Intro: *note - will have just finished having communion service
Jesus tells us to do this in remembrance of him. Let’s reflect a little on the Lord Jesus, and the earthly ministry he had while he was here among us. We know that Jesus came to do the father’s will. He came to finish the work the Father had given him. Yet, as God come to earth, Jesus could have lived, worked, and died alone. Yet he didn’t. He called others to be with him. He called disciples to come and follow, to observe, to learn, to go, and to become like him in all they did.
I would assert to you today that God’s method of bringing change to our world is through using individuals who are faithful to their calling. God could use superstars, and occasionally he brings the Billy Grahams to the forefront. Yet more often, he chooses to use the ordinary Bobs and Janes, the Bills and Marys. 1 Corinthians tells us “the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things . . . so that no-one may boast before him. Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
Let’s talk about . . .
I. Jesus’ pattern in choosing the disciples
Jesus uses three steps in calling his disciples: Come and see, come and follow, go and preach. And he gives these calls in stages to his disciples. So many times we get the idea that Jesus just goes out one day, picks twelve, and goes about healing and teaching. Let’s look at the scriptures, and see the progression Jesus goes through with his disciples.
Remember that John the Baptist has been preaching by the Jordan. Jesus goes down to be baptized of him, and then goes out to the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. He returns, and in John 1:35-51 we see Andrew and another disciple, possibly John, spending the day with Jesus. They spend the day, and go home to tell their friends about being with Jesus.
John the Baptist is later put into prison. In Mark 1:14-21 we see after John is in prison Jesus meets up with Peter, Andrew, James, and John. They come and follow Jesus.
In Mark 3:13-19 we see Jesus again calling disciples to follow him, and he appoints the 12 as apostles, those commissioned with a message to share. He designates them as ones who will be going out. He chooses them so they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.
Later in Mark 6:7-13 we see the 12 being sent out on their first trial preaching trip. They have been with Jesus, have learned from Jesus, and now it’s time for them to share what they know to be true about Jesus. They get the chance to go out on their own.
In Mark 6:30 we see they come back and the first thing Jesus does is give them a test. He tells them to feed the 5000. He helps them to see that even though they have grown much, they still are lacking in their faith.
In Luke 10:1 we see Jesus send out 70 others, two by two, to put their faith into practice.
Before Jesus departs back to heaven after the resurrection, he once again gives the call to follow. In Mark 16:15 he once again tells them to go and preach the good news.
Throughout his whole ministry with the disciples, he is calling them to step forward and become active in sharing the good news of salvation offered through Jesus Christ. This morning, ask yourself, “how active have I been in sharing the gospel with others?” Jesus calls each one of us to come and see, to come and follow, and then to go and tell.
Not only was this the pattern for choosing disciples, but it was also
II. Jesus’ pattern in building the early church
Jesus chose to have the early church spread through the faithful witness of the individual members of the church faithfully sharing God’s message to others. After Jesus ascended back into heaven, the disciples waited until he sent the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:14 we see Peter standing up and preaching to the crowd on the day of Pentecost. Many were saved that day. In Acts 2:42-47 we see the apostles doing great signs, but it is the individual believers who are all together serving one another. They meet in the temple courts for worship, and they meet in homes for fellowship and ministry.
In Acts 4:32 we see all the believers are one. The apostles preach with power, but it is the individual members of the church who are ministering to the needs of one another. Sometimes we get the idea that the pastors are to be meeting everybody’s needs. Rather we as a body minister to the needs of one another.
In Acts 6:1-7 we see the apostles are limiting their focus to their priorities: prayer and the preaching of the word. It is the individuals in the church who rise up to meet the needs of the body.
In Acts 8:1 we see that God shakes up the church. Jesus had told them to go and preach to gospel to all nations, but they were comfortable at home in Jerusalem. So God allows persecution to come to the church. What happens as a result? In 8:4 we see that the believers preach everywhere they go. In 11:20 we see it is these scattered believers who begin preaching to the gentiles as well. God uses persecution to drive the early Christians to start doing what he told them to do in the first place.
God’s desire is to build his church not through the superstar preachers, but through individual Christians faithfully sharing the gospel wherever they go.
This morning, ask yourself, what will it take to motivate you to begin sharing the gospel with others. Maybe you already are. Maybe you need to begin.
III. Jesus’ pattern in building the church today
is to use individual believers who faithfully share the gospel with others.
If this church is ever going to grow and reach the communities all around us, we need to accept God’s call to us as individuals to speak out about what we know to be true.
This church will grow as the people go. The board has been working through discerning God’s plan for the future here at Union Chapel. We have prayed and sought God and sought advice of others and worked together to understand what God is calling us to. But it doesn’t matter what plan the board might come up with if it doesn’t get implemented. We, as individuals, need to be willing to follow Christ through daily obedience in service. We need to be willing to go to our neighbors and share
Concl: I’d like us to spend some time quietly thinking about what it is God is speaking to us about today. For some her, he may be calling to get to know him, to read his word and know him for the true God he is. For some, he may be calling to follow him, to change your ways and become like him. For some, he may be calling to go and serve him, to be a more faithful witness. Whatever God is speaking to us about today, we need to be willing to obey. Spend some time now as you pray and listen to the Lord speak.
Pray
