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Justin Johnson 06/17/19 Thesis: The purpose of missions has diminished and been deemed ineffective, prompting immediate steps to restore its importance, and the role it plays in the modern-day church. Outline I. The mission and its purpose as prescribed by Jesus Christ A. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation, whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16 NIV) 1. “And he summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits,” (Mark 6:7 KJV). 2. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 NIV). B. The mission is for all believers and was executed boldly in the early church 1. Mathew Henry states that, “the mission is for all of us, Jesus made it clear that our message is to preach the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. 2. Ed Stenzer claims that, “The earliest churches obeyed the Great commission II. The church has become stationary-nothing more than a museum for old saints. A. Mike Slaughter stated that, “those of us in the church have been guilty of creating a gospel that is self-serving and other-judging. We spend our resources and energies on building structures and creating programs for ourselves, and then call it mission! In the name of Jesus, we have idolized earthly valuables over kingdom values.” 1. The Bible teaches us in Acts that the church in its infant stage was not closed in or confined to a building but they where out in the community helping each other, feeding the hungry healing the sick and spreading the gospel daily. (Acts 2:46) 2. C.S Lewis proclaimed that, “The glory of God, and, as our only means of glorifying Him, the salvation of souls is the real business of life.” B. Author David Fitch made a power statement regarding the diminishing role of missions in the church when he stated that, “Throughout history the church regularly defaults to maintenance mode-when the church gets overly comfortable in society,

believing its place is secure in a Christian society, it is easy for a church to lose its mission and fall into maintenance-mode. 1. Missions in the modern church are looked upon as vacation, failing to realize that in the early church these tasks were meet with great opposition and cost many people their lives. 2. Christians load planes and buses each year to do so called mission work only to end up visiting historical sights, dining and failing to spread the gospel message or even bring one soul to Christ. III. Restoring the importance of mission in the modern-day church. A. Journalist Larry Reesor mentions that, “if the local church is to embrace the philosophy that "missions is the mission of the church," the pastor must be the one to establish vision and direction. And if missions are to become the "personality" of the church rather than just a church program, the pastor is the most effective one to lead the charge. In cooperation and in concert with the church leaders, the pastor will lead the way to mobilize the local church for the Great Commission. B. Charles H. Spurgeon, in his book entitled The Soul Winner states firmly, “Christian people; your one business in life is to lead men to believe in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, and every other thing should be made subservient to this one object; if you can but get them saved, everything else will come right in due time.” IV. Conclusion- In Acts 1:7-8 the disciples asked Jesus when you return, wanting to find out after this great mission has been accomplished that he had tasked the with what would be the conclusion of it. Jesus answered them saying, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the father has set by his own authority, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This is the ultimate task-spread the gospel. This task is so important until Jesus will not return until it has been fulfilled. (Matthew 24:14 KJV), states, “and this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Annotated Bibliography - Copper, Rodney, Holman New Testament Commentary – Mark. (Nashville TN: B&H, 2011), Wordsearch Bible. “This commission is for all of us, Jesus made it clear that our message is to preach the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Our ministry is to take this message throughout the world. The emphasizes looks to be on being baptized, but the true message is first in the belief,” (256). This quote is designed to establish who should be carrying out this mission, and what is the purpose of the mission. It is also designed to add a backdrop grounded in spiritual truth and biblical doctrine. The author makes it clear that no one stands outside the boundaries of the commission. This commentary adds a fresh perspective on a timely subject. The key argument of the source is simply every Christian has been commanded to fulfill this mission in their lifetime. One would fail to reach their full potential in Christ if this task was shunned or cast aside. The doctrinal position expressed in the source is one of biblical truth as it pertains to the correct interpretation of the text at hand. The author is attempting to persuade those who have taken up the mission not to place their attention on religious practices like baptism but to focus more on confirming and establishing your belief in Christ first. The author is explaining a person can take holy communion, go to church every Sunday, participate in various ceremonies but if he or she does not first believe then the sacrifices or deemed null and void. This source is strong and adds a doctrinal foundation to the research at hand.

- Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. Nashville, TN: B&H, 2011 Wordsearch Bible. “The commission of Christ's ministers extends to every creature throughout the world, and the declarations of the gospel contain not only truths, encouragements, and precepts, but also most awful warnings. (16). This quote is designed to affirm those called to carry out missions, the importance of missions within the church and how serious the message of the mission is. The author holds a high view of the Bible, believing that all scripture is inspired by God and is given to us for matters of life and faith. This source adds a foundation for the research at hand. The author is expressing that the message that Christ gave his disciples is one that needs to spread to all. Is indicates that the message is blend of information and emotions. The author indications that mission and the message may be offensive. Missions within the early church were considered dangerous and the message they gave was a bold one. The preached about hell and the harsh punishments some will receive if they do not repent of their sins This source is strong as it is grounded in Biblical truth by one of the great fathers of the church. This source will be used in the begin of this research paper to establish who the mission was given to, and to continue to establish the purpose of missions. It can also provide contrasting view as the author shows in the quote how serious the mission is. Reesor, Larry. “The State of World Evangelization.” The Local Church’s’ Role in Mission Accessed on June 11, 2019. https://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/the-local-churchs-

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