Mandate of Followers of Christ

God is a planner. He has objectives. He has a pattern for everything He does. He declares the end from the beginning.

God works by mandates. As Creator He speaks the Word; the Word goes into action in the power of the Holy Spirit to produce the expected result.

God gave His Son a mandate for planet earth. The mandate of Jesus has three distinct assignments in two comings spanning over three dispensations with three finishing points.

The first assignment as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” has taken place.

The second assignment in His second coming is to sit on three thrones of glory to judge Christians, Gentiles and Jews in that order.

The third assignment in His second coming is to reestablish God’s literal kingdom with earth dwellers, rule the earth for 1,000 years with a rod of iron in order to restitute all things to conform to the decree of the Godhead and render account to the Father to resume His position as all in all.

On completion of His first coming assignment and before He ascended into heaven where He came from Jesus gave His followers a mandate for His church.

The mandate Jesus gave to His followers is expressed in what is known as the Great Commission. This is my paraphrase of that mandate.

“As My Father sent Me, so I send you to go into all the world and preach the gospel of grace of God to every creature baptizing those who believe in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, making them disciples with signs following by teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you to teach and do.”

The original Apostles understood what the Lord meant when He said “I will build my church.” They complied with the demands of the mandate without wavering.

The church of Jesus Christ has one foundation. It has no fractional units. It’s different from what is mostly known as church in the world today. The church of Jesus Christ is people, the Ekklesia, called-out from Jewish and Gentile nations.

The original Apostles of the Lord followed the mandate given by the Lord Jesus Christ in making disciples of all nations. Few congregations in the world today measure up to the standard set by the original apostles, which the Lord commanded that we should imitate.

If the original Apostles were alive today they would not recognize many church organisations as the church of Jesus Christ; neither would they understand a building or a denomination registered by civil authority as the church of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Christ is the head of His church, which is a mystical body. The builder of the church is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit builds the church in the following manner:

By the implantation of a Hypostatic Chip in the heart of individuals after hearing the gospel of grace of God, conviction of sin and manifestation of godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted.

By taking charge of ‘families of God’ operating as cell fellowships of those infused with Hypostatic Chips. In times of severe persecution, cell fellowships cell become alternate family units for mutual support and the propagation of the faith.

The basic qualification for joining the church of Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the Lord’s command to be born again. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  (Jn 3:3).

In view of the monumental falling away and apostasy happening in the organised church lately, it’s my considered opinion that this is the time to return to the twelve Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship standards in order to fulfil the Lord’s mandate to believers and in anticipation of His soon return.