Him? Is God some sort of cruel master who enjoys watching us suffer through this life? The answer is “certainly not!” The church of Christ and its individual members are still here for a reason. There is something that needs to be done, and Christ wants to use His church to accomplish it.
The biblical mission of the church is to make Disciples of Christ in all the nations by being witnesses of Christ who proclaim His gospel. The main focus for the church is to “make disciples” (Matt 28:16-20). This passage will be elaborated upon in the sections to follow. This commission to make disciples of Christ is understood also as being Christ’s witnesses. This is why the Holy Spirit indwells and empowers believers. Jesus told His disciples that they “will be My witnesses” only after they “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). Jesus explicitly said to His disciples that just as the Father sent Him into the world, He sent them (John 17:18; 20:21). This sending is passed on to us today, we are sent into the world as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20). Therefore, we are to go into the world proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ (John 17:18).
This gospel that is preached by the church is the proclamation of “repentance for forgiveness of sins” (Luke 24:46-48). It is the good news that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:1-4). This gospel is to be preached in “all the world” (Mark 16:15). The reach of this proclamation is to be global (Acts 1:8). This mission is to preoccupy and influence every ministry of the local church. Every member must sign on for this endeavor. If the church of Christ is to reach the ends of the earth, we must rightly understand and implement the core mission of the church, to make disciples.
A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian. A disciple is a student and a servant of Christ. The glory of Christ and a personal relationship with Him must consume every member of the church. He has called every Christian out from the world and has enlisted them into His kingdom. We must have a forward vision of multiplying ourselves in this world, because the Kingdom cannot stop with our generation.
As we strive to carry out the mission of the church we must remember what we are trying to do. We are making disciples of Christ. That means our involvement with each other must go beyond biblical data. We must work hard at being a Body where no one member is expendable. We must come alongside those who are younger or less mature in the faith and instruct them in Word and in life. We must be willing to say, “I need to be discipled” and find someone who can spur us on into more Christ-likeness. And when we feel inadequate to fulfill this task, we must remember that the One Who has all authority is with us as we go.