The Mission of the Church with Trillia Newbell
Today I’m chatting with Trillia Newbell on the mission of the church. We talked about everything from how we see the ancient church fulfilling the mission they were given by Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded, to how we are united with them in that very same mission today. We pray this episode aids your understanding of what we have been called to as Christ followers, to go into the world by the power of the Spirit with the goal of making disciples by proclaiming the gospel for the glory of God and for the good of the world.
So you’ll know our guest a little better, Trillia Newbell is an author whose writings on issues of faith, family, and diversity have been published in Desiring God, True Woman, Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and more. She has spoken at conferences, churches, women’s retreats, colleges and seminaries, like True Woman, The Gospel Coalition Women’s conference, and Southeastern Theological Seminary. Trillia is also the Director of Community Outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention.
Can you tell us a little about who you are and what you do?
What is the mission of the church? What is it that God’s collective people are sent into the world to accomplish?
How do we see the church fulfilling this mission throughout scripture?
How do we seek to fulfill that mission today?
What unites both past and present believers in this mission?
Practically speaking, how is the church to accomplish the mission we’ve been given?
How does the gospel empower us to accomplish that mission?
How are we to go about accomplishing this mission in the context of community?
How is is impossible to achieve the mission without one another?
What is the joy in accomplishing this mission together, as the church, for the glory of God?
THREE QUESTIONS I ASK EVERY SECOND-TIME GUEST
What 3 resources would you recommend for someone who wants to better understand and participate in the mission of the church?
What's one piece of advice you'd give 25-year-old Trillia on her journey to glorify God?
What's something you're looking forward to on your journey right now?
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“In Matthew 28 we are called to ‘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.’ That’s one part of the mission of the church. We are to encourage one another as a part of the Body. Ultimately we are are to glorify God and enjoy him forever, collectively. Our goal is to glorify God, proclaim Christ, magnify Christ, and to share Christ.”
“God is building a Church for his glory and the good of the world.”
“Our call is to go to the nations, to love our neighbor.”
“In general it looks like going and getting to know our neighbor, to love those who are around us, and to proclaim the gospel.”
“Sometimes in our comfort culture, we forget that we actually need to use words.”
“We can be culturally good and spiritually dead. We need to be proclaiming with our mouth the Good News, which is our mission to go and make disciples.”
“We want to make sure that we are both proclaiming the gospel and also part of our mission is to care for the needs of those around us.”
“The gospel unites us.”
“One of the things that motivates us is that we have been forgiven much so we want to extend that grace. We know the freedom of the gospel. We are no longer slaves to sin. We’re free to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. It’s not a heavy burden because he’s taken that burden.”
“We are not going to do this perfectly. We are so thankful for what he’s done, and that compels us to go and do.”
“We are not made to live in isolation. We are not made to do this alone. The church is God’s idea and the church is made of people.”
“I am limited. Only God is unlimited.”
“We all need to call out for help when we need help.”
“There is something sweet about getting to do ministry with other people and getting to see how the Lord is working and moving.”
RESOURCES
ADVICE YOU’D GIVE 25-YEAR-OLD TRILLIA
Life is hard. God is faithful.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Matthew 28:19-20
Acts
Ephesians
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What is the mission of the Church? Where do you see that in Scripture?
How does the gospel empower us to accomplish that mission?
How are you accomplishing this mission within the context of community?
Are there things hindering you as you seek to live out the mission of the Church within the context of community?
What are you going to do or implement as a result of what you’ve learned this week?
What is your biggest takeaway from this series on the Church?
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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