“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
Equipping- Ephesians 4:11-12
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”
BBC will provide opportunities for BBC members to be doers of the Word and not just hearers (James 1:22-25). Paul shares in Ephesians that believers are to be equipped for the work of ministry. In addition to expositional preaching on Sunday, BBC will provide training and support to those involved in the work to which the Holy Spirit has called them. BBC will provide other outlets to equip members for service such as conferences, Bible studies, or leadership events while also clearly communicating ministry opportunities for members to put their faith into action as the Lord leads.
Sending – 3 John 6-8
“For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”
BBC will be involved in sending people for “the sake of the name” into unreached parts of the world as well to local and national missions. Whether locally, nationally, or unreached parts of the world, this focus is particularly for those who cannot go themselves but can help send others who can. We must support missionary teams through prayer, finances, and spiritual encouragement. BBC will be a sending agent for missionaries.
Going – Matthew 28: 19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Believers are called to go. To be a healthy, New Testament church, we must allow people to go to the nations. We must also encourage this. We must provide opportunities for them to carry the gospel to the nations. The church was not meant to be planted in one location, and sit, it was designed to be planted and have its roots spread out far and wide.
Why Missions at Bethel?
In accordance with Scripture, we believe that all Christians have been redeemed “so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) In response to God’s great love, we desire to “proclaim His excellencies” to all who will listen.
In the NT we see examples where the command to actively participate in the Great Commission was carried out through the ministry of the local church (Acts 2:43-47; 9:31; 11:26; 14:23; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8; 1 Timothy 3:15).