The Great Commission

Intro

IT’S CHRISTMAS!! LET’S GO!!

Me

I was ordained just last Sunday.

Caused me to reflect on what God has called me to: a life of ministry.

Talk a little about your call to ministry and what that does for you in life.

We

You see, we all have a calling in our lives. There is a unique set of gifts, abilities, and qualities that set us apart for different uses God has for us.

Have you ever wondered what your calling might be? Maybe you feel like you’ve missed it! Or maybe you feel as though you’re on the cusp of discovering it.

I hope that, if anything, this morning I am able to convince you that, while we all might used in different careers and places by God, we all have been called for ONE GREAT PURPOSE.

What might that be?

God

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Three things this passage commands us to do:

Make DISCIPLES.

BAPTIZE them.

TEACH them.

First of all, I think it’s necessary for us to be on the same page of understanding what a “disciple” truly is.

Jesus is Lord. Romans: confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord

disciples recognize Jesus is Lord

Matthew 4:18–22 CSB

18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

This passage is often titled, “Jesus calling His first disciples.”

Jesus didn’t just invite them to church.

See the level of responsibility Jesus took on in this discipleship relationship:

Jesus taught them the things of God (Matthew 5 - Sermon on the Mount)

Jesus demonstrated the things He taught (Matthew 8 - Healings, demons, and miracles)

Jesus sends them out (Matthew 10 - Commissioning the Twelve)

Jesus continued to live with, serve, and teach them until His time had come

Talk about discipleship relationship with Colin. Teaching, reading, prayer walking, and evangelizing.

In making disciples, we must baptize them. Meaning they have come to faith in Christ.

We must also teach them the same things Christ taught those who followed Him. THIS ISN’T JUST PRAY AND SAVE, THEN DROP. It’s a commitment! But it’s the commitment you signed up for when you confessed Jesus is Lord.

You

This is YOUR commission.

Not just mine, but YOUR commission, too.

Ephesians 4:1 CSB

Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

See the word “calling”? It’s the same context as we use it every day.

But who is Paul talking to? Pastors? Deacons? NOPE! THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS.

Ephesians 4:11–16 CSB

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

What is your calling? What is your mission in this life?

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB

19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We

What more do we need? What more do we need to go?