A short teaching block from our weekly Friends of BPC email. Updated each week.
On a mission, on a pathway
I just wanted to share something that sits right at the heart of who we are as a church. Before Jesus returned to his Father he told his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). That Great Commission gives our church two goals: to reach people for Christ, and to teach them to follow him. Evangelism means proclaiming the gospel to those who don’t yet believe; edification means helping believers live that gospel out. “Know Christ and make him known” captures it well.
A goal on its own can feel a little abstract, so it helps to picture a pathway that people travel as they move from not knowing Christ to maturity in him. Three simple words map that journey: connect, grow, serve. People connect to God by trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and connect to a Christ-focussed church family. A key way to grow is through a Bible study. A key way to serve is through a ministry team. One key focus of our Bible studies is personal evangelism, where we can be equipped, encourage one another, pray for one another and keep each other accountable in sharing Christ.
Read about it for yourself: Matthew 28:18–20; Luke 24:44–49
Adapted from MTS Ministry Paper 4.01 Personal Evangelism. mts.com.au/resources/ministry-training-papers/