Our Mission: What We Are Called To Do (Matthew 28:18-20)

Over the next few Sundays we shall discuss the following:

• Our Mission: What We Are Called To Do
• Our Vision: Where We Hope To Go
• Our Plan: How We Get There
• Our Response: What We Shall Do

This Sunday morning we will focus on “Our Mission: What We Are Called To Do”.  Our Mission is based on Matthew 28:18-20, which says:

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

What are we called to do?  Based on Matthew 28:18-20; we are called to reach and teach for changed lives.  This is why that statement is on our logo, on our bulletins, on our Facebook page and our website.  It summarizes very well what we are called to do as a church.  Let’s look at it more closely.

Reaching

Jesus, in Matthew 28:19, told His followers to go.  They were not to remain idle, they were not to simply wait for people to come to them; but were to actively take the gospel to all nations. The command is to go into all nations and preach to all people. For us that means we go out into Scott City, the surrounding area, into our State, our region, and we go into the uttermost parts of the world. We must do this; it is our calling.

But we recognize that we cannot do this alone.  This is why we cooperate with the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association, the Missouri Baptist Association, and the Southern Baptist Convention.  We pool our resources along with the resources of other SBC churches and we seek to send and equip one another to reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We can accomplish more together than alone.  We reach them and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  This baptism is their proclamation that “Jesus Christ is my Lord, He died for me, and I live for Him.”

FBSC is committed to going into our City, our State, and to the uttermost parts of the world to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.  We go because “the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).  We will not rest while there are those to be reached.

Teaching

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus told His followers to teach.  They are not content to reach and leave, but reach and teach.  They teach them “all that I have commanded you”.  The nations are taught to love what God loves and to hate what God hates. They are taught to: “fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Sam 12:24).

FBSC is not just committed to going, but also to teaching.  We desire to be faithful to our Lord’s Commission and make disciples of all nations.  We must teach and we cannot rest until those who are reached are taught.  As the Bible says, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28)

For Changed Lives

In Matthew 28:20, we read that Jesus told His followers not just to teach the nations “all that I have commanded”, but “to observe all that I have commanded.”  The command to teach is not just telling them what Jesus has commanded, but teaching them obedience to what Jesus has commanded.  The truths of the Bible are to be obeyed.  Those who obey His teaching, demonstrate a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  If Jesus is your Savior, then He is your Lord.  If He is not your Lord; He is not your Savior.

The passion of FBSC is that our reaching and teaching would result in God changing lives as a result of receiving “a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26).

The passion of FBSC is that the love of Christ would work in people’s lives and transform them to love God and love others. We know the power of Christ and desire that all would love and serve Him.  Scripture tells us “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Application

Our Mission, what we are called to do, is to reach and teach for changed lives.  There are a few questions we must ask ourselves continually, such as:

• Are we effectively reaching our neighbors?
• Are we effectively teaching those we reach?
• Are we seeing changed lives as a result of the gospel we proclaim?
• What are we doing that we should not be doing?
• What are we not doing that we should be doing?
• What are we doing that we should be more effective in doing?
• Are we making disciples?