The Primary Mission of the Church with Bryan Estelle
Oct 23, 2023
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Bryan Estelle, Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Seminary, joins Caleb to discuss the mission of the church. They explore topics such as the church's responsibilities, immortality, church discipline, the church's mission and identity, ministries of the church, teaching and preaching the gospel, and concerns on religious liberties.
The primary mission of the church is focused on spiritual realities like salvation and calling people to repent and believe in Christ.
The church's job description involves proper administration of sacraments and church discipline for the spiritual welfare and reclamation of wandering sheep.
Deep dives
The church's primary mission is spiritual
The primary mission of the church is spiritual, focused on spiritual realities like salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. This mission involves proclaiming the gospel and calling people to repent and believe in Christ.
The church's job description is defined by scripture
The church's job description is defined by Scripture, rooted in the Bible's teaching on the spiritual authority of the church. This includes the right and true preaching of the gospel, the proper administration of the sacraments, and church discipline, which is aimed at the spiritual welfare and reclamation of wandering sheep.
The distinction between spiritual and material
The church's job description focuses on the spiritual realm, making a distinction between spiritual matters that belong to the church's responsibility and ministry, and material matters that are not part of the church's primary mission. This distinction is important for proper understanding and clarity.
Church ministries and their relation to the mission
The church has various ministries that support and complement its primary mission, such as youth ministry, education, benevolence, and others. However, these ministries should be seen as extensions of the primary mission, not replacements, and they should not overshadow or compromise the primary focus of proclaiming the gospel and calling people to faith and repentance.
In this episode, Caleb discusses the mission of the church with Bryan Estelle (PhD, The Catholic University of America) Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Seminary. Together, they tackle questions like: What is the mission of the church? How does the mission of the church effect the ministries of the church? What are the dangers of misunderstanding the mission of the church? How is what the cooperate church does similar to and different from what might be permissible and good for individual church members?
Resources:
The Primary Mission of the Church: Engaging or Transforming the World? by Bryan Estelle https://a.co/d/0eTTqgy
What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert https://a.co/d/cgY8rah