The focal point of who we are as a movement, as a church, and as individual believers should be that we are followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, more than followers, we are to be disciples of Jesus Christ. The message that we live and proclaim, individually, as an autonomous cooperative Fellowship, and as a missions agency, is Jesus Christ

The Biblical Foundation

As believers, our lives are to proclaim the love of Christ in our words and deeds as we are His disciples. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 provides the mission for every believer but also a definition of a “disciple.” Since all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Christ, He is all powerful and we live under His authority. We are then to go and make disciples of all nations. According to Matthew 28:19-20, disciples are those who are baptized into and live as the family of God, live in the fullness of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), obey everything that Christ has commanded, and live in the presence of God always.

The book of Acts is filled with examples of believers in the Early Church who centered their message on Jesus Christ and lived life daily as His disciples. Just a brief perusal of Acts 2-4 proves this point. In Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost and just after the Holy Spirit filled the believers with evidence of speaking in tongues, Peter addressed the crowd, preached a sermon that centered on Jesus and declared, “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Believers were empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in Christian community, a community that honored Christ, blessed others, and was a testimony to the unbelievers of how Jesus Christ changes lives (Acts 2:42- 47).

In Acts 3, Peter and John encountered a crippled beggar, prayed for him “in the name of Jesus,” and the man was healed—he was “walking and jumping, and praising God” (v. 8). Again, Peter addressed the crowd and instructed them to repent and to accept Jesus Christ. When seized by the Sanhedrin for their actions and words, Peter and John were forced to defend themselves. During this defense, Peter proclaimed, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (4:12). Upon their release, the believers held a meeting to rejoice and pray. They asked God to enable them with boldness to proclaim the message and for healings, signs, and wonders to be done in the name of Jesus (4:23-31). In the last portion of the passage, the believers where “one in heart and mind” and “shared everything they had” (4:32).

Consider also the account of Acts 10 when the Lord directed Peter to take the Good News to the Gentiles. While the audience changed, the message that centered on Jesus Christ remained the same. Peter taught Cornelius, “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:42, 43). This ushered the Gentiles into the family of God as believers and disciples. When the message of the Early Church centered on Jesus Christ, lives were transformed, healings, signs, and wonders were normative, and believers lived together in unity. This must be our goal today; it must be our focal point for who we are and for what we do.

Our Pentecostal Forefathers

Our Pentecostal forefathers believed our message must center on Jesus Christ. The “Assemblies of God 16 Fundamental Truth” lists truth number five as “The Salvation of Man:

“Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God. … Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life. 3

Thus, Jesus Christ is the only one who can say, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

From an anecdotal perspective, our forefathers in Pentecost proclaimed the name of Jesus and challenged us with the Good News, seemingly at every service. In my childhood, it seemed that every Sunday evening service demanded my presence at the altar to confess my sins or I would be doomed to an eternity in hell. Finally, about the age of eight years old, I asked my father if I had to continue to run to the altar each Sunday night or if there was a way to make my salvation “stick.” I was relieved to learn that I could have an assurance about my salvation and that I could progress in my relationship with Jesus Christ. In retrospect, the emphasis our spiritual forefathers had on centering their message on Christ, “Jesus Saves,” was powerfully effective and impacted each generation that embraced the message.

Our forefathers in Pentecost valued the formation of each believer as a disciple so that our lives could center on Jesus Christ. Believers had opportunity to grow in their relationship with the Lord in Sunday School, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, midweek service (usually, Wednesday nights), Vacation Bible School (for the children), choirs for kids, youth, and adults, Bible Quiz, week-long revival meetings, and camp meetings. One could gain an understanding of God’s Word by being taught through sermons and studies and by being around the proclamation of Truth so often in the various weekly meetings that individuals simply captured the Truth due to their regular attendance. In retrospect, this too proved to be effective as people had a grasp of God’s Word. Some people were discipled well enough to teach God’s Word while others may not have been the best presenters of Truth in front of people but they were certain when they heard falsehoods and heresy.

Why Must We Address This Value?

Centering our message on Jesus Christ is so core to our belief system that it would be spiritually criminal to ignore or neglect this value. Thus, we must consistently align our theology and activities with our values or run the risk of being diverted from our primary directive like a ship running off course in the ocean degree by degree. We must ask ourselves challenging questions to ensure that we stay the course. For example, as a movement, are our core values centered on Jesus Christ? Does everything we do bring people to Jesus? If so, what are the results? As a missions sending agency, we must ask, “What message are we exporting?” Is our message forged from diligent study of God’s Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit or is it a product of our culture and contemporary thought?

As a local church, do people attend because they want to see Jesus and become His disciples? We utilize different techniques and church growth strategies hoping to bring people into our church buildings and then believing that they will want to become disciples. Often, when asked about a church, attendees will respond with the peripheral aspects of church life such as, “We have great music (worship),” “We are not like other churches,” or “We will make you feel welcomed.” However, at the end of the day, the reason people return to fill our church seats is that they have an authentic and personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

As individuals, are we focused on being “disciples,” which is an all-encompassing endeavor, or are we seeking to feel good about ourselves? Is our view of Jesus one that comes from the Bible or are we looking to society to define who Jesus is?

If our message is about anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ, then we are a social club and not the Church. Our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission. If we, as the church, should neglect this responsibility, in any way, then we are not fulfilling our purpose on this earth. If we do not fulfill the Great Commission, then who will? Must the rocks cry out?

Our primary directive is not to save the world, end world hunger, end poverty, cure every disease, make every nation a democracy, or bring world peace. Truly, the love of Christ compels us to express His love in ways that influence positively the world in which we live. But, our prime directive is the Great Commission. As we go, we present Christ. Yes, we seek to improve this world and help people but we do so in the name of Jesus Christ so that He will be glorified. We must do this without hesitation or doubt as to our purpose.

John C. Nugent in his book, Endangered Gospel addresses this issue. His challenge is his belief that God did not call us to save the world from destruction but to bring people to Jesus Christ. “If we’re not careful, we may gain the whole world and lose the church—and then, ultimately, we’ll lose the world, too. When Christians begin substituting activism for discipleship, it’s not a world that becomes endangered, but the gospel.”4 Nugent developed this thought, “Contemporary Christian activists are right. It is time for God’s people to do something. But let us be sure to do the right thing. Jesus said to some of the do-something activists of His day:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt. 7:21-23)”5

The world in which we live promotes moral relativism because of their belief that there is a lack of absolute truth and, as a result, they proclaim that the church must transform its message to become relevant to contemporary thought and culture. Our response as believers and disciples must be to stand firm and center our message on Jesus Christ. Should we miss this opportunity for any reason and neglect the Great Commission then it will indeed be the Church that becomes endangered. Conversely, the church that centers its message on Jesus Christ in proclamation and action will be the church that endures persecution, stands the test of time, effectively fulfills the Great Commission, and is ready to be presented to our Savior as His bride.

Network211

The practical application of this theological value is seen in Network211, a ministry that centers its message on Jesus Christ. Dr. George M. Flattery started this ministry as a way of using twenty-first century technology to communicate the first century gospel. We use the Internet to help individuals discover and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Individuals from 244 countries and territories have gone online to a search engine like Google to seek help for the issues of life that trouble them such as anxiety, depression, insignificance, and brokenness. Network211 is there to present the Answer with our main evangelism sites, www.JourneyAnswers.com and www.WhoJesusIs.com. Through videos and articles, we present the simple, yet powerful, truth of Jesus Christ. He alone is the Answer the world is seeking. He alone brings love, joy, and peace. We strive to make a clear and simple presentation to highlight and honor Christ. Truly, “there is no other name by which mankind can be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The Holy Spirit moves on the hearts of our website visitors and challenges them to respond to the message of the love of Christ. Some visitors respond immediately by praying a salvation prayer, clicking an evangelism response button, and then writing to us. Other individuals need time to process The the Truth they have received, some for the very first time, and consider the implications to their lives and families.

Network211 values the message of Jesus Christ. Our message is that Jesus loves you. He will transform you and journey with you in life. He is your friend. All you need to do is to ask Him into your heart and then do what He says.

May we be people who center our message on Jesus Christ. Like our Savior, we must be about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49, NKJV). We must proclaim Jesus Christ and Christ crucified (Acts 10:42, 43). Like the Apostle Paul, we must declare, “For I am determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2) and, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:2).

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3. Assemblies of God (USA) Official Web Site, “The Salvation of Man,” accessed September 25, 2017,
https://ag.org/Beliefs/Statement-of-Fundamental-Truths#5.

4. John C. Nugent, Endangered Gospel (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2016), 7.

5. Ibid., 22.