Developing A Biblical World View

THE REMAINING NEW TESTAMENT RECORD

To this point, this lesson has focused on the subject of the Church in the world in the book of Acts. The remaining books of the New Testament were written to and by members of the first Church under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They contain many verses about God's plan for the world.

The "For Further Study" section of this chapter provides opportunity for you to study all New Testament references on the subject of the world. Be sure to do this, as it will complete your study of the world in the Word and further develop your Biblical world view.

One important point to note as you study the "For Further Study" section relates to the Old Testament. In Romans 4 Paul refers to the promises given Abraham. These included the promise to be a blessing to the nations of the world. In the New Testament, believers are called heirs of Abraham (Galatians 3). This means we have inherited all God promised Abraham. This includes the calling to bless the nations of the world.

THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

From study of the New Testament, the task of the Church in relation to the world can be summarized as follows:

1. The Church is to present Jesus to individuals and to the world as Savior, sovereign Lord of the universe, and coming judge of mankind.

2. The Church is to lead people into right relationship with Jesus Christ so they may experience forgiveness of sins and new life in Him.

3. Through water baptism, teaching, and preaching, the Church is to establish believers in the doctrine, principles, and practices of Christian living. The Church is to teach them to "observe all things" commanded in the Word of God.

4. The Church is to congregate believers into functioning local fellowships of believers capable of fulfilling their mission to the world.

5. Each new local fellowship is to receive power from the Holy Spirit to repeat this cycle [points l through 5 above]. Through this process, new believers will be won and new fellowships will continue to be established.

The Church is to go to "all the world" with the Gospel. The next chapter will describe "The Waiting World" to which the Church is commissioned.