The Internet and Our Two-Fold Mission

Presenter's Notes

The Internet: Preaching the Gospel, Preparing a People

UCG believes in a two-fold mission for the church, that of preaching the Gospel and making disciples, or, as we like to put it, “preparing a people”.

In the history of the modern church, it’s leaders have done their best to take advantage of the latest in technologies to make the words of truth available to every corner of this round globe; print, radio, television, and in the last 20 years, the internet. All of these media are in use by the church, today, but the Internet, by far, offers the greatest potential for sharing the Gospel across this earth by print, voice, and video, and probably for the least amount of money – if used wisely.

The commission is clear that the Gospel is to be preached to all nations…

Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. …

13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

This commission alone gives us no excuse to limit our efforts, because, at the very least, the Gospel is intended to be a witness to this whole world. But, the nature of the preaching encourages something much more significant in purpose…

Matthew 28: 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

So, the purpose is not only to get the WORD out, so to speak, but to be an avenue by which our Father in Heaven will draw in new believers, even to create a unified body called the church…

Ephesians 4: 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

With our marching orders clearly understood, and knowing full well we as a church will use every form of media available to us to preach the Gospel and prepare a people, my purpose, today, is to take you on a short guided tour of the new UCG.ORG to help you become familiar with it and also show you how you can contribute (IF, IF, IF you use the internet) to our great commission.

TAKE THE TOUR

http://bit.ly/ucg-user

Going back to Ephesians…

Ephesians 4: 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

It’s wonderful to know God’s plan for mankind. It’s a great privilege that any of us can be involved in both preaching the Gospel and being prepared for Christ’s return so that we may receive the gift of eternal life in God’s family. Please pray for the success of the Church if fulfilling our marching orders, and also pray for ways you can help make God’s plan known to others as well as ways to edify your brethren in the Church of God.