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You will notice that this conunission involves "making disciples"
and "baptizing." There is a "calling" involved in the church's
commission. There is an appeal.
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Based upon the wording of Matthew 24:14 we have long believed that the
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only purpose of preaching the Gospel was to provide a "witness" to a
dying world. And indeed that is a significant part of why we are
here. But it's not the whole story. Other passages should be viewed
with equal emphasis -- such as the ones just quoted regarding the
commission.
Each member of God's Church, each minister, every deacon and deaconness,
every family and every individual share in that great conunission to
the Church. Each of us has a contributio�to make. Each has an
obligation.
God is not willing that any should perish (II Peter 3:9). We should
be deeply concerned about a perishing mankind. We should truly care
,1hether people respond to the calling of the Gospel or not. We should
uvoid the spirit of Jonah who seemed to resent the repentance of
Nineveh. He would rather have seen them perish! That would have put.
him "one up" on them. But our job is not to be "one up" on the world,
but to invite it into the fellowship of God's community. We should
,-1elcome those whom � calls with open arms into the "fellowship of
the spirit."
Christ is the "only one way" to the Father -- into the Kingdom. It
is only through that "one name under heaven" that men can be forgiven
of sin, justified, sanctified, set apart for God's holy purposes.
O
J\.cts 4:12
We don't need to be embarrassed by the name of Jesus Christ. We
don't have to shy away from using his name because of Protestants who
misuse it. Jesus warned about being ashamed of him and his words
of denying His Name.
Mark 8:38
Once we have an idea of the real Jesus in mind we don't have to worry
about the effeminate image o�ofessing Christainity. Jesus was a
robust, tanned outdoorsman with rugged hands and a vigorous personality.
He is the Christ who "emptied himself" and came down and died for us.
He is the powerful Christ, our high priest and mediator, who sits even
now at the right hand of God in heaven. Our Christ is the Christ of
the Bible -- the Christ of whom we have no need to be ashamed or
p_mbarrassed !
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The message of the Church concerns Christ and what he did for mankind
and what he will do in the future as much as it concerns proclaiming
the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. It definitely concerns
what Christ will do� for any individual who will come to him through
the preaching of the Gospel.
O
We must be "about our Father's business" and preaching that total
Gospel which is not Protestant but biblical.