You Can't Stay Here

Well, we are continuing our series this morning, / / Life After the Cross: lessons to learn between easter & pentecost. And so far we’ve been looking at what we need to learn or redefine in light of Jesus resurrection.

I read Matthew 5:17 and Life Application commentary on that scripture last week, and in a minute I’m going to read it again because I think it is absolutely powerful to remind us of the transition that both the disciples had to make between following the law and now following this new commandment or new way of living through Jesus Christ. And in a lot of ways it’s very similar to us. There’s a transition between how we lived before Christ, and how we live after we have Christ in our lives. In fact, they really are the same. It doesn’t matter HOW you lived before Christ, whether you were a good Jewish follower or a completely rebellious gentile, through Christ we are all now walking the same path.

Listen to what Paul writes in Galatians 3:23-29, and then we’ll look at Matthew before we jump into todays topic.

/ / Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Ok, so let’s frame that. First of all, see what he’s saying here, there’s no longer a difference. Doesn’t matter if you were following God, Yahweh, the One True God, or if you were a godless gentile or from another religion entirely. Now, through Jesus Christ we are all heirs of the promise of Abraham. And the interesting thing is that the promise of Abraham predates the law. The Law was given to the people of Israel through Moses, 5-600 years AFTER this promise to Abraham. Further defining this idea that we’re no longer subject to the law but brought to something else.

So, back to Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, / / “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

And the Life Application commentary on that scripture says, / / Jesus completes and transcends the law. The Old Testament law is not rescinded but now must be reinterpreted and reapplied in light of Jesus. God does not change his mind. Jesus’ coming had been part of God’s plan from Creation.

Again, I said this last week, but we have to be reading the law, and scripture through the lens of Jesus Christ, right?

We want a Luke 24 experience with the bible.

/ / Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)

/ / Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. (Luke 24:45)

I’ve been praying that more and more as I remember to pray when I sit down to read the bible. Jesus, would you open scripture to me, would you take me through this, explain it to me, show me how this reveals you, your heart, your desire for humanity.

The writer of Psalm 119:18 who is believed to be Ezra, a leader and priest, wrote, / / Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your law.

Make those things your prayer as you read the bible.

So, like I was saying, so far we’ve been looking at where we go from the way we were living before the death of Jesus, to how we will be living after Jesus is no longer with us, and the Holy Spirit comes on Pentecost. This week and next week we are in the last little bit before pentecost.

So, this week I want to look at the outward expression of the inward process. This is basically Jesus saying to his disciples, “/ / You can’t stay here...” There is more to this than just learning about Jesus, and becoming like Jesus. At some point there’s an invitation to go and be like him in the earth. And Jesus was very specific with his disciples in directing them toward their mission going forward. This was not just for them, they are literally starting the Church.

As we said last week, Jesus is the foundation of that Church. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11, and reading this from the Good News Translation, I like how it’s written, / / For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid.

Don’t bother trying to have any other foundation. Jesus Christ is the foundation of our lives. He’s the foundation of the church. He should be the basis for every decision and every move we make.

Just like he said in Matthew 7:24-27, living by his teaching is building on the rock, living by our own desires is building on sand…one will last when we encounter wind and rain, the other will not. Jesus Christ has to be our foundation.

And basically, as he’s about to leave the earth, he says to his disciples, “And you’re gonna build on that foundation…and here’s how you’re going to do it.”

So, today we’re going to read through what we traditionally call The Great Commission. We’ll read first from Matthew 28:16-20, but it’s also found in Mark 16:15-18, and a few verses from Acts 1 as well.

The Great Commission is essentially the last thing Jesus says to the disciples before he ascends into heaven, and it’s basically a sending out. He’s giving them their final marching orders. Or, if you think of the guest speaker at a graduation ceremony. “You’ve finished your schooling, now it’s time to apply all you have learned and go change the world...”

So let’s read it and then dig into it a little bit.

Matthew 28:16-20, / / Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him - but some of them doubted!

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commandments I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

And that ends the book of Matthew. Matthew doesn’t actually say anything about the ascension of Jesus into heaven.

Then, if we jump over to Mark 16:15-20 we see a bit of an addition to these words, or a different aspect of what Jesus said, / / “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miracles will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with the, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

And we can add one more scripture to this. From the book of Acts, which was written by Luke, and this gives us a bit of insight into what’s coming in two weeks on pentecost. Jesus says in Acts 1:8, / / “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

So, between Matthew, Mark and Luke, we get a pretty full picture of what’s going on in this moment.

A little hint at what’s to come later in the year. In our bible reading plan, it’s designed to go through the OT once, and the NT twice, and my hope is to have the second time through the NT put into chronological order, which simply means, as it happened. And that’s most dramatically seen in the four gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as they all sort of start at the beginning of Jesus life, and end at the end of his life. And although sometimes they write almost exactly the same thing, and other times only one or two or three of them write about something, sometimes there are times where they are telling the story from a different perspective, or highlighting different aspects of the story because they were writing to different audiences.

Each gospel writer was writing from a different vantage point, a different emphasis, and with a different audience in mind, and between all four we get a very cohesive explanation of the life and ministry of Jesus and the Gospel of the Good News.

Like this here, through the three accounts of scripture we just read, we get a much fuller picture of the last moments of Jesus with his disciples.

And that is important, because what is about to happen is important. And for us, what happens as we make this journey through easter to pentecost and beyond is really important. This is Jesus telling us what we, as his followers, should be doing.

So, with that in mind, let’s look at a few things we can draw from these scriptures.

/ / 1. There’s a difference between those who know, and those who don’t

Let’s start by recognizing that this isn’t the first time Jesus has sent the disciples out to minister in his name.

Previously, in three of the gospel accounts, it says that Jesus had given them authority over unclean spirits and to heal people who were sick.

Matthew 10:1, 5-6, / / Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel - God’s lost sheep.”

If you continue reading that passage, or Mark 6, it describes how he sends them, in pairs of two, don’t take things with you, go and stay in peoples homes etc…some instructions for the road.

But note the very important line in Matthew 10:6, / / …only to the people of Israel...

Why? Well, let’s call that the easy audience. Or at least, it should’ve been the easier audience. While Jesus is alive they are being asked to go tell people who are expecting a Messiah to show up, that the Messiah in fact has shown up. Heal a few people, cast out a few demons, and say, “Ya, the Messiah sent us to do these things, do you want to come see for yourself?”

If you’re expecting something, waiting for something, and someone comes to you and says, “I have that thing, and here’s a super cool miracle to express to you that I in fact am telling the truth.” Then you would be inclined to go, right?

This is why those who already believe in Jesus today might be more inclined to follow someone to a church when they hear that the church is doing what they are looking for. “Oh, this church focuses on this. I’ve been looking for that. I’ll go check it out for sure.”

Every church is a bit different. Some go for an hour, some go for 3 or 4 or 5 hours. Some pray for healing, some don’t. Some sing to hymns and an organ, others use drums and sing songs written this year…

And that’s not to say any of that is right or wrong, but to simply say, if you are seeking for something, then when you hear about it, you go to it.

And we do that in every avenue of life, don’t we? When someone says something about a great new pizza joint, my ears perk up...

So, this should have been a bit easier. First, they are from the same people group, so introductions are going to be easier, second, they all probably have the same native language, so conversation will be easier, and third, you’re talking to people who are actually looking for what you’re offering.

Why would Jesus do this?

There were all kinds of religions out there - no one wants to come follow a rabbi from a religion that’s only for Jewish people. Some did come to him for healing, of course. If you know someone can heal, and your child is sick, you’re going to ask, right? But generally speaking, there’s not a big cry from outside of Judaism for a rabbi to come speak to you. It’s not what you’re looking for.

Until that rabbi proves to be the savior of the world by letting himself be killed and not staying dead and now offering eternal life for all who believe, inside and outside of Jerusalem! That’s what changes everything!

Every religion has a god, or gods, a deity of some sort.

Every religion has teachers, leaders, some even have would be prophets.

Every religion has followers.

What set Israel apart before Christ was often times the proof of miracles. When you read the story of Israel leaving Egypt and then Israel encountering other nations in battle, often times what you see these other nations say, “We have heard what your God did for you in Egypt!”

And yet, that wasn’t enough to keep Israel’s attention. As you continue to read the story you read over and over again that the people of Israel would be enticed to follow other gods, other religions, swayed by new friends or romantic relationships.

If you’re reading along with our Bible Reading Plan then we finished up the book of Judges this past week.

I’ll be honest, some of that was hard to read. It is at times an absolutely horrible, worst of the worst of humanity story. But when you read it with insight, you see a tragic story of our humanity that leads us to needing a savior.

I was saying to someone the other day how Judges 17-21 were just an absolute mess, and in the middle of it it appears that they are attributing some of these things to God, but when you notice the bookends of that portion of scripture it suddenly makes sense.

Judges 17:6 says, / / In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

And Judges 21:25, which is the last verse of the chapter and the book, says, / / In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Are we blaming God then?

What happens when humanity does whatever seems right in their own eyes?

What are some of the biggest issues we’re seeing in our world right now? People trying to convince the world that whatever they deem right and wrong you can’t question, and you must abide by it, and you must let them do whatever they want with it.

It’s not just a slippery slope, it leads to total depravity of mind, body and spirit. And it ain’t anything new.

So that’s the Old Testament, Jewish religion was set apart bo the great and mighty things God had done. But that wasn’t always a reason for other nations to serve the God of Israel.

But we are in this window between easter and pentecost, the big shift. Jesus is no longer sending his disciples to only the lost sheep of Israel, but the gentiles as well, and this time it’s different. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah who is God the Son changes everything. For the first time in all of human history, and forever this will be the case, God so embraced humanity by becoming human himself, suffering all he suffered in life, even unto death, SO THAT the effect of this life, humanity, the wrongs we have done and the wrongs of others could be completely and utterly removed from us so we could fully experience the life and love of the One true God regardless of our past or our heritage! We all become heirs to the promise of Abraham!

Ok, that’s / / the big shift. Now there IS reason for anyone and everyone to believe in Jesus Christ and become follow him!

But the challenge for these disciples is that they are now going to be talking to people who do not know about their God and do not know why he is as good as he is. And they are being sent to people who aren’t looking for a Messiah, a savior. It’s an entirely new mission.

Now, let’s look at what that means for us.

There is a big difference between talking to someone who is a Christian, or someone who once believed in Jesus, but through life has chosen not to, and someone who has no clue who Jesus is or what Christianity is, isn’t looking for a savior, or doesn’t think they need one.

Have you ever had a moment where you have known someone for a while, or you have run into them a few times, and then suddenly you find out they are a Christian? It changes things, doesn’t it? Suddenly you have something to really relate on, talk about, encourage each other in your faith. That’s of course super easy.

Now, have you ever talked to someone, or know someone who seems to have lost their faith, but you know they know, it’s just a matter of them seeing the reality of God’s goodness and love again. Maybe it was through hurt in life, or being hurt through church, or hurt through a leader or family member. Or maybe God wasn’t represented in the best way, but they have a faith, it’s just a little rocky. But then you come along and seem to have a good head on your shoulders and a good heart in your chest and you connect on the truth of who God is? Or maybe that was someone else representing God well with you after you’ve been hurt.

Those are beautiful moments. Like the story of the prodigal son that Jesus tells, someone who knows the goodness of God but walked away, and comes home again.

And then there are people who have just absolutely no clue what to do with you because you’re a Christian.

They don’t know how to relate to what you believe. They don’t see any reason why they would believe.

This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:2, 1:23, / / …I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified… when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

People don’t always get it. Yet he gives this hope in 1 Corinthians 1:24, / / But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. The foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strengths.

Obviously he’s not calling God foolish or weak, it’s his way of saying, even if for us it seems absolutely foolish, it is in fact the wisdom of God. And even though it may seem to have been utter weakness to allow yourself to be nailed to a cross, it showed the absolute strength of Jesus Christ in his resolve to endure the brutality of crucifixion and torture for the sake of the humanity he loves.

But I want you to recognize this for your own life. How many have attempted to talk to someone about God, and they just don’t seem to get it or listen. Or how many have had people say things like, “Ya, religion just isn’t my thing.” or “It’s fine you believe that stuff, but it’s just not for me.” or “I’m not a church going person...”

Remember what I said last week, The Holy Spirit is active in this earth convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. And Jesus explains what he means in John 16:9-11, / / …concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgement, because the rule of this world is judged.

Who is out there already convicting of the sin, the missing the mark of not believing in God? The Holy Spirit.

Who is already out there leading people to the righteousness of Jesus, not salvation by our own works? The Holy Spirit

Who is already out there ensuring that people will know Jesus did not come to judge, but that the devil, who is out to kill steal and destroy, has already been judged? The Holy Spirit.

That’s John 3:17, / / God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

So, major shift for the disciples. Jesus is sending them beyond their own little neighborhood where people at least already believe in God and are waiting for the Messiah, to a group of people who have no clue.

Same thing he’s doing with you and me. Sending us into the world like the disciples, sometimes not knowing at all what we’re supposed to do. And you might think, “But I’m not an apostle. Or an evangelist...” True… 100% True. And I would encourage you in this way. Don’t try to do more than you need to, simply begin to do your very best to be led by the Spirit. What’s that look like?

It looks like saying what you feel in your heart to say when you see someone. Maybe that’s running into a friend in the grocery story and stoping for a moment to encourage them. Maybe it’s an opportunity to introduce Christ, maybe it’s an opportunity to invite them to church, maybe it’s an opportunity to see in their lives what you can be praying for in them.

I said this a few weeks ago, I firmly believe it to be true. We are all very different, and we are all meant to be and operate very differently. God did not design us all to be the same. Paul is so very clear on this fact that we all have varying gifts and talents that are given to us by God. And that we are needed in the community and in this world to be who God has designed and gifted us to be individually.

That’s why I said don’t try to be what I am, don’t try to be what Kelley is, or what you see in the person next to you. Paul said it best, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”, meaning, I’m doing the best I can to be led by the Spirit and live my life like Jesus Christ to the best of my ability, you should do the same. Not how I do it, because we are different, but what I do. I’m following Jesus.

Thing is, if we were all following Jesus, we’d probably be doing a lot of the same things, just doing them differently, like we are individually created to do it.

Start there. Ask God to lead you in your life to the right people at the right time. Ask Holy Spirit to give you the right words to say and lead you into his mission.

/ / 2. The outward progression

This is a lot of what we’ve just gone through, but specifically, Jesus gives an order of how the disciples are meant to start this mission and I think it just shows the compassion of Jesus toward the difficulty of this mission.

Acts 1:8, / / …you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Jerusalem, those closest to you, that know you the most, that you probably already have relationship with.

Judea, those of the same mind frame as you. For the disciples this was the people of Israel who were waiting for a messiah.

Samaria, those who believe in God, but believe differently than you. There is a large group of people in this world right now that consider themselves spiritual people, but don’t want to be locked into a religion. Perfect, introduce them to relationship with Jesus Christ who is God himself. They’re open, they just haven’t experienced the reality of Jesus yet.

...ends of the earth, those who don’t yet believe, don’t know, maybe have other religions entirely, consider themselves to be agnostic, which is they believe in a god but believe he’s got nothing to do with us, or atheist, believe there is no god at all and we’re just here to roam the earth til we die.

Listen, every thing in our lives that is worth telling other people about because it has impacted us truly and deeply follows this model:

You start with the people you know.

Then you move to people you relate to or are like, have the same values and ideas for the most part.

Then people who are open to your ideas because they maybe have similar ideas.

And then, if the opportunity arises, or you’re really great a connecting with people you go to the people who you just have no clue where they are at, or maybe completely nowhere near where you’re at.

Why do you think real honest network marketing companies actually work for people? Because this is how you build a great community. If you want a group of people to gather quickly, don’t start with the ones you know will reject you and your ideas, start with your family and friends and say, “Hey, this has changed my life, I think it might help you too.”

Not comparing the great commission to network marketing, but you get the point. Every conversation we have goes like this. Whether it’s a new store, a new hairdresser, a company we’ve worked with or a new diet. Doesn’t matter what it is, if we’ve been convinced by something because it’s changed our lives, we talk to people about it in that order.

That is … *** IF you are of the type of person that’s actually going to talk about it. ***

Let me talk to the introverts in the room for a moment.

I get you.

I really do.

You aren’t the first to tell anyone about anything. You’re more than happy to keep all that information to yourself. Why conversate...

I get it.

Here’s where I want you to hear my heart and I believe the heart of God for each of us individually.

You are who you are and how God has created you to be and that is supposed to be powerful.

Kelley will talk to anyone. And I love that about her. She always jokes it’s why her introvert friends always keep her around, because they don’t have to start or engage in conversation, she will.

I’m not like that at all really. Don’t get me wrong. I love having a good conversation, I really do. This is why I’m always inviting you to ask me to go for coffee when you want to talk about something because I love that one on one connection.

But I’m WAY less likely to simply walk up to someone I don’t know and strike up a conversation.

Gosh, my buddy, Pastor John Michael. He’s amazing at it. He’s super outgoing. It’s why we’re friends, because he started his move to our town by emailing all the pastors in Cutler Bay asking to meet up. Not sure I would do that. Well, I moved here 8 years ago. I haven’t done that.

He did. But I also saw it as a great opportunity, felt Holy Spirit leading me, I replied yes. As scary as that is for me to go to a coffee shop and meet someone I’ve never met before… And he told me later I was the only person that replied to him.

He’s one of my closest friends now.

So, let’s jump over here to the other side of the spectrum - let me talk to you extroverts for a moment.

Be as outgoing and confident in who you are as you possibly can! 100%. Don’t hold back because you see Christian leaders looking like they hold back. They might just be different than you. We are meant to be a body, all different parts doing what we are all meant to do. We need you! Just like you need the quiet, contemplative voices in your life, we need your loud and boisterous voice. And I know I’m talking in cliche’s here, not all introverts are quiet and not all extroverts are loud…but I think you get what I’m saying here. We need each other… Why? Because you’ll talk to people we won’t. You’ll reach people we won’t. You’ll do what we can’t even begin to comprehend doing.

We are all different. We do things differently. And that is the point.

Revelation 12:10-11 tells us the key to this great commission that Jesus gives. Of course, this is the book of Revelation, so it’s this vision that John is having that many believe it to be a depiction of the end times and Jesus return. Remember, we read in Acts 1, after Jesus ascends into heaven, two angels show up and say, He’s going to come back… So we expect that.

But Revelation says this, / / Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last - salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of the brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth - the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”

What do believers use to defeat the enemy?

/ / The blood of the Lamb - what Christ has done for us through his life, death and resurrection

AND the word of their testimony - telling other people about that experience.

And that will look different for each of us. What I experience and can share is different than what you experience and can share. What we both have, is the saving grace of Jesus Christ. What we were saved from and how we encountered that may be as different as can be. But the methodology is the same. / / Experience first, share experience second.

Can I give you a little secret. Do you want to know the key to the success of Alcoholics Anonymous?

Although there are 12 steps, I would say it’s primarily two things, and this would be confirmed through the big book.

/ / Step three, after admitting we need help, and being open to the reality of God, says this, [We] made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.

We needed an experience with God to change our lives.

Addiction is overcome by getting to a point where we are willing to hand our lives over to the leading of God, let’s just call that, choosing to follow Jesus Christ because he’s the Lamb of God who was crucified and rose again. And the / / 12th step says, Having had a spiritual awakening as the results of these steps, we tried to carry this message to [others in need] and to practice these principles in all our affairs… we choose to take that good news to others who need it.

That’s the success. / / Experience God.... Lead others to an experience with God...

One leader in the AA movement in the 60s said it this way, / / “That which we give away we keep. That which we keep we lose. Such is the basis of our responsibility - to pass to another alcoholic the message of love and understanding that made our own sobriety possible...”

Doesn’t sound all that different from, / / “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” That’s Jesus by the way, from Matthew 16:25…

Now obviously there’s a lot more to it than that. AA has 12 steps, not 2, Christianity, if put into steps, wouldn’t just be 2 steps either, but you get the point. Without coming to God we can’t experience God, and when we have experienced God the greatest way to keep that alive is to continue doing the work of experiencing God and sharing that experience with others.

So, what’s goal one?

Experience God.

Pursue God and experience Jesus Christ. Experience what Revelation 12:10 calls the blood of the lamb - or experience the fullness of His work through the cross!

/ / 3. No one is left out

I’m going to close with this thought this morning. First, I’m going to read the scriptures we started with, what we now call the great commission, including the verses from Acts 1, but put them together into one cohesive thought, and then give us a few ideas of what our mission is through this.

Again, this is Matthew 28, Mark 16 and Acts 1, and I want you to hear Jesus heart in this.

/ / Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you… These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed. You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

So, in closing I want you to see the mission given to us through this mission laid out for the disciples. First, to show that this is for all of us:

/ / Preach to everyone and make disciples of all nations...

/ / Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved...

/ / These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe...

This is not an invitation to a select group or a small group. But to all who believe. So, in closing our path or our mission is this:

/ / Hear the Good News of the gospel and believe.

/ / Choose to become a disciple, one who learns.

/ / Be baptized, Which I believe is more than just water, it’s being submersed in the fullness of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

/ / Listen and obey the commands Jesus gave, this is applying the message of the gospel, what we learn as disciples.

/ / Believe in the power of Jesus and that He wants to and will work through you.

/ / Follow his leading to those who need to experience God just like you have.

And that last part might look like an introduction to the good news of Jesus Christ, it might be praying for them, it might be miraculous signs and wonders, what happens specifically matters much less than the obedience and faith of following Holy Spirit wherever he leads.

One of the biggest keys to live between easter and pentecost is to know that we are meant to be life long students of the gospel, life long followers of Jesus, where we experience him, learn his ways and follow his leading.

John Mark Comer makes it easy and puts all of that into three points. He says that being a disciple of Jesus is:

To be around Jesus.

To become like Jesus.

To do what Jesus did.

If we do those things we are fulfilling the great commission laid out by Jesus himself.