In the Great Commission, Jesus tells us what our mission is. As we’ve pointed out, in the most familiar version of the Great Commission, Matthew 28:19-20, we find Jesus telling us to “go and make disciples.” Our mission is to be disciples who make disciples.
“And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples - letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!” - Matthew 4:19 (Amplified)
Notice how Jesus defines a disciple in this call He issued to His disciples. A disciple is one who . . .
A) Knows and follows Christ;
B) Is being changed by Christ; &
C) Is committed to the mission of Christ.
This is what we’re focused on in this message today - the priority of mission. You and I can know and follow Christ; and our church can help us do that, as well as help us be changed by Christ as we participate in worship and community; but we will fail to be the
disciple-making church Christ calls us to be unless we also encourage, equip, and empower folks in our church family to live life on mission - to be a disciple who is committed to making disciples.
Let’s consider another version of the Great Commission found in Scripture and consider what all is involved in living our lives on
mission for Christ. (READ TEXT)
1. Our Mandate - “He said”
Gene A. Getz, in his book, The Measure of a Church, asks the question, “What is the measure of maturity in the church?” And he lists what others believe are the measure of maturity: 1) An active church (involving people in meetings and programs); 2) A giving church (supporting the church and efforts financially); 3) A growing church (new people coming and staying); 4) A soul-winning church (leading unbelievers to faith and baptism); 5) A smooth-running church (efficient and orderly); 6) A mission-minded church (supports missionaries); 7) A Spirit-filled church (enthusiastic, emotional); 8) A big church (large attendance, with many programs).
God used Paul to give us a different measure for maturity of the church. Paul says that the church is mature when it functions like one body, where Jesus Christ is the Head.
Getz says that when their daughter was a newborn, they could see her eyes wanting to reach for a toy, but her hands and arms were not yet able to cooperate. As she became more mature, her body parts began to do what her “head” wanted her to do. Likewise, when we mature as the church, we individually obey what our “head,” Jesus Christ, wants us to do.
Getz says that the Church is not obedient to a set of rules. We are obedient to the Person of Jesus Christ through a trusting
relationship and to the truths He has spoken. And our obedience is not just in our head, but in the way we live and serve one another.
As mentioned last week, when Jesus called His disciples to “fish for men” they understood the call was to work as a team to reach people for Christ. That’s the mandate we have - to work together to reach others for Jesus. One key way to do this is by being part of a small group. We’ll talk more about this in a moment.
2. Our Message - “the Good News”
What is the Good News we have to declare? Let’s consider the message we have to declare by looking over a classic summary of the Gospel commonly referred to as “The Four Spiritual Laws.” What makes the message of the Good News, “good?” It explains four truths:
1) God’s plan - God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life (John 3:16; John 10:10).
2) Our problem - Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23).
3) God’s provision - Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; John 14:6).
4) Our possibility - If we will must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives (John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:1-8; Revelation 3:20).
3. Our Method - “them”
As we mentioned previously, when we mature as the church, we will individually obey what our “head” wants us to do, and we will function as part of the body of Christ. The same is true of living life on mission as part of a small group “team.”
In their book, Becoming a Contagious Christian, by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelburg, identify six styles of evangelism. As we go over each of these, think about which one might be your particular strength and style, as you discern how you can partner with others in your group to reach out to those who need to know Jesus.
1) Confrontational Style (Acts 2:38-41): Peter tells people to repent and be baptized. He is in their face with the gospel. He paints a clear picture of the need to repent and calls the people to make a decision.
2) Intellectual Style (Acts 17:16-34): Paul is in the Areopagus, a place of debate and conversation, and he uses their desire for truth to introduce the nature of God revealed in Jesus. He uses a statue to an unknown God to tell them about the one true God.
3) Testimonial Style: (John 9:1-34): The blind man is healed by Jesus, and his testimony is about how Jesus has changed his life. What he knows about Jesus is that before he met Jesus he could not see! He simply told what Jesus had done for him.
4) Interpersonal Style (Luke 5:27-31): This style is conversational. Matthew, the tax collector, finds new life in following Jesus and invites his friends to a party where they can hang out with Jesus.
5) Invitational Style (John 4:1-32): This woman encounters Jesus. She is a person who goes to the well in the heat of the day so that no one is around. She is the topic of conversation around the well because of her lifestyle. However, in Jesus she experiences the love of God. She experiences being loved as she is, but being loved way too much to be left as she is. Out of the change in her life, she bears witness to all the people in her village, and invites them to come meet Jesus.
6) Serving Style (Acts 9:36-43): People come to know the love of God because Dorcas cared about their human condition and made clothes for them. Through her kindness & service, she pointed others to Jesus.
As your group prays for their “invite” list and as you think together as a group on how to reach out to your friends, you can be a more effective “team” as you recognize and appreciate each others style and strength.
4. Our Mission Field - “all the world; all creation”
The “world” or “all creation” is, admittedly, a pretty big target. How might we get a better handle on our mission field?
“You will tell people everywhere about me - in Jerusalem, in the rest of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.” - Acts 1:8 (Easy to Read)
Jerusalem - My personal connection - family & close friends.
Judea - My proximate connection - neighbors & co-workers.
Samaria - My potential connection - extended family & acquaintances.
World - My possible connection - person “X” God might lead me to.
Conclusion: Our church has adopted a simple strategy - Priority 1: Worship - We will love our God; Priority 2: Community - We will love each other; Priority 3: Mission - we will love our world.
