Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

The Identity & Commission of the Church Selected Scriptures

The Identity of the Church Selected Scriptures

The Identity of the Church The Temple of God – Eph The Identity of the Church The Temple of God – Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5 The church is a building constructed of living stones whose purpose is the worship of God The church is a community in which the Spirit of God dwells and in which God is worshiped

The Identity of the Church A Royal Priesthood - 1 Peter 2:9-10 God extends mercy and grace to sinners to call them out of darkness into His light and family Holy - to be set apart from the world and to God Priests - mediators between God and man and performed the rituals of worship - we are living sacrifices

The Identity of the Church The Bride of Christ - Revelation 19:7-10; Ephesians 5:20-34 An analogy of the relationship between the church and the Lord Jesus Christ

The Identity of the Church Branches Branches of the Vine (John 15); Branches grafted into the Olive tree (Romans 11)

The Identity of the Church Sheep John 10:4-11; 1 Peter 5:2 Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11

The Body of Christ Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 1 & 4; Col. 1 & 2 Jesus is the head of the body and supplies what the body needs to grow Every true Christian is an individual part that is connected to all the other parts that make up the whole body

The Body of Christ Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 1 & 4; Col. 1 & 2 Whatever part, role & ability you have in the body is decided by God & is for the benefit of the entire body Every part is needed for the body to be healthy and function properly

The Body of Christ Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 1 & 4; Col. 1 & 2 The body analogy reflects both the diversity & unity of the church, and the importance of each member

The Commission of the Church Matthew 28:16-20 The Great Commission clearly states the primary task of the church in fulfilling its primary purpose The primary purpose of the redemption of man is glory of God - Ephesians 1 The Great Commission is not optional for a true Christian - discipleship is not a secondary step

Jesus’ Authority and Command Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus has unlimited authority - the emphasis of “all” and “heaven and earth” 1 verb / command - make disciples; 3 participles to fulfill the command: going, baptizing and teaching

Jesus’ Authority and Command Matthew 28:18-20 The “therefore” ensures the commission can be fulfilled because it is based on Jesus’ authority Whatever else the church does, its center of focus is to be making disciples

Definition of a Disciple Selected Scriptures A disciple is simply someone who follows the teachings of another - in a quest to be like him - Luke 6:40 A “Christian” by definition is a “little Christ” and so is a disciple of Christ - Acts 11:26

Definition of a Disciple Selected Scriptures You must first be a disciple of Christ yourself before you can teach others to follow Him - 1 Cor. 11:1

Make Disciples by Going Going encompasses evangelism and missions and involves local, cross cultural and foreign ministry “All nations” means there is no room for prejudice in the church – and we reach out to other peoples

Make Disciples by Going Going starts locally with what you know and then expands outward to what you do not know yet

Make Disciples by Baptizing Baptism is a ritual of public identification with Jesus by those who respond to the Gospel and believe It is “the name (singular) of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” - signifies the unity of the Trinity

Make Disciples by Teaching A lifelong responsibility of all Christians in helping one another walk in obedience to Christ

Jesus’ Promise Matthew 28:20 An emphatic statement which gives confidence He will enable us to fulfill the commission

People God Can Use Matthew 28:16-18 God used ordinary men to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6) because they had three characteristics 1) Available: they desired to learn whatever Jesus taught them and serve Jesus in whatever He asked of them

People God Can Use Matthew 28:16-18 2) Worshipful: the proper response of understanding Jesus’ identity and your actual relationship to Him Ministry done without a heart of worship is fleshy and feeds pride - and can turn elders into wolves

People God Can Use Matthew 28:16-18 3) Submissive: Jesus has all authority & He commanded them to go and make disciples - & they did!

God is faithful to do His part & if these characteristics mark your life, you will fulfill the Great Commission

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ