The Mission Of The Church Series

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

Text: Romans 1.8-15

Introduction

1. Illustration: "A church should not merely have a missions department, if should wholly exist to be a mission" (Timothy Keller).

2. As a church our mission is the Great Co-mission, to go and make disciples of all nations.

3. We are not called to be a church, but we are called to be The Church!

4. The mission of the church is...

A. Founded On Faith

B. Promoted By Prayer

C. Strengthened Through Sharing

D. Fueled By The Proclamation Of The Gospel

5. Let's all stand out of respect for the Word of God as we read Romans 1.8-15.

Proposition: The mission of the church is to bring the Good News about Jesus to as many as possible regardless of upbringing, social status or education.

Transition: First of all, the mission of the chruch...

I. It Is Founded On Faith (8).

A. Because Of Your Faith In Him

1. The typical Greek letter usual contained a thanksgiving and a prayer.

A. Paul, being Paul, always seemed to take this to the next level.

B. In fact, Paul's opening prayer often contained the thesis of his letter, and Romans was no exception.

C. However, again, Paul takes it a step further as Paul uses this section to establish a close relationship with the Roman Christians.

D. Paul was a man of deep love and concern for people and that is evidenced here.

2. So Paul opens his thanksgiving and prayer with, "Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world."

A. Paul's primary reason to rejoice here is that the faith of the Roman church is being talked about all over the world.

B. Probably Paul is referencing the fact of their faith rather than the quality of it.

C. Since Rome was the center of the then known world it is no surprise that the faith of the Roman church was being talked about far and wide.

D. In fact one scholar put it this way, "it was a fountain of joy that the Gospel had been received with faith in the very capital of the world" (Nygren).

E. Paul is most likely using a bit of hyperbole here, because it is unlikely that every single person knew of their faith, but probably does mean that churches and unbelievers everywhere had heard about it.

F. The growth of the Gospel in Rome would have overwhelming repercussions (Osborne, 34-35).

G. Paul is generally putting them on notice that the whole world is watching them (Witherington, 42).

3. Faith has that kind of impact on people.

A. I don't know what it was like when you came to faith in Christ, but for me it caused quite a stir.

B. Christians who had been praying for me rejoiced to hear that I had come to faith in Jesus.

C. My partying friends freaked out because one their number had stopped doing what they were doing.

D. My Catholic family usually made comments like, "did you hear Mark became a Jesus freak!"

E. The point is this, when people come to faith in Christ it has an impact on the people around them.

B. Upon This Rock

1. Near the Tower of London there stands an ancient parish church called "All Hallows". Just inside the wall enclosing the graveyard at All Hallows there is a large sign, placed so that tourists leaving the Tower may read it. The sign at "All Hallows" cites a bit of history and then raises a pointed question: "Jesus Christ has been worshipped in this building for 600 years, on this site for 1100 years, and in Britain for 1300 years. Don't you think it's time you got started?"

That sign points to the amazing persistence of the church of Jesus Christ; and it also suggests the reason why, after storms and splits, war and famine, mistakes and malfeasance, misjudgments and maladjustment, there is still such a thing as the church. Some of the secret has to do with the commitments of countless believers, of course; but most of the secret lies in the intention of God for the church. The church has lasted simply because God has wanted it to last. That’s all. That's the bottom line. The church has lasted; and the church will continue because God has intended it to.

2. The mission of the church is founded on the rock foundation of faith.

A. Matthew 16:17-18 (NLT2)

17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.