Mark 1:16-18; Acts 1:6-8; Matthew 28:16-20. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, June 28.
Today, we will finish our series on the purposes that Jesus has given to His Church. We are presently focused on sharing Jesus passionately with those who do not know him. When we are faithful to do so, it makes a choice possible for people. They can either believe on Jesus and connect to the life that he gives, or they can refuse to believe and reject the truth of God’s love for them. Even then, we must never lose our passion to share the lost with those who have previously rejected him.
The first part of this issue is to remember the horrible predicament people are in without Jesus, but the second part is to remember that we have an obligation before God to help them. On one hand, it is an obligation of His command to us. However, on the other hand is the obligation of the love of God that should be growing in each and every Christian.
Let’s look at our passages.
We are to be witnesses of Jesus to others
These first two passages (Mark 1 and Acts 1) show us that from the beginning to the end of his ministry, Jesus had the intention of having us help him to reach the world. It was not just a job for the original apostles, or for the first century Church. It was for all who would respond to Jesus and thereby become witnesses of him and the live that he gives.
In Mark 1, the analogy is that of fishing. Peter and Andrew were fishermen and it was quite natural for Jesus to use their profession as a metaphor for what he had in mind. Now, we could accuse Jesus of using a crass analogy that abuses fish (people) for the master’s ends, but this is an obscene approach to language and communication. Peter caught fish for fleshly reasons that had no care for the fish. However, now he would catch people for spiritual reasons that is all about God’s love for those being caught. The metaphor has both comparing and contrasting elements.
In Acts 1:7, the believers were wondering if the kingdom would be restored to Israel at that time. Jesus then points them back to his previously stated purpose. It is not focused on reigning over the earth, but in sharing the good news of his sacrifice for sinners. In light of the approaching Pentecost, the image that is connected to this passage is a harvest season. God has allotted a finite amount of time for people to join his Son Jesus and accept his saving work for them. However, He has also determined that we would not know how long that is. We are able to recognize that it is dwindling down and getting close, but we would not actually know the date of its ending.
Thus, we should have the attitude that Jesus demonstrated for us in John 9:4.
“I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
This analogy of a work day has a dark tone to it, and it begs the question, “Exactly what does this spiritual night correspond to?” It may mean the days after the rapture, and the following rampage of Antichrist, or it may reference the 2nd Coming and the inability to change one’s fate, or even to the Lake of Fire. Regardless, it is a serious answer that challenges Christians to focus and do the work that we have been given because we do not know when the harvest season will end.
Though the task is important, Jesus then emphasizes that they should wait until the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. We are not to rush ahead of Jesus in this task, but let him lead and empower us by the Holy Spirit. Part of the reason they waited was that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had to be associated with the Feast of Pentecost. It celebrated the natural harvest, but prophetically pointed to the spiritual harvest that Jesus was beginning with his Church. The harvest is also too great for us in our natural strengths. Jesus tells them that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit. Any time the Church forgets this, it descends into a worldly system that merely seeks to perpetuate itself. We must resist this tendency among all groups, and continually seek the help of the Holy Spirit in this work. This is a spiritual work that must be done by spiritual people in communion with and empowered by the Spirit of God. In short, we must wait upon him, and be led by him.
Lastly, Jesus emphasizes that this is to be a global endeavor that reaches the ends of the earth. The salvation of Jesus is extending to the whole earth, and yet, it will be effective only for those who believe upon him. This is further defined in Revelation 5:9. There we have the four living beings and the twenty-four elders surrounding the throne of God saying this.
“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,”
The individuals are emphasized, but so are the scoping divisions of humanity. Our task is not just to reach a bulk of people, like miners setting up over the richest spot. Rather, it also has an aspect of reaching every people group on this planet. There are many Christians who work in Bible Translation and Missions. They have sought to create metrics in regards to where we are at in this endeavor. The website www.Joshuaproject.net even has a status sheet that is quite interesting to think about. In some ways, the Gospel has gone to the ends of the earth, but in other ways we still have our work cut out for us. The problem with metrics is that we do not know what God’s metrics are. All we can do is analyze the problem and do our best to be faithful to the original task that we have been given.
We are to make disciples of all nations
It is not enough to simply put the message of Jesus in the hands of people. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 28 that we are to also disciple those who believe. Today’s new believers become the mentors for tomorrow’s new believers. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
At the end of Matthew 28, the followers of Jesus have gathered at a mountain in the Galilee area. The movements of Jesus during the 40 days between his resurrection and his ascension are roughly this. He first appears throughout the Jerusalem area and tells his disciples to meet him at a pre-arranged mountain in Galilee. Matthew 28 is the account of that later meeting with his disciples there. Many believe that this is the most likely place for the meeting that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 15:6. There he states that over 500 people saw Jesus at the same time. A mountain in the Galilee region would allow for a large group to meet without drawing the attention of the Romans. Jesus is giving his plan to them. Later, his last meeting (Acts 1) happens on the Mt. of Olives outside of Jerusalem.
In this passage, Jesus emphasizes that the task he is giving us is under his command and by his authority. There is a long history of Christians coming to new cultures and sharing the gospel. Many today make arguments against Christian conversion as a destruction of culture. What gives Christians the right to try and convert Hindus and Pagans? Ultimately, the Jesus has been made the Lord of all lords and the King of all kings, both in the heavens and on the earth. He has the authority to require changes in our life. Of course, a person does not have to completely change all aspects of their culture to be a Christian. The style of clothing, music, food, etc. has nothing to do with the call to follow Jesus. That said, all cultures have sinful and rebellious aspects to them that are not good, including the American culture. So, if you are concerned about the morality of teaching a Native American about the True Great Spirit then Jesus is our authorizing Lord. However, this does not authorize everything that has been done in his name over the years. We should recognize that we will be held accountable for doing this task, but also for how we did it. God’s command is for all men everywhere to repent and believe on Jesus Christ for salvation. This will not only transform culture, but also transform the individual.
Notice that Jesus does not say for us to go into all the world and make converts. The grammar of the passage makes it clear that the main work is to make disciples, or better, to disciple those who believe. Going, baptizing, and teaching are all the things that we do as a part of discipling them. In order to make disciples, we will need to go to people (the whole earth), we will need to baptize them as a show of their acceptance in the community, and we will need to teach them the commands of Christ.
Often, the Church has emphasized getting a confession of faith out of people, but not helping them to grow afterwards. Just as children need parents at birth and beyond, so the spiritually newborn need help from other mature believers. This should not be done in the way that we come between them and God, taking the place of Jesus, but in a healthy way that is more like an elder sibling helping out a younger sibling. If an elder sibling forgets that they are not the parent then they will eventually get in trouble with Jesus.
Many people have made a decision to follow Christ, but then, in the weeks or months following, they gave up on it. Discipling is not easy, and it takes love and time. Technically, we are never done learning as a student in this life, but the critical need for another person to help us should diminish because of the spiritual roots that we develop. Even then, we must never think that we have arrived at a point where we no longer need other believers. God uses other believers in our lives to keep us humble, no matter how spiritually mature we are.
Jesus ends this command to disciple all nations with the promise that he will always be with us, even to the end of the age. He is with us through the Holy Spirit. We may be weary and ready for it all to be done, but Jesus is not done as long as we have breath and are still on this planet. Don’t be weary in this day of hard labor. Instead, draw near to Jesus and ask for the Holy Spirit to strengthen you for the task at hand. Let’s be a people who are passionately sharing Jesus with the lost and helping them to connect to his Abundant Life!