Mission
Authentic Christianity - #3 of 7
John 20:19-22
* In 1965 lyricist Hal David and music composer Burt Bacharach teamed up to write a song which was recorded and released by Jackie DeShannon and climbed to #7 on the US charts. The title of that song was “What the world needs now is love.” The lyrics were very simple, “What the world needs now is love sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love sweet love, no not just for some but for everyone.” While I don’t care to make this song my personal piñata. But we do need to be clear the kind of love this world needs. It is God’s love or Agape Love. The only way to attain this love is through Jesus because no one comes to God except through Jesus. The better song might be, “What the world needs now is Jesus sweet Jesus. He’s the only thing that there’s just too little of, and no not just for some, but for everyone.” If people are to ‘have’ Jesus, then believers must sharing Jesus. This is to be our mission.
* I submit to you that the very reason this culture, this country, and the massive number of churches in this country are decaying is because of the brand of Christianity which is so prevalent. It is foreign to scripture & lives without a mission.
* Here is a question for each of us to chew on: “What is YOUR mission for YOUR life?” Is it to make a living, to live comfortably, to take care of your family, to be a good parent/grand-parent, or is it something else? Sadly, the brand of Christianity which is so evident today is a puny counterfeit for what Christ died.
* God designed you, He created you, & He saved you for a mission, and a mission of eternal consequence. We tend to focus on today while He focuses on tomorrow. We are concerned about the things of earth which will pass away and God calls us to be concerned about the things of heaven which will never pass away.
* Before I continue, take a step back. Back up from the desk of your life and ask yourself, “What is the over-riding-driving focus, & the life-directing mission of my life? If my life continues as it is, what will be the ultimate outcome? When they attend my wake, what will people say that my life has stood for?” These questions could go on and on, but I begin with these questions because, quite likely, they’ll resurface again before I conclude. (If they don’t NOW – God may ask similar ones)
* The life of an Authentic Christian is a life of mission. This mission is not man-made but is given by God & evaluated by God. For clarification, consider 3 thoughts:
1. The Examples – Scripture is replete is examples of God people on mission. We find them both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. If I begin to call the roll in the Old Testament, I begin with Abraham, God called (Abram) Abraham to change location, have faith, and father a nation. For all the bumps in the road, Abraham had faith and completed his mission. The mission of Joseph is not a ‘mission trip’ any of us desire to take. It included a pit and a prison before it became a palace. All along the way, Joseph was being prepared for saving people from the famine. There are many others, Moses, David, Saul, Solomon, Jeremiah, and more – all with a mission.
* The examples of mission in the New Testament requires us visit Luke 10. Jesus appointed 35 teams to go out on mission. (READ) This was training for what was to become their life’s mission. It was not a ‘one-night’ a week for the ‘spiritually elite,’ it was a lifestyle for the spiritually awake. Watch how this worked & works: After Pentecost in Acts 3, Peter & John were going to pray & an opportunity for ministry presents itself. This man had obviously been here many times before, but now the guys were on MISSION – they had a MISSION – & this MISSION was on their minds.
* It doesn’t stop there as Chapter 3 & 4 put on display that the impact of living on mission will lead to one chance after another to share Jesus with a needy world. (Review Acts) Candidly, the book of Acts gives us the picture of mission.
* Every Monday night we gather to visit. Have you ever thought about it? If only half of this crowd lived on mission, having a visitation or outreach program would not even be necessary. If we were like Jesus & the first century believers who shared the truth of Jesus in their normal pattern of life, not only would we not have to we would not need to because we would have our plates full discipling new believers.
* By the way, from the examples in scripture, we can determine that sharing, inviting, and engaging people in a spiritual way is not just for the spiritual elite, it’s for ALL!
* Part of the issue for a ‘less than authentic Christianity’ is the concept that sharing Christ with others is only for a few. Acts 1:8 was given to a mountain-top full of people, not just the dedicated few. Jesus’ words are spoken to all true believers.
2. The Expectation – There is an expectation for us (that is, every one of us who truly have been redeemed) to ‘Follow Jesus.’ Once again, this leads us to the starting point of being saved as in, ‘have you truly met Jesus Christ?’ Were you convicted of your sin, did you trust Christ, & did He save you. If He has, He expects things of you.
* Next, for most of Jesus’ life He was on the go. He “went to all the towns, villages, & synagogues.” It would seem to me that if we are to follow Him, we must be ready to ‘go to people’ like He did, where He did, and to whom He did.’ As you are going, what are you doing?
* Next, we have to tell what Jesus told. Matthew 10:7 says, “As you go, announce this; the Kingdom of heaven is near.” He went on to say, “I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves.” (While it may be dangerous, you still have to go & tell.) He follows these words by talking about ‘seed and weed’ and tells us that it is our responsibility to sow good seed. (We do sow ‘some-kind’ of seed)
* Next we come to Matthew 28 which says, “Go and make disciples of all nation. Baptize them, teach them, & I will be with you always.” In Mark 16 He says, “God into all the world & preach the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes & is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Luke’s final message of Jesus is recorded in two parts, Luke 24 & Acts 1, “You shall be witnesses, in Jerusalem, Judea, in Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world.” (By the way, “I’ll give you the power through the person of the Holy Spirit.)
* Are you getting this? Jesus expects us to live on a mission and that mission is the salvation of mankind. This mark of Authenticity is missing in Christianity & churches.
* So few have a sense of mission on their lives, so few are concerned with their lost friends & neighbors, & so few tell about Jesus. Sadly, most churches are more concerned about keeping people out of heaven than they are out of hell. We have fallen in love with this world & the luxuries we have been afforded. “People are going to hell without Jesus”, people we know, people we say we love, and people who are counting on us.
* Scripture asks the question: How will they know and how can they believe – if they don’t hear, don’t understand, and don’t have a chance? Has it really occurred to you that people without Christ go to hell? Yes? How about your children? Grand-kids? Spouses? Siblings? Parents? We will not allow our kids to grow up without the experience of sports, dance, cheerleading, etc – but when it comes to Jesus, are they on their own? Your mission is to help retrieve those who are doomed to hell?
* Let me read you a vision that the artist, poet, and missionary to India Amy Carmichael recorded. It may seem harsh to this age that has so watered down what it means to be lost. VISION OF HELL
* I stood on a grassy slope near which was a precipice. I looked and saw no bottom, only clouds, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow shrouded hollows and unfathomable depths. Back I drew, dizzy at the depths. And then I saw forms of people moving single file along toward the grass. They were moving toward the edge. There was a woman with a child holding onto her dress. She was on the verge. And then I saw she was blind. She lifted her foot for the next step. It trod air. She was over and the child with her. Oh, the cry as she went over. And then I saw more streams of people pouring from all quarters. They were blind, stone blind. All made straight for the precipice’s edge. There were shrieks as they suddenly discovered themselves falling and tossing up a helpless arm, catching and clutching at empty air. Others went over quietly and fell without a sound. Then I wondered with a wonder that was simple agony why no one stopped them at the edge. Then I saw that along the edge there were sentries at intervals, but the intervals were far too great. There were wide unguarded gaps between. Over these gaps the people fell in their blindness without warning. The green grass seemed blood red to me and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell. And then I saw a group of people under some trees with their backs toward the gulf. They called what they were doing church work. It appeared to me that they were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them it disturbed them and they thought it a rather vulgar noise. If one of their number started up and wanted to go and do something to help, all of the others would pull them down and say, ’Why should you get so excited about it? You haven’t finished your daisy chain yet. It would really be selfish to leave us to finish the work alone.’
* There was another group made up of people whose great desire was to get more sentries out, but they found that very few wanted to go. Sometimes there were no sentries set for miles along the edge. Once a girl stood alone in her place waving the people back, but her mother and other relatives called and reminded her of family responsibilities. She must not break the rules. Being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest for a while, but no one was sent to guard her gap. Over and over the people fell like a waterfall of souls. One teenager caught a tuft of grass that grew at the very brink of the gulf. He clung convulsively. He called out, but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way, and the teenager went over, two hands still holding tight to the clump of grass. The girl who had longed to be back at her gap thought she heard the cry and sprang up and wanted to go. They reproved her reminding her that no one is really necessary anywhere. The gap would be well taken care of they were sure. Then they sang a hymn and heard a sermon. Through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob, and a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was: the cry of blood on our hands.
* I ask you: Do you understand this vision? Can you see that we who claim to be followers of Christ are to be the guards? We are the ones who are given the charge & task of warning blind people. If you do understand this vision, please don’t be like the man who gave swimming advice to a drowning man from the safety of the seashore, but dive into their situation and help save them out of it. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “As the Father sent me, I send you.”
3. The Examination – 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine Yourselves.” Years ago I preached a message from this verse entitled, “A Self Autopsy.” I entitled it this because an autopsy is performed without emotion or connection. It is done only to discover the truth. Being an authentic Christian is about living a life of mission. Honestly, I had about 6 or 7 questions for us, but let’s pair these down to three.
* First, what is the center of your life? Better said, what is the ‘hub’ of your life? We all build our lives around something, and there are many things to choose from. Money, possessions, hobbies, careers, & family, are just a few of the earthly things which we tend to build our lives around. All of these things will one day be gone. God tells us that our lives should be built around Him. “Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” and if you do that He will be your center. This begins with a daily walk, personal relationship, and intimate connection to Christ.
* Next, what is the contribution of your life? The simple question is this: What you doing with what God has given you? You have influence with some people, are you using that influence to build your own little Kingdom or are you helping those who look to you, look to Him? Are you one of the guards attempting to stop people from stepping into eternal damnation or are you making daisy chains?
* Finally, what is the challenge for your life? Do you dare face this: What is it that is stopping you from living a life of mission, being a front-liner, & giving all you have to Him? You know what the better question might be – instead of asking “What is your challenge?” It might be to ask “What is the Obstacle, the Obstruction, or the barrier which keeps you from living everyday on mission for Jesus?” Is it fear? Is it pride? Is it selfishness? The answer for all of these was found in last week’s message, “REPENT.” Only then will you be authentic in your Christian walk.
