Cameroon Bible Institute

CHAPTER
6: THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

                    After Israel failed God through her
disobedience, God raised another group through which He could reveal His plan
of salvation to the world. This group is called The Church. The church, which
also means the “called out ones” is also considered as the “New Man”, the
“Body of Christ”, the “Royal Priesthood”, the “Flock of God”, the “Temple of
God”, the “Church of all saints”, the “Bride of Christ” etc. It was established
after the apostles received the Holy Spirit in the upper room on Pentecost day.
It is made up of all who have believed in Jesus Christ (Believers, Christians).
They have been born again and are leaving in obedience to God’s word. These
believers have banded themselves in organizations and fellowships with the goal
of accomplishing the mission for which it was created.   

           The
mission of the church is to accomplish the greatest assignment given to the Apostles
on the day Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. This assignment, also known as The
Great Commission, compels  the church to
go to the ends of the world and preach the Gospel or Good News of salvation
through Jesus Christ (Act 1:8, John 15:16, Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:14-16).

           At one
point in time, the apostles missed out on this assignment and were rather
attending to the physical, material and social needs of the Christians. Other
attacks came upon the church such as persecution, doctrinal errors and sin and
derailed their focus. That notwithstanding, the mission of the church which is
to preach the good news must be carried out, irrespective of the challenges it is
facing. As God sent His only son to save the world (John 3:16-17), so too
should the church send missionaries to the perishing souls in the world to
preach the gospel of salvation through our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. 

        The mission of The Great Commission was
not given without empowerment. In Act1:8, the disciples were instructed by
Jesus Christ to wait in the Upper Room for power through the Holy Spirit, after
which they will have the authority to preach the gospel. The evidence of the
importance of this power is stated in Act 2 where Peter preached and 3000
people accepted Christ after he had received authority and power through the
Holy Spirit. This was the beginning of the birth of the church. God appointed
leaders such as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist and Pastors to ensure the smooth
running of the church which is also the Body of Christ. Spirit filled believers
were also given spiritual gifts for the edification and comfort of the church.

         The church increased numerically as time went
on. Due to persecution, the Christians were scattered out of Samaria and Judea
(Acts 8:1, 4), thus fulfilling the word of God in Acts 1:8. As they moved to
these areas, they continued preaching the gospel and establishing new churches.
Some apostles like Paul and Barnabas became cross-cultural preachers, preaching
the gospel to the Gentiles.