Cameroon Bible Institute

To wrap up the discussion on the mission of the church, let me do a shorthand response.

The Church has as its mission to reach the nations with the gospel of the Kingdom of God, to gather a harvest for God, for the colonization of earth, preparing creation for the glorious return to the eternal Eden in the very presence of God!

This mission, however, will only be achieved if two others are properly established and pursued, namely; WORSHIP and FELLOWSHIP.

As God’s Church, we have responsibility toward God (worship), one another (fellowship), and the nations (discipleship). If we must be productive in the discipleship mission, we must first be effective in worship and fellowship. It is in worship that we receive grace for fellowship and discipleship. In fellowship, we receive mutual edification and encouragement to keep pressing in spite of hard times.

These three are vitally interconnected, you cannot have one where the other does not exist as a core mission. They all aid each other in achieving its designated end. Worship helps fellowship just as fellowship helps discipleship, just as discipleship helps worship, etc.

Summarily, we cannot talk about the mission of the Church and keep aside worship and fellowship as if one can survive in the absence of the other. Discipleship (missions/evangelism) cannot accomplish anything independent of worship and fellowship.

So when next you think of the mission of the Church, remember that the whole goal of the Church’s mission is to restore the world back to God in worship, and to unite all things in Christ, into the fellowship of the Spirit, into eternal, saving communion with Christ, and fraternal commitment to one another in brotherly love. “Missions exist because worship does not” (John Piper).

Scriptural References: Exodus 3:12; 7:16; 8:1; Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 10:24,25; Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 2:42ff, etc.