ALL NATIONS FOR CHRIST BIBLE

INSTITUTE INTERNATIONAL

THIRD TRIMESTER
ASSIGNMENT

EXPLAIN THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN THE LOCAL CHURCH AND
MISSION

COURSE: MISSION

OKHIDE JAMES
19110

DECEMBER 2019
For over two centuries churches and mission agencies have worked together with
mutual respect in seeking to accomplish the task of world evangelization. For the most
part this cooperative effort has been quite effective, and thousands of workers have been
sent from churches through mission agencies in obedience to our Lord’s mandate to
bring the Gospel to every nation.

The Biblical Basis For The Mission Agency

Mission boards are rooted in the Bible itself. Many appeal to the Bible as the basis for
the opposite conclusion.
For example, the congregation at Antioch in Acts 13 is usually the final court of appeal
for those who insist that the local church has the sole sending authority and is the sole
sending agency for the missionary.1 Did not Holy Spirit say to the church “Set apart to
me Barnabas and Saul...”(Acts 13:2)? And did the church not “send them away” (Acts
l3:3)?
Indeed He and they did! But the force of the Greek verbs in this crucial text is often
overlooked. Contrary to expectations, “set apart,” which is from the more common
Greek word, hagiazo, (which means to sanctify) is not used. Rather, we find a much
stronger word, aphorizo. In Matthew 25:32 this word is used to describe the separation
of the sheep from the goats at the judgment day. And again, in Galatians 2:12, it
describes Peter’s withdrawal from the believing Gentiles.
It would seem to be clear, therefore, that the intent in Acts l3 is that for the sake of
reaching the Gentiles with the Gospel there was to be a change in the ministry
relationship between the team of Barnabas and Saul on the one hand and the Antioch
church on the other.
This dramatic delegation of authority is fortified by another potent verb in verse l3:
“They sent them off.” Here the word is apolouo, translated as “divorce” in Matthew
5:32 and as being “set free” from prison in Acts 26:32.

In one sense the commission to missions was given to every individual

Christian. But in another sense it was given primarily to local churches. Each
of us individually is called to obey Christ’s command to make disciples who
know and obey his Word. But how does he intend us to do that? His Word is
clear—normally we are to pursue obedience, build up disciples, and plant
other churches through the local church. The local church makes clear who
is and who is not a disciple through baptism and membership in the body
(Acts 2:41). The local church is where most disciplining naturally takes place
(Heb. 10:24–25). The local church sends out missionaries (Acts 13:3) and
cares for missionaries after they are sent (Phil. 4:15–16; 3 John 1–8). And
healthy, reproducing local churches are normally the aim and end of our
missionary effort (Acts 15:41; Titus 1:5).
The role of the local church is not merely to assess but also to actively equip
missionaries. We may not know a lot about specific cultures, learning
languages, or even historical issues that shape a people’s attitudes toward
the gospel. But the local church is the perfect place—God’s appointed place—
to grow Christian character, encourage general fruitfulness, and transmit
sound Bible doctrine. We shouldn’t let a few things we might not know keep
us from faithfully and assertively stewarding the responsibility for missions
God has given churches. Churches are where faithful missionaries are made.
If our churches do a good job in our basic responsibilities, then we have all
we need to raise up godly missionaries.