Mission Sunday 2025
Notes
Transcript
Invite Council Up
Today we’re doing something special. We’re starting a new season as a church in which we’re pressing into our mission, vision, and values. Maybe some of you have never heard those words connected with church. Maybe some of you are tired of hearing those words connected with church! Let me say this: the goal here is to seek God, and - based on His Word - understand why our church exists, what we need to focus on, and what we value as part of Christ’s people in this part of SK. This is important for us to understand for ourselves, but also for those in our communities, and that might walk through the doors one Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or another day of the week. Knowing our mission mandate, knowing who we are striving to be, and knowing what we value are DNA-writing things that tell others who we are and what God is doing here.
Today is mission Sunday, and we are asking one simple question: Why do we - as a church - exist? What is our mission? What is the job of the people of God, in a nutshell?
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Within that command we are given a mission:
Mission is our calling, it’s our assignment while we are here: What is the mission of the church?
Get answers
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.”
Did you catch it? The answer to our question lies in this passage.
The big idea today is this:
LGT exists to develop passionate followers of Jesus Christ.
Or another way to put it would be “Developing passionate Jesus-followers.”
This is our mission statement as a church. A mission statement should closely follow and reflect the great commission. Jesus gave us our mandate - we don’t need to change it! But how do we articulate that as an individual body of believers?
We need to go back to Scripture for this answer. So this morning we’re going to dig into Matthew 28:16-20. In this passage Jesus commissions His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. He tells them to baptize in the three-fold names of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And as part of this disciple-making process, to teach believers everything Christ taught them. They are to be disciple-making disciples. But, that mandate the disciples received was not just for them, but for the whole church. In fact the text shows us that. So let’s deep dive into Scripture to understand this question: Why do we exist as a church?
We find this commissioning given by Jesus for the church in Matthew 28:16-20. To start, Jesus meets the disciples post resurrection in Galilee. In Matthew 28 10 Jesus meets the women who had visited His empty tomb on the first Easter Sunday. They fall down and worship Him. Jesus tells them:
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
It is in Galilee, as the 11 disciples had gathered where Jesus told them to, that Jesus appears to them. Then we read this:
And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
They begin to worship Jesus - an appropriate response to meeting the risen Lord face-to-face! Yet some doubt. This word for doubt literally means to lack confidence, have doubts about, or a hesitation. Why did they hesitate? This verb is also found in Matthew 14 31. If you would turn there with me, I want to see if we can gain more clarity on this idea of doubting. Here we read the story of Jesus walking to the disciples on the water. Jesus meets the disciples out on the sea around 3-6 AM, probably still dark out. He walks to the disciples on the choppy waters, and at first they think He’s a ghost. Jesus says, don’t be afraid, it’s me. Peter tests that: “If it’s really you tell me to come to you on the water.” So Jesus says “come.” Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water, placing His faith in Jesus. He’s doing well, until the storm around him catches his eye. Peter begins to doubt in the midst of powerful wind and waves. It is then that He begins to sink and cries out for Jesus’ help. Jesus grabs him and then says:
Matthew 14:31 (ESV)
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Jesus points out Peter’s weak faith. We need to realize that we’re not talking about quantity, but quality. Peter’s faith was so easily shaken.
Getting back to our story in Matthew 28, Jesus appears to His disciples in Galilee after His resurrection, they worship but some doubt. Why would some doubt? Jesus is risen, isn’t He? What more could they possibly want?? Their faith was weak. Lest we judge them too harshly, keep in mind: This is a theme in Matthew’s gospel. The weakness of the disciples comes up a few times. Yet the strength of their faith grows as they realize the power and presence of the risen Lord - Acts showcases this!
Do you know what is interesting? Bracketing the mission of the church are two statements by Jesus that show us that it is not in our strength that the mission is accomplished, but instead it is in the presence and power of the risen Lord with us that the church continues on. The first of these is in Matthew 28:18. Jesus now addresses His disciples:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Why would this be the first thing Jesus says? He speaks assurance to their doubt of the reality of the resurrection. And He sets the framework for how the mission will be accomplished: in the continuing presence of the mighty Saviour. Jesus is about to commission the church, with the expectation that only in the presence and power of Jesus Christ can they accomplish what He says next.
Jesus is the King. Throughout Matthew’s gospel we see Jesus’ power manifest in word and action! From calming the wind and waves in Matthew 8, to healing the paralytic in Matthew 9:6-7, and raising the daughter of a synagogue leader in chapter 10, The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as powerful. All authority is given to Him. This echos Dan 7 13-14
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Jesus Christ has all the power, all the glory, and all the authority, and it is in His name, through His presence that we go forward in mission. Before even giving the disciples their mission, Jesus assures them of His power. It is His authority they are under, and His authority they walk in. In the authority of their Lord, who as we see later is continually present with them until the end of the age.
It is in this assurance that they are commissioned:
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,
The word therefore shows us something important: Therefore attaches the following statement to the proceeding one. In other words, we’re not supposed to do whatever it is Christ is about to tell us to do of our own accord, but in the power and presence of Jesus Christ!
What then should we do? Go, and make disciples of all nations!
What is a disciple? Simply put, a disciple is follower, usually of some sort of teacher. So another way to say disciple is “Jesus follower.”
There’s a sending wrapped in this. Go, get out there, start moving. Where to? To all nations! To the Jews, to the Romans, to the Greeks, to the Canadians, to that Saskatchewanians, etc. Our job is to carry - as believers - the good news wherever we find God placing us. Not all have to go to the “ends of the earth.” Rather, the mandate for the entire church is to spread out into the world, and spread the good news. Sometimes we read the word go and think “Madagascar here I come!” Jesus calls many to the mission field in other parts of our world, but guess what? There’s a mission field right outside your door - the community you live in needs Jesus. He’s placed you in it to tell them. The primary mission we have is to make disciples, wherever God plants us. Our job is to be disciple-making disciples. or Jesus-followers who make Jesus-followers.
Jesus then continues, telling the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Why? Baptism was a sign of initiation in the early church. Not a requirement for salvation, but part of entering the church was outwardly proclaiming through baptism your new life in Jesus. Unlike John the Baptist’s baptism, this baptism was in the name of the Trinity. It’s distinct even from Judaism, which had multiple ritual washings. In the name of the One God in three distinct persons, one is initiated through baptism into the church - the body of Christ. They proclaim that they are saved and set free.
Then to verse 20:
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Then what? The disciples were to teach new disciples what Jesus had taught them. This is is what it means to be a Jesus-follower: We follow Jesus, we not only listen but obey what He has taught us, holding God’s Word as our final authority for belief and practice. In fact Scripture talks about this:
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Notice, God says that Scripture should be on our hearts - not just minds. We should meditate on it, chew it over all the time. Teach it to our kids, think on it in the car, at dinner, when we get up, when we lie down. Out in the shop or at the office. That’s how applicable the Word is to us, and as Jesus-followers we need to take this to heart.
This is another hallmark of a Jesus-follower: They are growing in their faith, learning more and more about Jesus and who we should be in Him.
Ever seen a kid whose either tired or really distracted in the store? The parents trying to get them to get going, pushing them to go wherever. What’s the kids doing. (Drags heels, meh attitude, stubborn.) Half the time they have what I like to call “selective hearing.” And the setting for receiving their parents voices has been shut off. It’s half-hearted following. I follow because I have to, but that doesn’t mean I’ll like it!
Do we ever follow God like that? Sometimes when we think of following God it’s that thing we better do every now and again so that God doesn’t leave us in the store and drive home. You know, we’ll pay Him lip service, show up every now and again. Just good enough is the plan. Arguably, if this is you then you need to ask, has the gospel actually transformed my life?
Being a disciple, a Jesus-follower, is about a life 100% sold out for Jesus. That’s the kind of disciples - Jesus followers we’re supposed to be and make. The reality of living set free in Jesus should transform our lives. This is the kind of Jesus-follower we want to see grow.
Being a disciple - a Jesus-follower - means that His Word gives us the path for our lives. We must both align our lives with God’s Word and teach others to do so too.
Finally Jesus, sums it up with “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Again, we have a bookend. We started with Jesus saying that all authority in heaven and on earth is His. So what? Therefore, or because of this, we should go forward in Jesus’ presence and power on mission. Why? Jesus tells us here, He is with us always. Physically, Jesus is not present. Spiritually He is here - constantly with His people through the presence of the Holy Spirit! And His promise is to be with His people until this age ends. This age will end when He returns and ushers in the Kingdom of God! That’s our desire, to see Jesus return! But while we wait, we have a job to do. We have a mission to fulfill in the power and presence of our Lord. In fact that mission is so important that when the disciples asked Jesus when He was going to start bringing in what they thought was that kingdom, in Acts, Jesus responded by saying:
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In this age, our mission is clear: Go, make disciples, be Christ’s witnesses in word, in action, with your lives. Be disciple-making disciples. Jesus is powerfully with His church. The one who has all authority in heaven and earth is present with His people. This is why, when we pray for breakthrough, when we see God move, we don’t say it’s us that did it - but we praise God! Because the mission that drives the church, the reason for our existence is fuelled by Christ, who is above all and has all authority.
Our Mission
Our Mission
We asked, what is the mission of the church? The answer is:
Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)
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.
Jesus makes it clear, we are His people. He is with us, and so in that assurance, without doubt we strive forward with the message of hope for this dying world.
So now to ask the question: Why does Leask Gospel Tabernacle exist? What’s the point of this body of believers being here in this area?
We are here to make disciples - Jesus-followers - who are passionate for Him and ready to go where He leads. The mission Christ gave the disciples is ours as well. He is with us now like He was with them then. So our mandate is to make disciples, just like Jesus said.
As a leadership, to articulate our mission as a church we have chosen four words that reflect the Great Commission from Jesus:
Developing
Passionate
Jesus-Followers.
Developing Passionate Jesus-followers.
This is our mission statement. This is why we exist. This is the great commission in a nutshell. We are here to develop passionate Jesus followers. A church’s mission statement should - as we have said - reflect and follow the great commission for the church.
So let’s work it backwards for a minute and understand how our mission statement reflects the great commission:
We chose the wording Jesus - followers because that’s what we are called to be. Matthew 28:18-20 calls us to make disciples. Another way to say disciple is “Jesus-follower.” This is being a disciple. What we wanted to do as we worked through this was use language that someone who’s never stepped inside the church could understand. We’re following Jesus. We want to see people start and keep being Jesus followers.
That leads to this word passionate. When we talk about disciples, we’re not envisioning people who are half-hearted, withering, barely alive in faith. Not the kid who doesn’t want to leave the store types. We want to see Jesus-followers who are 100% sold out, on fire, and alive for Christ! We see this throughout the book of Acts as the believers (particularly the apostles) boldly proclaimed the gospel, even in persecution. They lived different - their lives reflected the transformational power of the gospel.
We want to develop this type of Jesus-followers. To develop means “grow or cause to grow and become more mature, advanced, or elaborate.” This word helps us realize what Jesus told us, to make disciples, teaching them all that He has commanded. We want to see people in our church who are growing, who are on fire, who are maturing, going from being just saved to ever-maturing believers. We want to journey with you - to see you develop in Christ, grow in Him, and become more like Him.
Developing passionate Jesus-followers. In coming weeks as we look at our values together as a church we will see in more detail what it means to be a passionate Jesus-follower. But the 1000 -foot view is this: Jesus gave the church a mission to make disciples of all nations, baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit; learning and growing in what Jesus has given us: His Word. These four words reflect the Great Commission. They don’t replace it or re-write it. They are supposed to reflect it and challenge us to be about this mission given by Jesus
So, we’re charting the future. And at the outset, we need to know why we’re even here. Why is this church here right now? Why are you at LGT right now? What’s our purpose? Developing passionate Jesus-followers. At Leask Gospel Tabernacle, we want to see that happen. We want to develop Jesus-followers who are characterized as being passionate: 100% sold out, set free, and on fire for Jesus. We want to journey together in this, see each of us growing and maturing in Christ. We are praying God will add to our number those who are being saved and set free. Our mission is to be Christ’s hands and feet, and contiue in the mission He started and still is actively empowering the church for. We’re not supposed to just sit in our building, sing some song, be comfy and go home. We’re supposed to live everyday for Jesus and reach out into this dying world. That’s our mission. To be growing, to be going, for God.
We exist as a church to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. Our mission - our reason for existence - is to develop passionate Jesus-followers for God’s glory, to advance His Kingdom, and see people’s lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Things still to touch on:
More Scripture
God’s glory - ENCORPORATE!
Greatest commandment?
Pastor’s council fit in.
Conclusion - maybe council here?
Illustrations
