The Church Mission

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20

"The church today is raising a whole generation of mules." At least this is the opinion of one person who has assessed the condition of the visible body of Christ. Now before we get too bent out of shape with this comment, you need to know that mules have many redeemable qualities, especially when compared to horses. (If you are a horse lover, please indulge me for a moment.) In my brief research I have discovered that...

• Mules can endure extreme temperatures better than horses.

• Mules are by most accounts noticeably more intelligent than horses.

• Mules eat less and rarely have hoof problems, unlike horses.

• Mules live longer (18 years vs. 15 years) than horses.

• Mules are generally more productive when it comes to work than horses. A mule can carry a 50–60-pound pack up to 50 miles in one day!

• As a matter of fact, the only problem with mules is that they are almost always sterile and therefore incapable of reproduction. Durable--yes! Smart--yes! Inexpensive to maintain--yes! Hard workers--yes! But unfortunately, most mules are the end of the family line.

Perhaps this is what is meant by this individual who claims that we’re raising a whole generation of mules! The Gospel message ends at us.

The church is full of hard workers. We teach classes, serve the physical needs of others, clean up and mow the grass, cook, move tables, organize social activities, visit, and even write letters and cards, and do a host of other things, the vast majority of which are good and helpful ministries. There is just one problem. We’re not very good at reproducing. For some obvious reasons, we don’t share what it means to be a disciple of Christ with others so that they can know Him and enlist in His work. Many are the end of the line when it comes to spiritual reproduction. The mission of the church given to us by our Lord is to go into all the world and make disciples of others. It is entirely possible that we can work very hard at various activities and yet still fail to get the job done. Let me say it plainly. If we are not contributing to the Great Commission by making disciples, we are not doing the job completely. If we are nothing more than a generation of infertile mules, then at least from a human perspective, we are on the road to extinction.

Certainly, this is not what Christ intended when he issued the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. In His final words to His disciples recorded in the Gospels, Jesus charged them (and us) with "teach all nations." With the word “teach” meaning to make Disciples of Christ. A disciple is someone who studies rigorously under the authority of a teacher or rabbi. It is the task of the disciple to learn from his master what is true and to submit to his requirements because he requires it of them. Jesus did not issue a decree to make disciples who were soft in their commitments (i.e. Just come to church) and occasional in their obedience (i.e. only follow the teachings you agree with). In His own words, to be a disciple of Christ requires putting Him before any other, before oneself, and before anything. Raising followers with this kind of devotion must have seemed overwhelming to the twelve.

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.