In the days when Jesus walked this earth most of His teachings were outside the synagogue. He spent most of His time outside the temple teaching and preaching to the multitudes. He actually rebuked the religious people and over turned the money tables when they were buying and selling items inside the temple.
In Mark 16:15 after the resurrection of Jesus He came back to give the great commission to the disciples and said “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation”. All creation is outside the church buildings! All creation include those that do not go to church.
In my opinion the church should be a place to equip the saints or holy ones to be sent out. I believe the modern church has things backwards and labeled ‘a hospital for sinners’. No the church should be a place for the godly ones to be equiped for the work of service. We pray for the Christians to be healed when we are to be the healed of the Lord. We pray for the Christians to be delievered when we are to be the ones set free. We pray for the Christians for finances when God has provided all our needs according to His riches in glory.
The church should be the center of training and equiping the body of Christ for the work of service.
Ephesians 4:7-13
“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,
“When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for thework of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
We as the body of Christ should consider that the work of service is done outside the four walls of church. We are to be equipped to go out into all the world. Of course not everyone is called to be a pastor of a church, to plant churches as an apostle would, but every Christian has a calling to preach the Gospel to share the good news. Every Christian has a ministry. That ministry is the work of service; to do what Jesus did on this earth.
Jesus did the works of His Father, laying hands on the sick, preaching the gospel and casting out demons!
Mark 16:15-18 is not a commission to just a select few. Read it here:
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17These signs will accompany those who have believed in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they willlay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Those who have believed IN MY NAME… Do you believe in the Name of Jesus Christ? Then you are commissioned to do what Jesus did on this earth. You are the very embodiment of Jesus, if you have believed in His name and are born-again.
You are empowered by the Holy Spirit, the authority in the Name of Jesus and the love of the Father! Now get out there and be a doer of the Word!
