The Local Church and the Great Commission

Introduction

Matthew 28:16–20 ESV

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

C. S. Lewis was a prolific author and thinker, but we forget that C. S. Lewis often preached. One such sermon, “The Weight of Glory,” has been published and can be read today.

Lewis argues in this sermon this point, “There are no insignificant people, thus there are no insignificant encounters.”

We may think our days are made up of seemingly small and meaningless chats with others.

Lewis responds to that thought, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”

Humanity has become misguided in many ways, but one especially is the tendency to ascribe eternity to nations, buildings, institutions, arts, and civilizations. We have inverted the natural order of things.

Once we come to know Jesus, we gain what Lewis calls the “weight of glory.” People will either spend an eternity in total bliss or an eternity in absolute torment.

Because of this reality, our every conversation must have that reality at the forefront. We are not simply floating through life, but we are on a great mission to push back the Kingdom of darkness.

What does this look like practically?

I have found that the problem most church members have with the Great Commission is not desire but fear. How could I possibly do this?

And we see people like Dr. Cristi Chivu and the Romanian American Mission, and we are deeply thankful for them. But we just don’t know how to do something like that or even if we could do something like that if the situation arose. How can we, by ourselves, complete this task?

The reality is: The Great Commission is not exclusively individualistic but communal. As a community of faith, we proclaim the gospel together.

CIT: The Great Commission is fulfilled in the local church (1) as we gather, (2) as we go, and (3) as we send.

Explanation

The Great Commission explained.

Jesus has died, risen from the grave, and walked with the disciples. Now, as He ascends into heaven, He gives a final command to them.

Go

Baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

Teach them to observe ALL that I have commanded you,

Remember that I am always with you.

How do we fulfill this commandment of God to us.

We proclaim the gospel as we gather.

Acts 2:42-47 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The early church was remarkably normal and supernatural at the same time.

They were remarkably normal in that they ate together, listened to the word together, spent much time together, and prayed together.

What made their gathering supernatural is that they were worshipping the God of the universe.

In the ordinary practices of the early church, the gospel was proclaimed.

In our fellowship, the love of Christ is shown.

In our worship, the grandeur and holiness of our God is seen.

In our prayer, the intimate relationship of our God is seen.

In our listening to the proclamation of God’s word, we collectively hear and respond to God’s truth.

While the practices of the local church week-by-week might not seem like anything extraordinary, God forms us into his children, and we become living a living organism of proclamation for his truth. As we proclaim this truth, those who step through this door see it.

Andrew Arndt (Pastor in Colorado Springs, Colorado) shared of a man who stumbled into their church one Sunday. He had been raised in a nonreligious family with no spiritual background, ran a large and successful company, and had a wonderful family. However, eventually tragedy struck: his wife was diagnosed with cancer and in the time that he cared for his wife, his best friend (who had had formed the company with) forced him out. He digressed into self-harm, sin, and addiction.

This man found himself at Andrew’s church one Sunday and after attending church a few weeks, he approached Andrew and said this:

“My girlfriend and I wandered in here a few weeks ago. I’m not even sure why, but we did. And every time I sit in these services, I find myself weeping in a way that I haven’t since my wife passed. I just sit here and cry and cry. I don’t know what’s happening to me. And I don’t really understand what you guys are singing and talking about. But something is happening to me. And I know that it’s good.”

In time, the man gave His life to Jesus.

It is fascinating that this man didn’t know all of the right doctrine, the right things to say, the mission statement of the church or anything like that. But He did know He was in the right place. That’s what unbelievers should sense when they walk through the doors.

We proclaim the gospel as we go.

Acts 8:4 ESV

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

While we proclaim God’s word here, worship doesn’t end here. Worship begins here. We take what we have learned and what God has done in us, and we step into the world with it.

Build loving relationships with the intent of sharing the gospel.

It could be the neighbors in your cul-de-sac OR the person who cuts your hair.

In my cul-de-sac in MS, Erin and I prayed that all of our neighbors would come to know Jesus.

In six years of living there, we baptized a lady from one home and another family came to some of our church events.

We didn’t do anything revolutionary. I just talked to the neighbor kids about their Pokemon cards, and Erin baked cookies in the name of Jesus.

When I lived in Madison, MS, I found out that the guy who cut my hair also cut the hair of two of my other pastor friends in the area.

This individual didn’t know Jesus, but we started praying for him.

When you cut three baptist pastors hair, and they find out about it, you don’s stand a chance.

We lovingly shared Jesus with Him. He had a horrible view of God and the local church, but he is now attending my friend’s church and asking good questions about Jesus.

It isn’t rocket science. It’s love. Love your neighbor and share Jesus. Let God take care of the rest.

We proclaim the gospel as we send others.

The word apostle literally means, “sent ones.”

While this title originally derives from Jesus’s “sending” the apostles in the Great Commission, the churches did the work of sending them.

Paul writes often to the churches, thanking them for their partnership in the gospel.

The churches prayed over and sent out the apostles on various missionary journeys.

What this reality DOES mean.

We might be called to go.

God might not be calling you to Guam or Malawi or Eastern Europe.

But I do think to be honest with the Lord, I think you need to ask Him.

We are called to send.

What this reality DOESN’T mean.

Pastor Connor, what about all of the people in Woodford County. I think we need to reach them all first before we go and share somewhere else.

You are absolutely right - there are people to reach right here, and we could would have our hands full for the rest of our lives with Woodford County, KY.

However, if the apostles had thought that way, you wouldn’t be here today.

See, while we are a part of the Bible Belt, we were once the ends of the earth.

Had the disciples not been sent, what we have may not be here.

Let us be careful not to neglect our neighbors, but let us also be careful not to neglect the nations.

Invitation

Before you can share it, you must know it. You can travel to the farthest reaches of the world, suffer, struggle, and work your fingers to the bone.

Our God is a missionary God.

Christ left His throne in heaven for us.

May we be fervently sharing the gospel with all who are around us.

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. // C. T. Studd

And when I’m dying, how happy I’ll be, if the lamp of my life has been burned out for thee. // C. T. Studd

We gather, we go as we are going, and we send.