Time to Wake up
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And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
(NKJV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
We are all very familiar with this passage of scripture. It is known as the Great Commission!
If there is any scripture so neglected by the church that would take first prize, this is it!
To console ourselves with our own estimation of faithfulness, or rating our obedience based on another set of scales other than God’s, is to nail the very coffin we lay in.
Jesus says “all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth”.
The triune God head has relinquished all authority to the Son, and in so doing this does not micromanage it, nor take it back!
I. The Son means business.
I. The Son means business.
Our Life Group is studying the book of Revelation. This past Thursday we discussed the way that Jesus revealed Himself to John on Patmos.
It is an airy site to say the least.
He is not revealed the way we see Him in His humanity in the Gospels, but of judgment and holiness.
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
(NKJV) Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
(NKJV) His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
Most Christians just think that Jesus is going to give them a pass on obedience!
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
Most Christians just think that Jesus is going to give them a pass on obedience!
They believe that because they are saved they can just continue to be half committed or not committed at all!
We relieve ourselves from the condemnation of our own consciences, by believing a lie!
The lie – thinking that a certificate of insurance will suffice!
(NKJV) And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Living disobediently is not continuing in the faith!
II. The Son has chosen His ambassadors.
II. The Son has chosen His ambassadors.
“Go Therefore”…
In other words, The Lord Jesus Christ is not saying if you feel like, sense the gifting, or feel adequate.
He is saying, through the use of the conjunction “therefore”, that because I poses all authority, paid the price for your sin as well as those who have yet to hear the gospel, that you are hereby commanded to “go make disciples”.
We are the you! And not just us, but everyone who has come into the faith of Jesus has been chosen to be His ambassadors to the world!
Every person, everywhere!
And if you don’t think you have been chosen for this job, or think that you are excused from it, you are going to find out the truth, and it will not be what you think!
He has called you to be His ambassador!
And, He has also …
III. The Son has commanded us to go.
III. The Son has commanded us to go.
Back in June we announced a special training we were conducting to help folks understand and have the tools to make disciples. Some were interested, some of you were just plain indifferent about it!
I sensed that people thought this would be a quick fix solution, or just another church program.
Yet, in all actuality, I was just a tool to help you be the ambassador Jesus called you to be.
We aren’t finished either. There will be more intensified trainings for those who want to walk in obedience, and we’ll keep on doing this until the Lord comes back or sends us a post card saying stop!
It’s not about pulling in more money!
It’s not about filling the seats!
It’s not about recruiting more workers!
It’s about equipping the saints, you!
(NKJV) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
I’m afraid we have been sleeping for too long!
The church has failed to make disciples and has used money to replace responsibility!
And to show you just how far removed we have become from the great commission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, I want you to listen carefully to the most accurate and sickening statistics.
I heard this the other day from a podcast, and was convinced that this was at best, embellished. No way could this be correct!
The research is sound and it comes Mostly from World Christian Trends, William Carey Library, David Barrett & Todd Johnson. The summary and analysis of the annual Christian mega-census.)
Annual church embezzlements by top custodians exceed the entire cost of all foreign missions worldwide. Emboldened by lax procedures, trusted church treasurers are embezzling from the Church $5,500,000 PER DAY. That's $16,000,000,000 per YEAR! That's Billion - with a "B"! {For reference: TOTAL Christian spending on foreign missions - $15 Billion. God forgive us!}
95% of all church budgets in the US are spent on our own comforts and programs. Less than 1% is spent on evangelism to the most unreached.
40% of the church’s entire global foreign mission resources are being deployed to just 10 oversaturated countries already possessing strong citizen-run home ministries.
More than 90% of all Christian materials are in English, but only 8% of the world speaks English.
The total cost of Christian outreach averages $330,000 for each and every newly baptized person. (USA $1.55 Million, India $9,800)
Conclusion:
Next week we begin an entire month focused on missions.
Knowing the importance that God places on this theme, and the commission given to His church throughout all generations, I would think that October would be the highest attended month in the course of the year.
What in your life will take precedence over these meetings?
What will take precedence over your obedience to Christ?