The Mission To Evangelize The World Series

The Mission To Evangelize The World

Matthew 28:16-20

By John Ojewole

The text of the message preached at the 2nd Annual Conference of the North American Fellowship of African Baptist Pastors, held in Nashville Tennessee from September 18 – 19, 2000.

Today, I am speaking from a familiar passage of scriptures. That passage contains the great commission of our Lord to his followers. Of all the gospel writers, Matthew was the only one who gave us something that can properly be called an ending. An ending which looks forward to the continuing work of the gospel by the messianic community of our Lord. This ending paragraph was relevant to them then and it is relevant to us today. It gives us a mission plan to evangelize the whole world. I would like to present to you for consideration, the topic, The Mission to Evangelize the World. Would you turn your bibles with me to the last paragraph of the gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, verses 16-20. (Mat 28:16 NIV) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

(Mat 28:17 NIV) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

(Mat 28:18 NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

(Mat 28:19 NIV) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

(Mat 28:20 NIV) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

May we bow our heads for a word of prayer.

INTRODUCTION: Before our Lord Jesus left this world, he gave his bewildered disciples a commission that is global in nature. Jesus must have been concerned about the continuation and furtherance of the gospel after he might have gone. Therefore, he entrusted them with a mission to evangelize the whole world. The commission that was given to them then is meant for us as well; both individually and corporately. In this message of today we are going to see that to be involved in the mission to evangelize the world, we must take into serious account the divine power for missions, the divine plan for missions, and the divine promise for missions.

We may ask the question, where does our power come for missions? This leads us to the first point in this message.

1. The Divine Power for Missions. 16-18.

(Mat 28:16 NIV) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.(Note that for the first time the disciples are referred to as eleven instead of twelve. That means the twelve minus Judas ).

(Mat 28:17 NIV) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

(Mat 28:18 NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

The work of missions is not an easy task. No one could do it by his or her own power. It takes the power of God for anyone to survive any missionary venture. Persons called to this field must be provided with confidence and authority as they venture into this area of ministry. Gene Mims puts it this way “The power and authority to do what our Lord has commanded are His, not ours…. Christ’s power, presence, and authority gives us the courage and the right to go from place to place sharing the good news of salvation. If we did not have his power and his command to share the gospel, our efforts to win persons to him would be futile.” Jesus knew that his disciples could not function well apart from Him. And now that he is going to leave them physically, he believed that they need his power. In another instance in the gospel of John, Jesus had told his disciples the following: (John 15:5 NIV) "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

There are three things that we need to know about this divine power for missions that was mentioned in the gospel of Matthew. First, when we are frustrated, powerless and doubtful, the power of God provides us comfort. Jesus had noted that some of them were still doubtful. The bible says in (Mat 28:17 NIV) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. He must have seen the sadness and pain on their face, which was occasioned by Jesus’ impending departure from their midst. There is no time when this people need comfort than now. This comfort is provided by the power of God. When you are doubtful and discouraged in missions, rely on the power of God. The bible says, (Prov 29:25 NIV) Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.