ABSTRACT
The exegesis of Mark 16:14-18
revealed that the main command is to “preach the Gospel” whilst “going” is a
participle supporting the main command. Preaching the Gospel to all creatures
encompasses evangelization and discipling the members converted which would
result in both qualitative and quantitative growth. The study was conducted at
the Asante Akim Central Baptist Churches (AACBC‟S) through the administration
of questionnaire, interviews and the report of Asante Akim Central Zonal
Ministers and Church Workers Conference (AACZMCWC) held at Truth Baptist
(Konongo-Odumasi. A number of relevant written materials such as biblical
commentaries and handbooks were consulted. The research has revealed that the
numerical growth of Baptist Churches in the district is not up to the
projections that some ministers and church leaders have proposed for their
various churches. The study recommends intensification of outreach programmes
that would ensure qualitative and quantitative growth of all Baptist Churches
in Asante Akim Central District.
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
One of the popular passages that
renowned evangelical preachers have made reference to is Mark 16:14-16. The
reference is done especially during Evangelism and Mission Conferences. Mark
16:14-18 and Matthew 28:18-20 are popularly referred to as the “Great
Commission”. The text enjoins Christians to preach the Gospel and initiate
members into the Christian Community. Ghana Baptist Convention Churches are
distinctively known to treasure God‟s word in all their endeavours. The word of
God is the standard in everything they do. This thesis seeks to conduct an
exegetical study of Mark 16:14-18 and its implications on Missionary Work of
the Ghana Baptist Convention Churches in the Asante Akim Central District and
come out with suggestions that would enhance their growth.
1.2 Background to the study
There are many reasons why the
church should engage in world evangelism, but the paramount reason is the
command of Christ. It is generally assumed that the Greek word “poreuqe,ntej”
in Mark 16:15 is an imperative and constitutes the last command from Christ.
The Greek word “poreuqe,ntej ” is not an imperative but it is an aorist participle
and should be translated “having gone” or “as you are going”. This in no way
diminishes the full force of the statement. Jesus knew that in the course of
events or as a result of persecution they would soon find themselves scattered
to all parts of the empire.1 Jesus brought together His own mission from the
Father with the mission that He sent the disciples.2 The “pa,sh| th/| kti,sei”
in Mark 16:14-18 stresses the universality of their proclamation. A mission is
not only work for God, but work with God. The work is to be
In 1849 the foreign mission board
of the Southern Baptist Mission in United State of America sent Rev. Jefferson
Bowen to start Baptist in Nigeria. He was converted in 1840 and appointed
missionary by the Foreign Mission Board and he was sent to Africa the same
year. The foreign Mission Board handed over the leadership of the Church to indigeneous
Nigerians but played supervisory role and offered assistance to the Nigeria
Baptist Conventon until 1961. In 1947, the Nigeria Baptist Convention sent
request to Nigeria Baptist Mission to send missionaries to Ghana and they
responded to the request by sending Rev J.A. Idowu and Rev. H.R. Littleton to
Ghana in 1948. In 1952, Rev. Littleton established the first indigenous Baptist
Church at Boamang in the Ashanti Region. In 1963 at the Nigeria Baptist
Convention Annual Session, the Ghana Baptist Conference was granted
independence and in January 1964, the name Baptist Conference was changed to
Ghana Baptist Convention.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
Graham Scroggie in studying Acts
1:8 came out with four concepts of witnessing. He believes that the central
theme of the Christian witness is Christ, the exclusive medium of the Christian
witness is the church, the ultimate scope of the Christian witness is the
world, and the unfailing secret of the Christian witness is the Holy Spirit.6
The mandate of preaching the gospel
to all creatures took place after Christ had resurrected. Jesus now sent His
disciples out to spread the gospel over all the world.
Christians are sent by God to do
those things that Jesus expressed in His own ministry. Jesus preached the Good
News, healed sick, taught His followers and expressed compassion and
forgiveness in practical terms. One major strand in the commission is preaching
the gospel and persuading people to believe in faith.8
Asante Akim Central District has
fifty three (53) towns and villages9 and out of the number Baptist Churches can
be found in five (5) towns and villages: Konongo, Peterensa, Odumasi, Praaso
and Konongo Lowcost. The researcher sought to find out why out of fifty three
towns and villages in the district only five of them have Baptist Churches. The
researcher would also find out if there have been attempts to establish
satellite churches in some towns and villages in the district but failed.
1.4 Research Questions
The research questions for the
study are as follows:
How did the Ghana Baptist
Convention Churches get to the Asante Akim Central District?
What measures have the Ghana
Baptist Convention Churches put in place to enhance their growth based on Mark
16:14-18?
What impacts are the Ghana Baptist
Convention Churches making in Asante Akim Central District?
What have been the challenges of
the Ghana Baptist Churches in doing missions based on Mark 16:14-18 in Asante
Akim Central District?
1.5 Methodology
The researcher adopted exegetical methodology
in chapter two but employed qualitative and quantitative approaches in chapter
four of the study. Chapter two is basically focused
1.6 Scope of study
This study is confined within the
disciplines of New Testament Studies and implication of missionary work of
Ghana Baptist Convention Churches within Asante Akim Central District. The
study is focused on Mark 16:14-18; and its implications for missionary work in
Asante Akim Central District of Ghana Baptist Convention. The study also looks
critically at the history and growth of Baptist Churches in the Asante Akim
Central District and Ghana Baptist Convention in general.
1.7 Objective of the study
Objective was to make an exegetical
examination of the text, Mark 16:14-18, and deduce its implications on
missionary work of the Ghana Baptist Convention Churches in Asante Akim Central
District. The researcher in pursuing this objective aimed at providing a
thorough study of Mark 16:14-18. The researcher also carried out an exegetical
study of the passage to illustrate the meaning of the command more clearly and
also identified the relevance of the passage and also to ascertain the problem
associated with the growth of its missionary activities within the district.
This study would provide
information that will aid the understanding of Mark 16:14-18, with its central
message of missions. The study would offer a recommendation to the Ghana
Baptist Convention Churches in Asante Akim Central District about the effective
ways of organizing missions in order to attain the needed growth. The study
would enhance our understanding of missions and its impacts on church growth.
The study would also serve as a guide for future researchers on issues of
church growth.
1.9 Limitations of the study
No good study could be conducted
without going through many challenges and for that reason the researcher
positioned himself well to work around the clock to make this study a
successful one. This study is focused on Mark 16:14-18 and its implication on
missionary work of Ghana Baptist Convention Churches in Asante Akim Central
District. The following limitations were encountered:
Accessing vital information
relating to the mission work in the district was difficult since keeping
information in print in rural areas were not common. Tight schedules of some
key members whom the researcher wanted to interview were not possible because
the nature of their work did not permit them. Besides the above points raised,
to travel from Konongo to some villages like Praaso, Peterensa, Domeabra,
Odumasi to seek for some information that would aid the study was cumbersome
and time consuming.
1.10 Literature Review
Scroggie
argues that the Great Commission in Mark 16:14-18 is the Churches‟ marching
orders. A Church which is not missionary is not Christian. Every Christian has
the right to hear the Good News and everyone who has heard it is under an
obligation to proclaim it.
The researcher agrees with Scroggie
that everyone who hears the good news is under obligation to proclaim to
others. However, Scroggie fails to talk about the training they have to receive
before they can share the gospel with other people. The researcher believes
that converts can communicate meaningfully and effectively after they have
gained the needed knowledge and skills. This study will also help the
researcher to ascertain how Baptist Church leadership in Asante Akim Central
District prepare their members to share the gospel to others who are not in the
Christian faith.
According to Adeyemo the Great
Commission is a command to go with the Good News to all creation.11 He opines
that the Commission was backed by authority and all Christians have a mandate
of sharing it with the world. The author further stresses that to obey God‟s
command to preach the gospel is the most exciting, most urgent and most
necessary task in the world.12 The researcher commends the author for his
contribution that the Great Commission is a command and no other task comes
with such authority but the author did not use the Greek text to establish his
claim. The researcher will use the Greek text to establish if the Great
Commission is a comm. and and binding on all disciples of Christ or not.
Foli emphasizes that churches
prefer to remain where they are than making an attempt to move forward.13 He
further explains that since Church growth cannot occur instantly, but realize
over a period of time, church leaders who are interested in seeing growth must
be future oriented.14 For the author to say that churches prefer to remain
where they are rather than growing and church leaders who are interested in
seeing growth must be future oriented is not the true picture in most of the
churches. The researcher disagrees with the author because his argument lacks
any documental evidence. Besides, he generalizes his
Uzodinma identifies two
interdependent action steps to do the Great Commission: “go”, and “baptizing”,
He gives implications to the steps: “go” implies evangelism and missions;
“baptizing” also implies churching converts. He believes that the process
engages both the Christian leader and the believer, and the task includes
commitment, obedience, discipline and perseverance. The author identifies the
word preach in Greek as “khru,xate” which calls for the proclamation of the
gospel. He states further that in proclaiming the gospel one has to disciple
those who believe the message. He defines a disciple of Christ as a believer
who has a steadfast disposition to acquire knowledge of Him and His teachings
as well as His lifestyle and skills.15 The researcher commends the author for
his significant contribution made that “go” implies evangelism and mission
whereas “baptizing” implies growing convert but identifies his failure to
employ the Greek to establish his position. In view of that, the researcher
will do an exegetical study of the text to establish an imperative or command
from the pericope.
Alan
shares that the scope of Jesus‟ earthly ministry, and the teaching work of the
disciples had been deliberately restricted to the “house of Israel” and
preaching to the Gentiles was excluded (Matt 10:5-6). The earthly ministry of
Christ was to the Jews first (Rom 15:8); the ministry of the risen Christ is to
all without distinction.16 The researcher agrees with the author that Jesus‟
earthly ministry was restricted to the house of Israel but ministry of the
risen Christ was to all without distinction. This means all people no matter
their ethnicity, colour, and race have the right to hear the gospel and to make
informed decision about it. The author
however, fails to employ the Greek text to substantiate his points. The
researcher would make use of an exegetical methodology of the text under study
to establish that fact or otherwise. The researcher will also find out from
Baptist Churches in Asante Akim Central District if some communities and
individuals have been ignored from hearing the gospel or the gospel is being
preached to all men without any distinction.
Hendrikson notes that the Great
Commission signifies what the Lord has ordered. He has promised to impart all
the needed strength to all men who obey the command of preaching the gospel to
all men. He identifies khru,xate (preach) as having an imperative force. He
goes further to state that “preaching” focuses on winning the mind, the heart
and the will for God and the truth learned must be put to practice,
appropriated by the heart, mind and will. He states preaching and baptising go
hand in hand. He notes that teaching should continue throughout the lives of
those who believe and have been baptised.17 The author is commended for
identifying “khru,xate” (preach) as the main verb and imperative of the Great
Commission and that would help the course of this study. The researcher would
resort to the Greek text to analyse the text syntactically to establish the
imperative and participle from the text.
Brown analyzing Jesus‟ mandate to
the disciples stresses that to all creatures in Mark 16:15 is a universal call
applies to all people including their cultures. The author further shares that
when one believes the gospel everything about the person changes and this
transformed person becomes the representative of Christ in that particular
environment. The transformed believer has a mandate to share his/her Christian
faith to other people in that community for them to be converted.18 The
researcher agrees with the author that the gospel should not be limited to certain
kinds of people no matter their social disposition in life. The problem is that
the author fails to employ the Greek text to establish his claim.
The researcher will find out from
members of the Baptist Churches in the district some challenges they go through
in sharing the gospel to people in their communities who are not Christians.
Malphurs sees the Great Commission
as the mandate for the church and the imperative is to “preach”.19 He further
identifies other portions of the Gospels that constitute the Great Commission.
They include: Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-49, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8. He
shares that evangelism and discipleship process are the two main dimensions of
constituting new believers in Christ. He urges that Christian leaders should
make time to nurture converts who come into the Christian faith. He blames
Christian leaders for not having program to nurture converts and that
constitute their difficulty of sharing their faith.20 The researcher commends
the author for his good work. He was emphatic that to preach the gospel is an
imperative however; he fails to use the source language to establish his
points. It is for this reason that the researcher would employ an exegetical
methodology
to identify the main command of
Mark 16:14-18. The researcher will find out from leaders of the Baptist
Churches in Asante Akim Central District measures they have put in place to
disciple converts into maturity.
Akins suggests that Churches should
have proper measures in place to evangelize the world. The purpose of doing an
outreach program is to share the gospel and win others for Christ. He urges
Christians not to force anyone to believe the gospel. The mandate for eveyone
who believes is to share the gospel but the conviction will come from the Lord.
21 The author‟s comments are commendable and will help the researcher to find
out from the Baptist leadership in the district measures they have put in place
to evangelize the district and some challenges confronting them in doing
evangelism and mission work in the
Autrey is of the view that from the
pulpit to pew a church must work passionately to see people continually coming
to Christ. Pastors, church officers and Sunday school teachers must have the
desire to see people find Christ as Saviour. The work of evangelism is
primarily the task of the church. Evangelism must always be vitally related to
the church. He further states that evangelism is an imperative for the local
church. The church which ceases to evangelize neglects one of its primary
reasons for existing and begins the process of decline. He continues that the
churches in the New Testament era were evangelistic. Evangelism is a mandate to
the local church.22 The researcher commends the author for his good works on
evangelism because evangelism serves as a wheel for the growth of the church.
The researcher agrees that without evangelism there will be no growth in the
church. The author states categorically that evangelism is an imperative for
the local church and to cease to evangelize neglect one of the church primary
reasons to exist and begin the process of decline. Though the author fails to
state if the imperative applies to all churches at all times or not, the
researcher will assess critically how Baptist Churches in Asante Akim Central
District are committed to evangelizing the whole district for Christ and
recommendations will be made but that will be based on the researcher‟s
findings.
Ken says that the mandate for being
witnesses for Christ is clear and unimpeachable. Jesus spoke of the value of
the souls of men and the need to confront them with the gospel before His
resurrection. Jesus also gave the evangelistic work order, not only to His
disciples but to all believers. Ken further notes that Jesus‟ commission to His
disciples is a straightforward statement describing the desire of Jesus for all
Christians to evangelize the world. The imperative command is the word
“proclaim”. The going is implicit and
Reisinger believes that the Great
Commission has three distinct parts, make disciples, baptize them and teach
them. It is not the Christian‟s prerogative to leave out any one of them. He continues
that the first part of the commission is to go and make disciple that is
seeking to bring men into a right relationship with God. He shares that a
disciple is a learner of the teachings, a follower of the teacher and one who
conforms to the teacher and the teachings. The second part of the goal is to
baptize them. The author argues that the third part of the commission “teaching
them....” is a long life ministry. That is seeking to bring them into a right
relationship to the word of God.25 The researcher agrees with the author and
his points raised. This will help the researcher to find out if all the points
raised by the author are applicable to the Baptist Churches in Asante Akim
Central District.
Roland shares that the commission
in Mark 16:15 is one dominant and controlling imperative, while the verb form
is participle. The Greek word “poreuqe,ntej” translated “go” is a participle
and could be translated “going” or “as you go”. Likewise, the word translated
“baptizing” is participle. While this participle is immensely important, the
imperative “preach” is of superlative importance. He emphasises that lack of
compassion for souls is the greatest tragedy of Christians and of churches
throughout the world. He further notes that the master used every method of
evangelism that all men might be saved.
He preached with power, and He
taught God‟s truth to all who would learn of Him. He rebuked hypocrisy, He wept
over the sin-burdened, He exhorted the unrepentant, and He patiently called the
wavering. The author was of the view that the early disciples took the Great
Commission seriously when Jesus told them to make disciple of all nations.
Their passion for souls was kept aflame by constant spiritual fellowship with
Christ and also by continued efforts to win others. They acted under the
authoritative command of Christ the Lord.26 The researcher commends the author
for using the Greek “poreuqe,ntej” (Poreuthéntes) to establish as a participle
and khru,xate (keerúxate) as imperative. The researcher would carry out an exegesis
of Mark 16:14-18 in order to reveal why khru,xate is the main command in the
pericope. The researcher would also conduct a study in Asante Akim Central
Baptist Churches to establish whether the author‟s assertion that churches have
no compassion for the lost souls is true or not and make recommendation that
will be based on the findings.
Wimber stresses that Christians can
fulfil the commission with the love of God. He further notes that before Jesus
commissioned them to go, He resourced them with the power required to do it. He
opines that every Christian has been called to the harvest field. Though there
is always a need for more workers, there has never been a time in this century
when so many workers and programme have been tilling the fields. He further
stresses that when proper measures are not put in place, fulfilling the mandate
will be impossible.27 The researcher agrees with the author that Jesus
resourced the disciples with the power they required. Christian leaders should
resource or equip their members before they send them to preach the gospel. The
researcher would like to find out from the leadership of Asante Akim Central
Baptist Churches measures they have put in place to equip their members in
reaching out the district for Christ. Recommendation will be made based on the
findings of the researcher.
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