Reaching and Growing Disciples 1

The Mission of God

I. Introduction

A. Our leadership is working through values, mission, and vision. Who are we are, what should we do? Critical to this is the overall mission of the church; the heart of God to reach people with His love.

B. Context of Great Commission - Galilee not Mount of Olives at the crossroads of the world by the sea of Galilee. Even though Jesus never traveled beyond Northern Israel His heart is made clear here for the nations. Everyone must hear and have a choice to believe. - Quote Matthew 28:16-20

C. This is not something new, this was always the character, purpose of God and the calling to all his children.

Since the time God split the peoples into nations at the Tower of Babel because there unity couldn’t be trusted, He chose a man named Abraham that he would bring forth a seed that would redeem, restore, and re-unite the world.

Genesis 12:2–3 (NIV) 2 “I will make you into a great nation,  and I will bless you;  I will make your name great,  and you will be a blessing.   3 I will bless those who bless you,  and whoever curses you I will curse;  and all peoples on earth  will be blessed through you.”

II. The Mission of God

A. Character of God - God can’t help himself, he will seek out the hurting, condemned, and lost.

Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

God is always calling the world to a choice. Deut. 30 speaks of life and death always being before us and God inviting us to choose life. Adam & Eve turned away from the life of trust and choose the death of wordly knowledge. God is faithful to present the choice of life. Everyday you choose.

It’s our call to give the invitation to life to others. We beckon those around us to eat from the tree of life instead of the tree of wordly knowledge.

1 Timothy 2:4 “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

We get a glimpse of a desire of God, all people to be saved. This is a driving motive behind all that God does.

We see it unfold for thousands of years in the Old Testament leading to Christ and the hope of redemption.

Is it our motive, behind everything we do? The way we parent, work, shop, play…everything is about wayward and the downtrodden getting saved, healed, and delivered.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

The only reason the world is still here in this condition, is more can choose to turn to God. It’s the only reason Jesus hasn’t come back.

If that’s true, is that the only reason your here? What other purpose would you have to be alive and not in Paradise with Jesus? We are here to share the love of Jesus with a lost and dying world.

God can’t help Himself, it’s who He is. He has to love and invite those that he loves to life instead of death. We shouldn’t be able to help ourselves either. (Story of local Pastor and his grandson’s illness)

B. Purpose of God - Since the crunching of the fruit, salvation to the whole world has been the plan.

Isaiah 49:6 “he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””

Over and over again in scripture you see God’s plan to offer salvation to the whole earth. Sometimes he creates a hub of light, but it’s just a headquarters to expand out from.

Isaiah 11:9 (NIV) “9 for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord  as the waters cover the sea.”

Eden was the original hub of light. A paradise to expand out from to bring God’s order to an untamed world.

Isreal was the next hub. A nation chosen among the other nations to bring the blessing of forgiveness and redemption to the entire world.

Now it’s the church. The church is a city on a hill that can’t be hidden. We are the bearers of light to the darkness, forgiveness to the shame, life to death. The goal has never changed, earth filled with the knowing of God on person at a time.

Luke 19::10 (NIV) 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Is what I seek and what my King seeks the same? He is seeking those who will say yes and become my adopted brothers and sisters sitting at our Father’s table.

We don’t save folks, we just bring them to our big brother Jesus that does, our King.

C. Calling to His Children - We all work the family business. There is a call of the house of God.

Isaiah 42:6–7 ““I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”

Soulish Blindness - You don’t have to blind physically to be blind spiritually. Folks can’t see the reality of God because they have been blinded by the enemy. We have to earnestly pray for eyes to see, ears to hear.

Soulish Prisons- You don’t have to be behind physical bars to be in our prison. Our unresolved past trauma, pain, disappointment is more than enough materials to create a prison of the soul; bound by shame, anxiety, depression and hopeless.

We are called children of light by Jesus and Paul. We are called to bring the light and invite others into it. There is no better adrenaline rush than when the lights come on, When others Jesus for the first time and step out of their past captivity. (Story of Kazak young woman on the Trans Siberian railroad)

III. Conclusion and Invitation - Sam Roberson