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(Matthew 28:18-20)

INTRODUCTION: We are starting a new message series today called “Christ Our Purpose.” We will spend the next six weeks examining our church’s purpose statement to discover what God’s word has to say about our purpose as a church. Today’s message is on calling people to Christ. We will examine several passages of Scripture, beginning with these verses from the Gospel of Matthew. (Read Matthew 28:18-20 and pray.)

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Why do we have church? What is the church’s purpose? What are we all doing here? Until you can answer those questions as a church, it is difficult to know what you are supposed to be doing.

I once read about a church that began serving weekly chicken dinners to reach out to the community. The dinners became so popular they started serving them more frequently. Eventually, they were doing so well with the dinners, they shut down the church and became a restaurant instead! Now that is an example of a church that lost sight of its purpose!

I don’t think we are in any danger of shutting our doors and becoming a restaurant (especially if I’m cooking). But unless we have a clear understanding of our church’s purpose, we can easily become distracted or discouraged. That can happen with us as individuals as well as with the church. When you forget why you are part of the church, it is easy for you to lose interest in church. And that is when you need to get back to basics. Why do we have church in the first place?

One thing most churches and businesses do to make sure they keep on track is they have a purpose statement. A purpose statement answers those important questions: “Why are we here? What are we doing? What are we supposed to be doing?”

For example, the purpose statement for Disney is: “to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling.” The purpose statement for McDonald’s is: “to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone.” Some companies include God in their purpose statements. For example, Chik-fil-A’s purpose statement is: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward to all that is entrusted to us, and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.” For many years, ServiceMaster had the following purpose statement: 1) To honor God in all we do, 2) To help people develop, 3) To pursue excellence, 4) To grow profitably.

So, what is the purpose of a purpose statement? A purpose statement not only tells you and others why you exist, but it is also important for planning and evaluation. For example, going back to McDonald’s purpose statement: “to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone.” McDonald’s evaluates everything it does by that statement. Whether they are training employees or planning a new product, they run it by their purpose statement: “Will this fulfill our purpose?” When they evaluate an older product, they run it by their purpose statement: “Does this still fulfill our purpose?”

As churches, we should do the same thing with our purpose statements. Otherwise, why do we have them? We should plan and assess all our ministries and activities in accordance with our purpose.

Churches have an additional responsibility here. Churches need to make sure that their purpose statement possesses two important qualities: it must be biblical, and it must be balanced. A church’s purpose statement needs to be biblical because we want to make sure that we are fulfilling God’s purposes for the church and not simply our own. A church’s statement needs to be balanced because God has several purposes for the church, and we want to make sure we are fulfilling each of them.

So, let’s take a look at our church’s purpose statement. As you can see, the overall purpose of Plantation Community Church is “to make disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Everything we do as a church should be oriented around making disciples of Jesus.

But then we have identified six specific things that will help us in that overall task. (Put purpose statement up on screen and leave up until next slide.) 1) calling people to Christ, 2) helping them grow in Christ, 3) receiving them into fellowship and service, 4) involving them in personal and group worship, 5) sharing God’s love in Broward County and beyond, and 6) teaching and equipping people for ministry.

You will notice that this statement is both biblical and balanced. These purposes all come directly from the Bible, and the statement seeks to reflect the variety of things that a biblical church should be doing.

You will also notice that the statement is an acrostic. If you take the first letter of each of those six tasks, it spells out the word “Christ.” Now, an acrostic is a helpful aid for organizing and memorizing items in a list, but for us, this acrostic is so much more than just an aid. It is the heart and soul of all we do as a church.

In short, Christ is our purpose. We strive to place Christ at the center of every activity and program we undertake as a church. We achieve this by making sure everything we do aligns with God’s purposes for the church, as revealed in Scripture. We are a Christ-centered, Bible-teaching, missions-minded church.

Today, we will examine the first part of our purpose statement. The purpose of Plantation Community Church is to make disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ by calling people to Christ. So how do we do that? How do we call people to Christ? I want us to examine three things that God tells us we must do if we are to fulfill this purpose of calling people to Christ.

I. Sharing the gospel with others (Matthew 28:18-20)

First of all, God calls us to share the gospel with others. The word gospel means “good news!” We have a message to share with the world, and that message just happens to be the most wonderful news in the world. God sent his Son into the world to die for your sins and bring you back to himself. Your sins can be forgiven, your slate wiped clean, you can begin again with God. If that’s not good news, I don’t know what is. That is wonderful news. The gospel is not simply good history or good information. It is good news, and good news is meant to be shared.

   A. Jesus’ first and last commands
      – Matthew 4:19, 28:18-19

Did you know that Jesus’ first and last commands to his disciples as recorded in Scripture both have to do with sharing the gospel? When Jesus saw Andrew and Peter casting a net into the lake, he told them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). That was his first command. After Jesus rose from the dead and was ready to go back to heaven, he gave the disciples his last command. We call it the Great Commission. It’s found in Matthew 28 where Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18-19). What were Jesus’ first and last commands to his disciples? Go and share the gospel! Go and share the good news with others.

   B. All authority has been given to Jesus
      – Psalm 2:7-8; Matthew 28:18

Jesus began the Great Commission by saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). This is our basis for the Great Commission. All authority has been given to Jesus.

In Psalm 2, we read these prophetic words from God the Father to Jesus: “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession” (Ps. 2:7-8). When Jesus completed his mission on earth by dying on the cross and rising to life again, the words of this psalm were fulfilled. God gave Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth.

Jesus has authority everywhere. He is not just the Savior of a few or Savior for a certain group of people. Rather, he is the Savior of the whole world. That doesn’t mean the whole world will be saved, but rather that those in the world who will be saved must come to God through Jesus. He is the only Savior for the world.

   C. Jesus commands us to go
      – Matthew 28:19-20

In the Great Commission, Jesus first declares his authority over all things, and then he commands us to go and share the good news with others: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). This is not an option for us as believers. This is not an elective for us as a church. We must go and share the good news with others. Jesus commands us to go.

II. Telling about Christ’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

So, what do you tell people when you go to them and share the gospel? Do you simply tell them God loves them and wants to forgive them? Do you tell them what a difference God can make in their lives? Do you tell them that God has a purpose and a plan for their lives?

Those are all good things to share. But that is not what we mean by sharing the gospel. You can share all those things and more, but there are two specific things you must communicate if you are truly going to share the gospel with others. You must tell them about Christ’s death and his resurrection.

   A. The gospel has specific content
      – 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

The Bible tells us that the gospel has specific content. It is not just the general “good news that God loves you,” but there is specific content in the gospel to hold on to and believe.

The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians: “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2).

Paul is saying that the gospel or good news that he preached has specific content. He preached it; the Corinthians received it; and they took their stand on it. Paul says that it is by this gospel that you are saved. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. If you change the content of the gospel, it no longer has saving power, because it is no longer the gospel of Christ.

   B. Christ’s death and resurrection are central
      – Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

So, what is the specific content of the gospel? What is the good news that we are supposed to be sharing with others? Paul tells us in the next couple of verses: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

In other words, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection are absolutely central to the gospel. This is what is of first importance. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Christ was buried. Christ was raised again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Notice that Christ did not simply die. That’s not good news; that’s not the gospel. Paul says Christ died for our sins. That means he took our place. Jesus never sinned. We were the ones who sinned. We were the ones who deserved God’s punishment, and Jesus took that punishment for us at the cross.

But Paul says even more. Christ not only died for our sins. He died for our sins “according to the Scriptures.” In other words, this was not some strange accident or twist of fate. This was God’s plan all along.

The Old Testament Scriptures foretold what Christ would do for us. We read in Isaiah 53: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:5-6). So, that’s the first thing we do when sharing the gospel with others. We tell them that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, according to God’s plan.

But then we also tell them about Christ’s resurrection. Yes, Jesus died for our sins, but he also rose again! Jesus died for your sins. That’s good news. Jesus rose from the grave. That’s really good news.

That’s the best news ever, because that means Jesus is alive. He has conquered sin and death and the grave. When you put your faith in Christ, your sins are forgiven, and you are given the free gift of eternal life. We do not serve the memory of a religious leader who died centuries ago. We serve the risen Christ who gives us life and relationship with God every single day.

Remember, we are calling people to Christ, not just to Christianity or to the church, but to a person—the person of Jesus Christ who is alive today. We call people to Christ, and that’s what makes all the difference.

So yes, you can tell people about God and the church and all sorts of things relating to Christ. That’s all well and good, but if you are truly going to share the gospel, you must tell them about Christ’s death and resurrection. That is what is of first importance. Paul said: “[It is] by this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word … preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2).

III. Sharing with our local community and the whole world (Acts 1:8)

So, now that we know we should share the gospel with others, and we know what the gospel is, our final question is this: “With whom do we share this amazing news of Jesus’ death and resurrection?” The short answer is: “With anyone who does not know it! With anyone who does not know Christ.”

Now I love hearing the gospel. I can hear it over and over again. I never get tired of hearing about all that Jesus has done for me. In fact, we should all reflect on Christ and the gospel every day. The gospel is the basis of our Christian walk and faith.

However, if we only share the gospel with ourselves or within the church, something is terribly wrong with that picture. It’s like a group of cancer patients finding a cure and keeping it to themselves. That would not only be incredibly selfish but also morally wrong. And we are dealing with something far more serious than cancer. Cancer only affects a certain percentage of the population. Sin affects us all. Cancer can kill your body. Sin will kill your body and your soul. We have a responsibility to share the good news with all those who have not heard it.

   A. The gospel began locally and then spread worldwide

Before Jesus returned to heaven, he told his disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). If you look at those place names on a map, you see a progression. Jerusalem is at the center. That’s where the gospel started. Next, the gospel was to go out to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. And then finally the gospel was to go out to the rest of the world, to the very ends of the earth. So right from the beginning, we can see there was both a local component to sharing the gospel as well as a worldwide thrust.

   B. The same two-fold responsibility rests on us today

The same two-fold responsibility rests on us as believers today. We should be sharing the gospel locally within our own neighborhoods and communities, and we should also be involved in the worldwide spread of the gospel, especially among people who have no Christian witness and who have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. We need to do both. Both are an essential part of sharing the gospel with the world.

You would think that as Christians who have been given the good news of the gospel, the most wonderful news in all the world, the best news you could ever hear, we would all be sharing the gospel with people around us all the time. But sadly, that isn’t the case. Why is that? Why don’t we share the gospel more frequently?

Sometimes it’s due to fear. Sometimes we don’t feel equipped. Sometimes we just aren’t looking for the many opportunities God gives us each and every week. But sometimes it’s due to a lack of faith in the saving power of the gospel and a lack of love for other people who desperately need Jesus

I once saw a church sign that said: “Friends don’t let friends die without Jesus.” If we really believe the gospel and we really love the people around us, then we will tell them what God has done for them through Christ. And if we really believe that Jesus is the Savior for the whole world, then we will be committed to world missions as well—praying for missions, giving to missions, and being willing to go with the gospel ourselves, should God call.

CONCLUSION: What is the purpose of Plantation Community Church? Why are we here? Our purpose is to make disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we do that first of all by calling people to Christ.

Now, as we will see in the coming weeks, there is more to discipleship than just coming to Christ, but that is where we start. If we are going to fulfill God’s purposes for us as a church, we must call people to Christ. If we are not calling people to Christ, then we are not fulfilling God’s purposes for his church—we might as well go sell chicken dinners.

You might ask, “But what do I tell them?” If this is an area of struggle for you, we will be doing some evangelism training at the church in the coming months. I encourage you to sign up and participate. You will learn a lot.

But you don’t have to wait for the class, because it’s really not that difficult. What do you tell them? Tell them God loves them. He loves them so much that he gave his only Son for them. Tell them Jesus died for their sins and rose again from the grave. Tell them Jesus is alive today and offers them forgiveness for their sins and the free gift of eternal life.

Isn’t that simple? Let me say that again, but this time let me direct it to you personally. God loves you. He gave his only Son for you. Jesus died for your sins. He rose again from the grave. Jesus is alive today, and he offers you forgiveness for your sins and the free gift of eternal life.

That’s pretty simple to share. I can do that, and you know what? So can you.

© Ray Fowler

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