After Jesus’ resurrection and before his ascension into heaven he commissioned the church with a task: to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). As the church, we are God’s announcement to the world that he’s up to something: that he’s reconciling all things to himself. What we broke, he’s fixing. What was lost, he’s found. What separated us from him, he’s paid for. What we did against him, he forgives.

Today, many view the church skeptically as a building that people go to for religious programs. Or worse. Just ten years ago, The Barna Group, a religious research organization, surveyed non-believers between the ages of 16 and 29 in the United States and asked them what they thought about Christians, those surveyed said Christians are judgmental (87% of responders) and hypocritical (85% of responders).

But the church isn’t a building we come to. It’s a mission we choose to be part of. It’s the people of God who come together for the mission of God.

WHY THE CHURCH EXISTS

God addresses the creation of human beings from the first pages of the Bible. In Genesis 1, we’re told that God created human beings “as his image”. To be the image of God is to be the physical representative of God in creation. As representatives, we are called to extend God’s influence in the world. In the garden, Adam was told to “rule and subdue”. In the New Testament, there’s a clear call that our main way of extending God’s influence is to share the hope of the gospel.

The church building or weekly service is a place and time for us to regularly come together to be strengthened, encouraged, and equip so that we can go out and engage in the mission of God.

The church exists because God loves us and created the church to share his message of love with the lost. But, let’s be honest, the church hasn’t always done the best job of showing the world who or what we’re all about: the person and work of Jesus. We’ve gotten distracted by other messages and obscured this message of God’s reconciliation and coming kingdom.

Sharing God’s love with the world has two components: become like Jesus and join him on mission.

BECOME LIKE JESUS

Before we can share the love of Jesus with the world around us, we must first understand the grace that has been extended to us. James 4:8 encourages us to draw near to God. We are each called to spend time with Jesus on our own and in the context of a larger church community. This might look like spending time in prayer, singing worship music, or meditating on the truths in God’s Word. Participating in gospel-centered community like a weekend worship service, life group, or Bible study is another way to grow in your walk with Jesus.

JOIN JESUS ON MISSION

Jesus, through the power of the Spirit, continues to build up his church to demonstrate the reality of God’s reconciling work. If we accept the Gospel, we are also accepting the call of the Gospel to become ministers of the Gospel. We are God’s campaign billboard for this message – and this is living on mission.

Matthew 28:19 commands us to “go and make disciples of all nations”. You don’t have to move across the world to live on mission – there are plenty of opportunities to do this right in your own backyard! Living on mission includes living generously with our time, talent, and treasure. Generosity is commanded by Jesus throughout his ministry and is a keystone habit for all Christians. We should also serve others and seek opportunities to invite others to find and follow Jesus.