Our Calling/Commission

Purpose of the Church

Matthew 28:16–20 (NIV)

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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,

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus commissioned us to go and make disciples. This looks different in every community and in every church, but the call is still the same. Go and make disciples.

You might have in your mind what that looks like for you. It’s true that you will have opportunity to reach and disciple people that I will never have a chance to do, but

What preparation does it take to be ready to make disciples?

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

For us to make disciples, we need to be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

There are times that God will lead us to speak to somebody cold turkey, what I mean by this is that we haven’t spent years building up relationships, but that we feel urged to speak now, He’ll give us the words that we need for now.

When I was in Bible School, we took an evangelism course and part of our course was to go door to door and evangelize. It may be with a survey, but we were asked to start up conversations with people about Jesus. Many found it awkward and said that they would never do that again. I’m sure many felt nervous and like a fish out of water. They didn’t feel led by the Spirit, but pushed by the teacher.

Many may think that they will live out their faith, but those around them never hear that we live the way we do because we are Christians.

Tim Keller says this,

If the gospel was primarily about what we must do to be saved, it would be communicated as well by actions (to be imitated) as by words. But if the gospel is primarily about what God has done to save us, and how we can receive it by faith, it can only be expressed through words. Faith cannot come without hearing. (No Silver Bullets 107)

Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

For our faith to be built up, we need to hear the word of God.

How can we hear the word of God?

I believe that the gospel needs to be spoken, but it can have limited value unless it is both spoken and lived out. Most of us will not go to another country to become a missionary, but we must be about the mission of God where we live.

1 Peter 2:11 (NIV)

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

1 Peter 2:12–17 (NIV)

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,

or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

How can the word of God make a difference in our lives so that we can share this truth with others?

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 (NIV)

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Most will never preach the gospel from behind a pulpit, many will never hear the gospel if we expect them to come to church before they believe, but

How can we grow in our faith, be discipled, so that discipling becomes just an every day part of our lives?

What do you think that it was about the early church that brought them the results that they got?

They preached the gospel in word and they lived it out together in deed.

Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Matthew 28:18–19 (NIV)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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,

Why make disciples?

Because of the authority, exousia, that Jesus had, He was calling and commissioning believers to go and make...

What is a disciple?

A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ.

Life Application New Testament Commentary (Jesus Gives the Great Commission / 28:16–20 / 248)

“Making disciples” means instructing new believers on how to follow Jesus, to submit to Jesus’ lordship, and to take up his mission of compassionate service.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (28:16–20)

Jesus’ commission, applicable to all His followers, involved one command, “Make disciples,” which is accompanied by three participles in the Greek: “going,” baptizing, and teaching.

Daniel Im,

Here are six different definitions of a disciple by experts:

A disciple is an individual who “desires above all else to be like him [Christ]” (Dallas Willard –Philosopher)

A disciple is an individual who is “becoming just like Jesus, doing what Jesus did, and doing [those last two points] with the types of people Jesus liked spending time with (Hugh Halter – Church Planter and Missional Specialist)

A disciple is one who adheres to Christ (Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Pastor and Martyr)

A disciple is an individual who has encountered “Jesus as Lord and not merely as Rabbi” (Eric Geiger, Michael Kelley, and Philip Nation – Researchers)

A disciple is one who is following Christ (head), being changed by Jesus (heart) and committed to Jesus’ mission to save people from their sin (hands) (Jim Putnam – Megachurch Pastor)

“A disciple is rational (learner), relational (family), and missional (missionary)” (Jonathan Dodson – Pastor and Discipleship Thinker)

“A disciple of Jesus is an individual who is continually being transformed into the likeness of Christ, as he or she is learning and participating in the mission of God with others.” - Daniel Im

We are all called to go and make disciples while still working in the marketplace.

As Christians, what is our end goal? Why does the church exist?

Ephesians 4:11–13 (NKJV)

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,

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

The church is called to equip the saints for the work of ministry, but there is One that we mustn’t forget.

The Holy Spirit

John 20:21–22 (NIV)

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

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.”

I came upon an interesting quote that made me think and it was about the vision that we have for our church.

Daniel Im in his book, “No Silver Bullets,” said this, “Vision is about the preferred future. It’s the ability to conceptualize a picture of a golden tomorrow that does not yet exist. It’s about both the difficulties and possibilities so that you can actually visualize a different reality than the one you can see with your eyes. Simply put, vision is about painting dreams that God has laid on your heart for all to see. In order to discover those God given dreams, you need to start by considering “everything to be a loss in view of the all surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”(Philippians 3:8) so that you can stop wondering “what kind of mission God has for me” and instead begin asking, “what kind of me God has for His mission.” (183-184)

I think each of us could ask the question, “What kind of me God has for His mission?”

Maybe you have some questions or ideas that we could look into as we continue and move forward to look into how we can practically become more like Jesus so that as we mature, that we are missional in what we do.