The church is the Body of Christ. We are a living organism. If we are going to be healthy, we must work on being balanced. There are six major functions of the body of Christ: Prayer, Worship, Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry.
Six functions of a balanced NT church can be found in the Great Commandments and the Great Commission
GREAT COMMANDMENTS
Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Worship). This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor (Ministry) as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).
GREAT COMMISSION
All authority is given to me on heaven and earth (Prayer) therefore Go and make disciples (Evangelism) of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and Teaching them to do (Discipleship) everything I have commanded (Matt 28:19-20).
The early church practiced these six functions:
SIX FUNCTIONS OF A BALANCED CHURCH
1. “Love God with all your heart.” WORSHIP
2. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” MINISTRY
3. “All authority is given to me.” PRAYER
4. “Go…make disciples.” EVANGELISM
5. “Baptize them in the name of . . . FELLOWSHIP
6. “Teaching them to DO . . .” DISCIPLESHIP
Those who accepted his message (evangelism) were baptized; and about 3,000 were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (discipleship) and to fellowship (fellowship), to the breaking of bread and to prayer (prayer). Everyone was filled with awe … they sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need (ministry) . . . Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God (worship).
Jesus models these six functions in John 17:6-26
v. 1 “He looked toward heaven and prayed.” (Prayer)
v. 6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.” (Evangelism)
v. 8 “I gave them the words you gave me.” (Discipleship)
v.11 “That they may be one as we are one.” (Fellowship)
v.18 “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (Ministry)
Paul taught how churches can remain balanced:
“God gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of ministry, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ . . . From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
