* Our Purpose Remains UnChanged

And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel 

to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; 

but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that 

believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 

They shall take up serpents: and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

(Mark 16:15-18)

The Old Testament recorded the prepared way for the fulfillment of God's purpose in the coming of Jesus Christ. The New Testament records the ministry of Jesus as He fulfilled God's will and purpose. When Jesus challenged His disciples with the vision of the harvest He said:

My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work.   (John 4:34)

The entire life of Jesus was dedicated to harvesting men and women for God.   It was the purpose of His life to reach the fields of the world:

And He said unto them, I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also; for therefore am I sent. (Luke 4:43)

When Jesus went back to Heaven, He left us with the Great Commission which is the mandate behind the vision of spiritual harvest. It is recorded in five different places in the New Testament:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  (Matthew 28:18-20)

And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents: and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.   (Mark 16:15-18)

Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.

 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.  And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.  (Luke 24:45-49)

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (John 20:21)

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

As believers, it is our responsibility to fulfill God's purpose as we are now His witness to the nations of the world.

The book of Acts records the birth and early life of the Church. The central theme is summarized in this phrase:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: “and ye shall be witnesses unto me”  both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  (Acts 1:8)

The pattern of this expanding witness can be traced throughout the book of Acts:

Acts 1:1-8-3:              Witness to the Jews

Acts 8:4-12, 25:         Witness to both Jews and Gentiles

Acts 13:1-28, 31:        Witness to Gentiles

The early church was born in a great demonstration of power as recorded in Acts 2. God began the process of creating a new body of people, the Church, through which His witness would flow to the nations of the world:

 

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ;  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God.   (Ephesians 3:9-10)

 

God's purpose is that by the Church, His plan of redemption through Jesus will be made known throughout the world.

 

The Epistles in the New Testament explain the position, order, privileges, and duties of members of the Church.  A well-ordered Church capable of not only articulation [teaching] but of demonstration [showing] of the power of God was to provide the labor force in the harvest fields of the world.

 

In Revelation 1-3, John recorded the lifestyle of seven local churches at the end of the first century. Through this record we view the condition of the Church two generations after Pentecost.

 

Some of the churches had forgotten their purpose. Some were cold spiritually and had no power. But regardless of the condition of the church reflected in these chapters, the divine purpose of God had not changed:

 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20)

 

To all mankind, God desires to reveal Himself. From the beginning of time, God's purpose has not changed  - 

 

Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.  Luke 10:2

 

 - and just as God's purpose has not changed, neither has the body of Christ!

 

Biblical Studies

05/04/20

01/26/22