Page 3 - JUST WHAT IS THE CHURCH? Pt. 1

why hast thou thus dealt with us? ... And he said unto them ... wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:40-49).
[Editorial comment: A reader rightly questioned this statement. What did he mean Christ came to start the Work? Was not God active in the Old Testament period? From all that Mr. Armstrong has written, and in the particular context of this article, we gather that he was talking about Christ starting the work of the New Testament Church. The New Testament Church was started on the Day of Pentecost.]
What was His father’s business – what is the Work of God?
God sent His Son Jesus into the world in the human flesh as a Messenger with a Message. He was the Messenger of the Covenant, the NEW Covenant, as foretold in Malachi 3:1.
And what was that Message? John the Baptist was to prepare the way before Him (Mal. 3:1). Also His Message was a NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT of advance GOOD NEWS (Gospel means good news) of the future.
So we read: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee .... Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD”
(Mark 1:1, 2, 14).
How Did Jesus Start the Work of God?
1) By proclaiming the Good News of the coming KINGDOM OF GOD.
2) By calling and teaching His disciples the same Message.
Notice: “Then he [Jesus] called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils [demons], and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God ...” (Luke 9:1-2).
The Divine Commission
What is the PURPOSE of the Church – its divine Commission? To proclaim this Gospel as a witness to the world. In other words, to carry on the WORK OF GOD, which Jesus, in person, started.
After His resurrection, He gave His disciples this Commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The Commission to the Church, then, is to carry on the Father’s business to proclaim the Message of the NEW Covenant that God sent into the world by His Son and Messenger, Jesus.
Jesus gave His life for us, but He ROSE from the dead, and right now, TODAY, He is the living Jesus Christ. And [Jesus's prophecy of] His Commission being fulfilled in our day is: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end [of this age] come”
(Matt. 24:14).