The Goal of the Church
The Good News proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth is NOT about reforming a fallen society, fixing a corrupt government, or cleaning up the immoral culture that surrounds us however much that is contrary to what we hear from our pulpits and on the “Christian” media. HIS Gospel calls all men to repent and join an entirely new and vastly different social and political order, the Kingdom of God, one that is incompatible with the ideologies and values of this fallen world.
Moreover, responding positively to this summons is vital for the
church and the surrounding world considering the approaching end of the age
when the existing order will cease to exist.
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| [Photo by Gaël Gaborel - OrbisTerrae on Unsplash] |
Unfortunately, too often Satan has succeeded in misdirecting the Church and corrupting the Gospel of Jesus Christ with terms and ideas such as ‘Christendom,’ “Christian” nations, and even ‘American Christendom.’
Unlike the political operatives both without and especially WITHIN the church, Jesus dispatched his
disciples to proclaim this Good News of God’s Kingdom TO ALL NATIONS,
not just to one, some, or so-called “Western civilization.” After his resurrection, he
declared, “ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,
therefore, go and make disciples of ALL nations.” HIS Gospel is a life-
and world-changing message for all humanity.
KING AND MESSIAH
Just before his ascension, he commanded his
followers to tarry in Jerusalem until they “received power when the Holy
Spirit came upon them.” Thereafter, they would become “his
witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth” - (Acts 1:7-9).
The last clause is derived from the second
Psalm and its vision of the anointed Son of God ruling over the Earth, and his reign
began following his resurrection and ascension - “Ask of me, and
I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your
possession” – (Psalm 2:7-8 – Emphasis added).
As Abraham’s heir, Jesus inherited the Earth
with all its nations, and he now sends his heralds – his ambassadors - to announce
his reign to the ends of the Earth.
Paul wrote a letter to the churches of Rome
in which calls himself the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” The former
persecutor of the church had become the envoy of God’s kingdom to the nations.
And as such, proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles was his primary concern and
function - (Romans 1:14-17).
And this same Apostle declared that the “righteousness
of God” is received through faith in Jesus by all who believe, both Jew and Greek, for, with God, “there
is no distinction” or “respect of person.”
Everyone stands or falls before the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” on the same basis. Sin is the Great Leveler that has placed every man and woman in the same awful predicament - both Jews and Gentiles alike.
Because “God is one” and the Creator
of all men, He offers salvation and everlasting life to every man, woman, and
child regardless of their ethnicity or nationality, and to each one on the same
basis.
FROM HIS FAITH
And so, NOW, “in Christ,” every
man and woman who responds to the Gospel in faith is set right before God on
the same basis, whether Jew or Gentile, namely, from the faith of Jesus. There is no basis for human
boasting or self-confidence “since all have sinned and lack the glory of God.”
The sinner can either reject the offer or embrace in faith what God has done
for him or her in Jesus - (Romans 3:22-30).
And Paul appeals to his monotheistic faith to
support this proposition - “Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of
Gentiles also, since God is one and will justify the circumcised from faith and
the uncircumcised through faith.” The one “God and Father of Jesus Christ”
is the God of all men and women, and there is no other.
No man is advantaged or disadvantaged before
Him because of his nationality, social position, economic status, or gender. As
Paul writes to the church in Colossae - “There cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and
uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all and in
all.” – (Colossians
3:9-11).
In Jesus, God is creating a new humanity and a very different “kingdom,” a people composed of men and women from every nation and culture. What they all have in common is the “faith of Jesus Christ.”
Moreover, He is shaping them collectively
and individually into the image of His Son. Therefore, the traditional
distinctions of race, gender, social, and economic status are wholly inappropriate
in His church.
The announcement of this salvation is one
message, and it is intended for all men and nations. The Good News
announced by Jesus transcends all man-made walls, boundaries, and divisions - (Galatians
3:28).
OUR MISSION
And so, the primary task of his church is
to proclaim this message in every inhabited corner of the Earth, and the
completion of this task is necessary before the return of Jesus at the end of
the age. National borders, cultural imperatives, and ethnic barriers will not
prevent the “Kingdom of God” from reaching its consummation as intended
by the one God who made all things - (Matthew 24:14).
The day is coming when the destructive
works of the Devil will vanish from the Earth. Sin, Satan, disease, and death
will be eliminated from the world forever. This grand victory will coincide
with the “arrival” of Jesus in power when he resurrects the righteous
dead, vanquishes “death” itself, rewards his faithful followers, judges
the wicked, and ushers in the final reign of God in all its grandeur - (1
Corinthians 15:20-28, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
In the interim, his people are called to
proclaim this Good News to every man, woman, and child on the Earth. And all who
do hear and respond to it in faith will receive salvation and everlasting life.
