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The mission of the global Church – what is it exactly?

In today’s Clarion Letters, we’ll explore this question. Learn how you can advance Christ’s mission for His Church – wherever you are and wherever you go.

Christ’s purposes for His Church are bi-directional. They involve it:

• Internally growing to get stronger
• Externally growing to get larger

Accomplishing both requires knowing, experiencing, and sharing three aspects of God: His ways, His works, and His Word. Often churches (local Ecclesia) are inclined to trade one for the other. While the scriptures reveal all three and are the primary reference points for each, all three are not limited to the scriptures.  Therefore when:

Writing of God’s works, John wrote, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” – John 21:25.

Writing of God’s ways, Paul wrote, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! – Romans 11:33.

Writing of God’s word, David wrote, “Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” – Psalms 119:89-176.

Let’s further explore the ways, works, and word of God and how you, I, and the world can come to know and experience them.

The Ways of God

To know God’s ways is to know Him personally.  When we come to respect His ways, He bestows His favor and presence upon us (Exodus 33:13a). God’s ways are how He operates and interacts with His creation. They reveal His ever-constant personality and nature. Knowing God’s works is not the same as knowing His ways. His ways must be pursued to be known.

Amazingly, after seeing miracle upon miracle, Moses had not really known God’s ways. So, he earnestly asked God:

“…please let me know Your ways so that I may know You…” (Exo 33:13a).

Shortly afterwards, God answered Moses’ prayer. As God revealed Himself and walked in front of him, Moses began exclaiming and crying out, “The Lord! The Lord God! compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, faithful, lavishing love to a thousand generations, forgiving, righteous judging!”. Moses got to experience several ways of God simultaneously.

God’s ways are not like ours. But with the help of His Spirit, we can participate in them:

Through these he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, – 2 Peter 1:4

Have you experienced God’s ways for yourself? He offers you a personal invitation. For more on God’s ways, check out “The God of Our Future”.

The Works of God

Knowing God’s works entails observing Him in action and sharing it.  Speaking of Jesus, John and Peter said, “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:20

God is moving all over the world at this very moment.  Evidence and testimonies are getting produced hourly.

How does this relate to the Church’s mission? Because we are instructed to, “Make His works known among the peoples”; – Isaiah 12:4.

God had Moses’ place three objects in the Ark: A golden jar with manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of covenant.  All three testified by physical evidence to make known His works. God has also made it clear that He wants His works proclaimed from one generation to the next, “one generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” – Psalms 145:4

God’s work has two aspects: His works for you and His works through you.

Works done for you is testimony of God’s acts in your personal life. It may come to a surprise, but the first commissioned missionary in the New Testament was a homeless and demonic psychotic living amongst caves. Jesus, knowing his condition, traveled many miles by water to minister to him personally. Shortly after encountering Christ, he was found sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane.  He begged to follow the Lord, but the Lord had a different purpose for him: to share what God had done for him:

But Jesus sent him home, saying, “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So, he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him. – Luke 8:38b-39.

What has God done for you that He may want you to share? 

Works done through you is Him touching other’s lives through yours. Jesus modeled the type of work He wants to perform through you:

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. – Matthew 10:8

We are also called to perform unique works of God according to the specific functions in the Body He has designated for us (Ephesians 2:10-11). Just like there are different types of works and specialties in a construction project, each of us have unique roles in building up His church according to His blueprints, schedule, and overall design.

Are you walking in the works He’s planned?

The Word of God

The last aspect of the Church’s mission is to know and share the word of God. God’s word takes several forms. We see a progressive revelation of it since the beginning of time. Each form reveals His light, and this light brings life and truth.

• Spoken form – God’s first spoken word recorded was, “let there be light!”. His light entered and energized every substance during the beginning of earth – bringing it life.
• Written form – The Holy Spirit breathed on men to record certain words. These words were written to give “light unto our paths” (Psalms 119:105). Penmanship started around 1450 BC and ended around 95 AD with John on Patmos. Copies of originals were very limited. Most only had opportunity to listen to the word being read by various individuals at various times at various locations (leaders of churches, etc.). It wasn’t until 1450 AD with the invention of the printing press that the written word of God became widespread globally. Hence, many reside in homes today. Today, it remains the #1 best-selling book of all time. For more on the scriptures, read this teaching: Back to the Basics – The Scriptures.
• Physical form – Jesus is the physical embodiment of the word of God and the life and light of mankind (John 1:4). God testified to this by displaying bright lights in the sky at His birth (the star of Bethlehem and heavenly hosts). He was the light God spoke in the beginning to create all things. He is eternal and currently dwelling in an inapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16).

The first two forms of God’s word – His spoken and written forms – point to the third – Jesus the Messiah (2 Timothy 3:15-17). While the scriptures are complete, God still speaks today in a variety of ways – prophecy, spiritual gifts, dreams, visions, a still small voice, images, the scriptures, circumstances, others, messengers, and sometimes audibly. To learn more about hearing God, see Four Keys to Hearing God.

The Lord desires His word to multiply on earth (Acts 12:24). He also gave His Church precise orders on the messages and protocols to share with the world (Matthew 28: 18-20, Mark 16:15-20, Luke 24:45-49).

The end of this age will not come until this mission is accomplished and His Word reaches all people groups:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:15

Summary

The mission of the Church is to know and make known God’s ways, works, and word. The cross was the highest demonstration of all three. Today, God’s works often testifies to His word so that it would lead us to know His ways.

The goal of all three is maturity, unity with the Lord, and the expansion of His Kingdom realm on earth.

Globally, there remains 6,825 unreached people groups and 2,200 languages with no knowledge of the ways, works, and word of God. That is 42.3% of the world’s current population.

So, suffice it to say that there is much work to be done.