Sermon On Missionary & Discipleship

Richard Francis Xavier Manning, known as Brennan Manning an American author once remarked: “What makes authentic disciples is not visions, ecstasies, biblical mastery of chapter and verse, or spectacular success in the ministry, but a capacity for faithfulness. Buffeted by the fickle winds of failure, battered by their own unruly emotions, and bruised by rejection and ridicule, authentic disciples may have stumbled and frequently fallen, endured lapses and relapses, gotten handcuffed to the fleshpots and wandered into a far county. Yet, they kept coming back to Jesus.” Ephesians 4:11- reminds us: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

A missionary is defined as a person sent on a religious mission, especially one to promote Christianity. They follow in the steps of an Apostle of Jesus Christ. During the ministry of Jesus, He was accompanied by twelve renowned chief disciples who learnt from Him and assisted in His endeavours. They were named: Peter, James, John, Andrew, Bartholomew, James the younger, Judas, Jude, Matthew, Philip, Simon the Zealot and Thomas.

After His ascension, all with the exception of Judas, were assigned the important task of spreading the “Good News” which offered people a distinct alternative to a humanity devoid of true hope and expectation. Acts 1:8 confirms: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Throughout His earthly existence, Jesus constantly provided the necessary food and nourishment to furnish the essential tools for His disciples to continue in their assigned roles of teaching and healing subsequent to His ascension into heaven. Just as pruning essentially provides new life to trees, roses and the like, so knowledge imparts growth and skills to progress forward. From out of the old comes the new. Proverbs 24:5 confirms: “A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might.”

A capacity for faithfulness needs to remain prominent if we are to flourish in a personal quest to continue in the teachings of Jesus against the adversity which consistently prevails in life. Progress was often significantly hindered by events and obstacles placed in the disciple’s path by officialdom and non-believers. Rejection and ridicule were constantly encountered, but strength and determination to succeed combined with fortitude eventually won through. William Arthur Ward, an American motivational writer once remarked: “Teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts; it is acquiring understanding.” Luke 6:40 states: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

A story is told of a couple, Scott and Penelope in their early forties. They had both been regular churchgoers in their childhood and teen years. They had met twenty years earlier while they were both at the same university. They immediately fell in love. Penelope had been studying English and English Literature with the intention of becoming a teacher. Scott had an ambition to be a high achiever. He studied computer science with the intention of forming his own company.

They married while still at university and it wasn’t long before their first child, a girl, was born. However, this prevented Penelope from pursuing her vocation in teaching following the successful completion of her degree. James 3:1 states: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” Two years later they were blessed with their second child, a boy and the family felt complete. Shortly after leaving university, Scott attained his own computer programming business which became extremely successful. However, the long hours of work input eventually took their toll and began to give him health problems. He was constantly tired, stressed and very seldom saw his wife and children.

His wife began to feel neglected and petty arguments often ensued as a result. Even though they had no money problems as such, they spent little time together to enjoy life. The wife often felt that the family was incomplete and their togetherness lacked the necessary unity that provided happiness.