Great Commission or Great Suggestion

Recap Pentecost.....transition into Jesus’s final command before His ascension.......

Talk about parables of Jesus this summer.......

We have all been directed at one time or another to do something by a boss or someone else.  We didn’t always like it, or it wasn’t always easy, but we probably did it anyway.  What would the consequences have been for not doing it?  Maybe a reprimand, discipline, or maybe even termination?  Most of us would probably do what we were directed, as long as it wasn’t immoral, or against our beliefs, etc.  But do we take the directions or commands of our Heavenly Father just as seriously?

Let’s see what The Lord says in Matthew 28:18-20, these are red letter words, spoken by Jesus himself:

Matthew 28:16–20 NIV

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Several years ago, Pastor Cindy and I were in OKC after finishing up serving at the General Bible Quiz.  We were exhausted and had decided ahead of time to take Saturday afternoon and Sunday to relax and to spend extra time in OKC.  On Sunday afternoon, we visited the OKC memorial.  For those of you who don’t remember, or are too young to remember, the federal building was bombed in 1995.  168 people (including 19 children in the daycare) were killed when an approximately 4000-pound truck bomb went off in front of the building.  I had been there once before, but it struck me differently this time.  Some of the emotional shock factor was gone, because I had been there before.  This time I found myself thinking about 168 people who instantly were standing in front of their creator.  Did they know a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?  Had anyone shared the good news with them?  These were the types of questions that flooded my mind.

Then I started thinking about all of the shootings in more recent history, and over the last few years in this country, acts in other parts of the world committed by terrorists and extremists, and what is evident is that our need for God is even stronger than ever.  Here are some statistics that may shock you:

In Brown county, in 2010 there were only 67% of people who claimed to attend church at all. This is down from 81.6% in 2000. I would imagine if we had more recent numbers, this would be even less today.

In Shawano county in 2010, there were only 56.8% of residents who claimed to attend a church at all.  This is down from 73.5% in 2000.

Outagamie county shows similar results.  In 2010, the percentage of people who claimed to attend church was 73.1% down from 96.2%.

If we expand this to the state of Wisconsin as a whole, the results are similar, down from 60.4% to 53.6%.  While 71% of people in the state claim affiliation with a denomination with a Christian tradition, this means that almost ½ of the people in this state are not church attenders.  That is over 2.6MM people.  I don’t know about you, but these statistics were a bit of a shock to me.  I didn’t expect that they were this big.

But what are we, as followers of Jesus Christ, willing to do about this?  Are we OK as the church to sit back in our own circles and be content or are we burdened with these numbers. The gospel isn’t going to spread itself, God has chosen us to do that work.  As I’ve heard Pastor Travis has said, there is no plan B, we are the only plan.  There’s a song by Matthew West entitled “Do Something”.  Listen to these lyrics.

In Matthew West’s song “Do Something” there is a phrase that sticks out every time I hear it:

So, I shook my fist at Heaven Said, “God, why don’t You do something?” He said, “I did, yeah, I created you”

If not us, then who If not me and you Right now, it’s time for us to do something, yes it is, come on If not now, then when Will we see an end To all this pain Oh oh, it’s not enough to do nothing It’s time for us to do something

Folks, when is the CHURCH going to get serious in this country and really live out the command that God has given us. When are we going to stop letting things that are deterring us from living as Kingdom People stop dividing us? When are we going to focus on being citizens of God’s Kingdom first and foremost and stop putting our hope in Kingdoms of this World? Washington isn’t going to fix the spiritual issues we have in our society!

When are we going to start living our lives, notice I said lives – that means everything we do all day, every day, 365 days a year, 100% for God as true followers of Him. Scripture tells us how true followers of Christ will look. You know what? I don’t see much of that in the church today. I see a whole lot of people who like to say they are “Christian” but only appear to be on Sunday mornings, they certainly don’t look like what a “Christ-follower” looks like in Scripture. I don’t even like the term Christian anymore, because we have diluted it down from what it truly should mean to be a follower of Christ.

I’ve titled this message “The Great Commission or The Great Suggestion”.  This is something that God has been dealing with me on again lately.

Here’s a couple of stories I want to share (both from http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/e/evangelism.htm):

Many years ago in St. Louis, a lawyer visited a Christian to transact some business. Before the two parted, his client said to him, "I've often wanted to ask you a question, but I've been afraid to do so." "What do you want to know?" asked the lawyer. The man replied, "I've wondered why you're not a Christian." The man hung his head, "I know enough about the Bible to realize that it says no drunkard can enter the kingdom of God; and you know my weakness!" "You're avoiding my questions," continued the believer. "Well, truthfully, I can't recall anyone ever explaining how to become a Christian." Picking up a Bible, the client read some passages showing that all are under condemnation, but that Christ came to save the lost by dying on the cross for their sins. "By receiving Him as your Substitute and Redeemer," he said, "you can be forgiven. If you're willing to receive Jesus, let's pray together." The lawyer agreed, and when it was his turn he exclaimed, "O Jesus, I am a slave to drink. One of your servants has shown me how to be saved. O God, forgive my sins and help me overcome the power of this terrible habit in my life." Right there he was converted. That lawyer was C.I. Scofield, who later edited the reference Bible that bears his name.

Here’s another one:

One Sunday evening, William Booth was walking in London with his son, Bramwell, who was then 12 or 13 years old. The father surprised the son by taking him into a saloon! The place was crowded with men and women, many of them bearing on their faces the marks of vice and crime; some were drunk. The fumes of alcohol and tobacco were poisonous. "Willie," Booth said to his son, "These are our people; these are the people I want you to live for and bring to Christ." Years later, Bramwell Booth wrote, "The impression never left me."

Let’s dig in and understand what Jesus was telling us at the end of Matthew.   Let’s set the stage for when these words were spoken.  At this point, there were 11 disciples with Jesus (minus Judas).  Their reactions were mixed when they saw Jesus.  Some reacted in immediate worship, while others weren’t sure how to react.  The words Jesus speaks in these verses were meant to be marching orders for how to continue to spread the gospel after he was no longer with them. AUTHORITY – The father gave Jesus all authority.  No one can be higher than that authority.  Daniel 7:14 says “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”  The religious and political rulers of the day viewed the crucifixion of Jesus as vindication of their own power.  However, imagine their shock when the resurrection demonstrated his vindication by God as rightful King or Messiah.  He still has the authority to heal, cast out demons, He still has the power to change lives.  Imagine the power we can have if we submit our talents, abilities, and lives to Him and trust Him to work through us.  It is certainly more than we can ever accomplish on our own. THEREFORE, GO and MAKE DISCIPLES – The first command or marching order is to “GO”. After Jesus’ resurrection, the phrase “the lost sheep of Israel” was expanded to include all people in all nations.  However, this was only the supporting command for the main commission He was giving us, but it is imperative to fulfilling the second of making disciples. The second part of the command, which is the main purpose of the Great Commission is to make disciples.  The first step in this process is to help bring someone along to initial faith in Jesus Christ.  However, it doesn’t stop here.  This involves much more.  It begins a lifelong process of providing the nurture that someone will need through the remainder of their lives.  This includes baptism and teaching them.  They are to be taught to obey everything that Jesus has commanded. Discipleship must be a part of what we do as individuals and as the church.  Discipleship is the education that results in life-changing obedience.

It takes both the GO and the MAKE DISCIPLES to carry out this commission. So how many think they are capable of this? You know what? It doesn’t matter if we think we are or not.

Acts 1:8 NIV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We will receive power – how? When the holy spirit comes on us. Last week was Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended in the upper room and thousands were added to the number of believers that day. God can still work like that and I believe wants to pour out his power on us again, but we must be willing and be in prayerful expectation that God will!

When we are truly living a life in full surrender to God and are abiding daily with the Spirit, we will have the power to do whatever God asks of us. Notice the start of the second phrase of Acts 1:8 – YOU WILL BE. Notice it doesn’t say if we feel like it, or that we really have any say in the matter. The truth is if we are living a life in full surrender to God and are abiding daily with the Spirit, we will be God’s witnesses. It will happen naturally in everything we do throughout our day. WITH YOU ALWAYS – Jesus promises to be always with us.  He never gets tired or exhausted.  The promise of His presence empowers us to this task.  The end of the age refers to the end of human history.  This is the point where He will be present with us through all eternity.  The one introduced at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel as God with Us plays precisely that role as he’s giving this commission to us. Why is it so hard to share the gospel? Let’s explore some reasons it is hard to share the gospel. Here are some reasons that Christians have shared on why they do not evangelize.  I can tell you that I have used some of these myself, not always verbally, but some of these hit home.  These are from Thom Ranier’s website and written by Chuck Lawless, who is the Dean and VP of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC (http://thomrainer.com/2015/11/nine-reasons-cont-evangelize/).

Many don’t know what “evangelism” is.  Evangelism is simply the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness.  We can do mission trips, homeless ministries, or feeding people, but they are not truly evangelism unless the gospel is proclaimed.

We have few evangelistic role models. How often are you with people who share the gospel on a regular basis?  Unfortunately, the norm has become in the Church today to shy away from making people uncomfortable.

Some church members aren’t convinced about lostness. Are we really concerned that people who don’t know Christ personally are going to hell?  Are we really OK with this?

Some churches have provided no evangelism training. The church in America in general doesn’t train our people to evangelize.  We are believers, but are not intentially trying to share that with others.  We simply don’t know “how”

Fear of the unknown halts our efforts. You’ve probably heard fears expressed. “He might not listen to me.” “What if doing this costs me my friend?” “She might ask me questions I can’t answer” “They might reject what I say.” Most of these fears, I believe, are more perceived than real in North American culture, but perception matters. Why are we afraid?  We have assurance that God will be with us in whatever he asks us to do.  Joshua 1:9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  This was right before they were about to go into unknown territory.

We’ve “gotten over” our salvation. Ouch.  That one stings a bit.  When Jesus becomes routine to us – that is, our passion for Him has settled into mediocrity – we won’t readily tell others about Him. How many of us, if we’re honest have become routine in our walk with Christ?

Pastors aren’t taking the lead in evangelism. Are the leaders of our churches leading the way and setting an example of evangelism?  I know of some that do this very well, but I also know many pastors who don’t.  Lawless says, “I cannot recall ever seeing a strongly evangelistic church led by a non-evangelistic pastor. The pastor who evangelizes regularly will speak more of his evangelistic experiences, challenge his church with more passion to evangelize, and assure his church provides evangelistic training.”

We don’t really know many lost people anyway. What is the best way to meet lost people?  Meet them where they are.  If we wait for them to walk in the doors, they may never hear the gospel.  Many church members are so cocooned in the church world that they couldn’t list several names of non-believers they know well. If our whole world revolves around hanging out with Christians, we’re not likely to do evangelism.

We don’t care about non-believers. Lawless says “I don’t think we can avoid this possibility. If we truly believe that people need a personal relationship with Jesus, but we still keep that message to ourselves, how can we conclude otherwise?”

C.S. Lewis said:

“It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects – education, buildings, mission, holding services. (But) The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons are simply a waste of time.  God became man for no other purpose.

I’ve heard a pastor friend say before, if you had the cure for cancer, would you keep it to yourself or share it?  We have the best news to share in this entire world, yet so few of us who call ourselves Christians do.

The fact is that many people don’t go to church, is because no one has ever asked them.

I’m not talking specifically about Green Bay, or even the church of the Nazarene.  The church is America has become complacent.  We’re happy in our own little groups and often scorn outsiders or those who are different than us.  We focus on political parties and other sources of supposed hope to fix things instead of the Living God whom we claim to serve!

We have come to believe that the Great Commission is only a suggestion, that it is for someone else to evangelize.  I don’t see in there that it is the pastor’s or the DS’s or the SS Superintendent or the NYI president’s job.  It is the job of every believer to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The best way to reach others for Christ is to live life with them.  That means getting uncomfortable and meeting them where they are.  We have done some of that here at Hope Community, but I really think that if we are starting to feel comfortable, we are not living out what God has for us. Being comfortable is a dangerous trap. However, there are many unchurched families within a few mile radius of where we are today. What have we done to share the gospel here in Howard? If we wait for them to walk in the doors, they may never make it to church.  What if you knew you were the only one who would ever share the gospel with them?  Would that change your mind? I believe that God really wants us to reach this community right here around us. I don’t know what that looks like, but I am sure that I am not the only one that God is telling this to.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to stand in front of God and have to explain why I didn’t fulfill the Great Commission by sharing the good news and making disciples.

TIME OF RESPONSE