PROF.
BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons)
MA, PhD.
THE ORGANIZATION AND
MISSION
OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Devotional
Text: MATT. 16:13-19
Introduction:
The word “church” is a derivation of the
Greek word “ekklesia” which means “assembly”. The word “ekklesia”
in itself has no religious connotation. It simply means assembly regardless of
the type. In other words, the words “church” and “ekklesia” can be used
to designate a religious or secular gathering. Thus, we can say, Law Assembly,
Pohtical Assembly, Women Assembly, Christian Assembly, etc.
The
designation, the church (or ekklesia) of Christ was informed by
Christ’s response to Peter’s confession of His deity. “Thou art Peter, and upon
this rock, I will build my church (ekklesia)—Thus, distinguishes between His assembly and other assemblies.
GENERAL
REMARKS
(1)
Christ is
the builder of His Church, (Matt. 16:18).
(2)
He is the
Head of the church, (Eph. 5:23).
(3)
Christ loves
the Church, (vs. 25).
(4)
He requires
a non-blemish church (vs. 27).
MEMBERSHIP OF THE CHRISTIAN
CHURCH (MARK 16:15-18)
By biblical standards, the Christian Church
should be a community of believers and not just a congregation of people. In
the words of C.D. Cole (1968), “the church is a fellowship and partnership of
believers, and believers are saved people”. This means that the true members of
the Christian church are those;
(i)
saved from
their sins, (Titus 3:5)
(ii)
justified in
Jesus Christ, (Rom 5:1)
(iii)
redeemed
through His blood, (Eph. 1:7)
Furthermore, the true members of the Church
are those born of the Spirit, (John 3:3-8). These born again believers are
biblically called saints, (Rom 1:7; II Cor. 1:1 NIV). And saints are holy
people, (1 Cor. 1:2 NIV). Therefore, anyone without the above qualification is
not a heaven-recognized member of the church.
LEADERSHIP OF THE CHRISTIAN
CHRUCH (EPH. 4:11-12)
The leadership of the Christian church is a
sacred one. This implies that its style of operation is different from that of
the world. Those in the leadership position of the church are regarded as gifts
to the church, for the purpose of equipping God’s people for the work of
service, and the building up of the Body of Christ. They carry office
designations as follows:
(i)
APOSTLES
(Eph. 4:11). An Apostle is one sent forth by God to introduce the gospel into
new areas. This introduction is attended by Signs and Wonders which confirm the
gospel. The work of an Apostle is laying the foundation for the planting of new
churches.
(ii)
PROPHETS
(Eph. 4:11). A Prophet is one through whom the gift of prophecy is consistently
manifested. This person is used by God to communicate that which God wants the
community to hear concerning a specific situation. He/she is a spokesman of the
Holy Spirit.
(iii)
EVANGELIST
(Eph. 4:11). An Evangelist is one who proclaims the simple message of salvation
to those who are non-believers, with the result that people become disciples of
Jesus and responsible parts of the Body of Christ.
(iv)
PASTOR-TEACHER
(Eph. 4:11). A Pastor-teacher is one who provides for the spiritual needs of
the flock by leading, feeding and protecting those sheep put under his/her
care. (Taken from Sign And Wonders And Church Growth by Dr. C. Peter Wagner).
THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
By the mission of the church, we mean those
programmes which the church was divinely commissioned to carry out. In view of
this, Dr. C.D. Cole, has the following to render;
(i)
The Missionary Programme; The Church is to perpetuate itself by making
disciples. There can be no church perpetuity apart from missionary
activity—(Mark 16:15).
(ii)
The Teaching Programme. The Church is to edify itself. This means
that the teaching of the Word of God to enable the disciples to observe all
things commanded by Christ, (Matt. 28:18-20).
(iii)
The Ceremonial Programme: The church is to guard the ordinances as
established by Christ, viz, baptism and Lord’s super. (See 1Cor. 11:23-26,
Matt. 28:19).
(iv)
The Benevolent Programme: The Church is to care for its poor members,
(see Rom. 15:26).
(v)
The Disciplinary Programme: The Church is to regulate itself. It is to
keep itself pure and chaste by disciplinary measure. Christ gave the church the
discipline-commission in Matt. 18:18. Paul in a Command directed the church at
Corinth to exclude the man guilty of incest, (1Cor. 5:13). He commanded the
church at Thessalonica to withdraw fellowship from every brother that walked
disorderly (I Thess. 3:6).
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