Churchy Words - Mission
When we talk about evangelism and missions, I believe sometimes we focus on the “duty” of evangelism and forget the “why.” I would be hard-pressed to find a Christian that doesn’t know they should tell others about Christ, but it is easy to get distracted by the problems of this world and the busyness of our time. Today, I would like to focus on the “why” behind evangelism and missions and end with a very practical tool. It won’t do any of us any good to beat ourselves up over how much we engage in missions or not, but I do pray everyone walks out knowing they can and where to start.
God’s Desire for Humanity
In Isaiah 62, the Lord promises to give Jerusalem a new name and restoration. This promise was fulfilled through Jesus Christ who brings salvation to both Jew and Gentile. From the very beginning, the Lord desired to create a people for Himself. Humanity is created in God’s Image and given the task of administrating Creation. The Fall did not negate humanity’s purpose, but it did inhibit them from fulfilling their task. Jesus came to restore His Image and free humanity from the grip of sin.
God desires to create a People for Himself, and that desire is fulfilled through the Mission of Christ.
When we fast forward to Revelation 22, we read the union of Heaven and Earth and humanity living as God designed them to live in the Garden is still part of God’s purpose.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:1-5
The cosmic restoration depicted here is because of Christ. The world will be as it was in the beginning in the sense that heaven and earth are bound together. Even more so, humanity will no longer walk wondering about the things of God, because God will walk with them. If we have a question, we will simply look up to the throne and ask God Himself. There won’t even be a need for lights or the sun because the Lord God will light up the place.
In all the business and busyness of Christianity, never forget the primary desire for us and for God is that we know our Creator and walk in His light. God is most glorified when His people walk with Him daily and experience life with Him and in Him.
God’s Mission for His People
But, we can not experience this life in our sin. The reason for our anxieties, our failures, our depression, and our guilt is because of sin. We are a people bent towards self-destruction and selfishness. Despite our best efforts, we constantly find ourselves without joy and love. That is the nature of sin and its grip on us.
Jesus came to free us from the grip of sin, Satan, and death, but we must turn from our sin and follow Him if we are to have that freedom.
But how are we to surrender to Jesus if we never hear about Him?
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:14-15
The Word of the Lord came through the prophets in the old covenant, and now Christ has come to make the knowledge of God plain. Christ has made the invisible God visible. In the Providence of God, He sent His Son, and now He sends His people to go and tell others about salvation through Jesus Christ.
But, no one can hear, if no one goes.
Before His Ascension, Jesus gave the disciples the roadmap for how the mission works. There are two key passages that we will look at. The first is the Great Commission at the end of Matthew.
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.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Sometimes churches will go through a process of developing a mission statement. It’s a carryover from the business world in which each business has to decide what their primary purpose is. For the Church, we already have this statement. It’s this verse.
Churches exist to glorify the Lord by making disciples who make disciples.
When the youth were in Kansas City, pastor Luther went through this Great Commission with them, and I believe the points he drew out are important for all of us. He used six “I words” to describe the Commission.
The first is “Intentional.” We are to be intentional with how we join in God’s mission. Make no mistake, it is God’s mission. He is in the business of seeking and saving the lost. We are called to come along for the ride in order to serve His mission. “Go” is a command, and it involves intentionally moving from one spot to another. Some translators have argued the Greek could be “as you are going,” but this phrase doesn’t maintain the force of the command in the Greek. Jesus doesn’t want us to make disciples when it is convenient. He calls us to make disciples in whatever context we find ourselves.
Every Christian is called to make disciples.
The next word is “Imperative.” What are we doing when we engage in evangelism? We are supposed to be making disciples. “Disciples” is a word we don’t use outside of church often. In the first century, they understood it to mean something like “apprentice.” A disciple would literally follow the rabbi everywhere and learn how to live life like the rabbi. That is why Christians are often called “Jesus followers.” We follow Jesus around and learn to live like Jesus lived.
The next word is “Inclusive.” It’s unfortunate this word has been subverted by politics, but let’s take a look at it biblically. Jesus says we are to make disciples of “all nations”—or “ethnicities.” The word “nations” is ethné which is where we get “ethnic.” There is no limit to who we try to reach with the Gospel.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9-10
The Lord desires a People gathered from all over the world. Heaven will be filled with all the varieties of people from past, present, and future. To decide that we can’t reach a certain group, for whatever reason, is to step outside the will of God.
The next word is “Identifying.” As we make disciples, we are to baptize them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the physical rite that demonstrates a spiritual truth—this person now belongs to Christ. And because they belong to Christ, they are now our brother or sister in Christ. They are one of us.
Next is “Instructive.” We are to teach the new disciple to obey all the commands that Jesus gave. That is why we are commanded to “go” also. The disciples made disciples who made disciples, and so on until it came to us. We inherit the same mission because the mission is not over, and Jesus calls us to join Him in obedience.
To be a disciple of Christ means to surrender to all of His commands, not just the ones we like.
The last word is “Inspirational.” Inevitably, a Christian will say, “This command is too hard.” Of course it is, and that is why you were never meant to do it alone. No one Christian can reach all the nations. No one Christian can even reach a whole community. We are called to join together to reach all the nations. We join with other missionaries, missionary agencies, churches, and each other to fulfill the Great Commission. But most importantly, we remember that Christ is right there with us. Each time we engage with a lost person, each time we embark on the journey to a new people group, and each time we work together as a local church to minister to and evangelize the lost in our community, we have Christ right there with us.
Jesus promised to be with us until the end of the age, and that is exactly what He does through the Holy Spirit.
6 I’s of the Great Commission
Intentional - “Go”
Imperative - “Make Disciples”
Inclusive - “all nations”
Identifying - “Baptizing”
Instructive - “Teaching”
Inspirational - “And, lo, I will be with you”
God’s Pattern for Mission
So, how do we begin? At the beginning of Acts, the story of the earliest Church, Jesus tells us.
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 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.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:6-11
The disciples want to know if Jesus is finally going to restore Israel to the position they had in the past. The prophets foretold the Messiah would restore Israel, so is it finally going to happen? They still did not understand the greater picture, and the greater Kingdom, that Jesus was inaugurating. Nevertheless, Jesus tells them two things that are still important for us today:
First, it is not for us to know the times or season fixed by the Father. It is the Father’s authority to determine when the restoration of Israel, the end of this age, and the return of Christ will happen. We will have signs as Jesus foretold, but those signs will not give us a timeline—only hints.
Church, please do not let the fear mongers get in your head. Even if the end of all things is tomorrow, that simply means Christ will return, and we will all be enjoying ourselves. Whatever you believe about the End Times, be sure that it includes the bodily return of Christ and a happy ending for those who trust in Him. Anything beyond that is extra, anyway.
Second, Jesus tells the disciples to head to Jerusalem because they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. In about a week, the disciples will be celebrating Pentecost with the Jewish people gathered from all over the empire. The Holy Spirit will come, and it will be time to act.
Church, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our evangelism and missions. He need Him to guide everything we do, so of course, we should rely on His prompting and power to reach the lost.
Our focus for missions and evangelism should be on the present task given to us by the Holy Spirit and let God work out the big picture.
That doesn’t mean we can’t plan for the future, nor does it mean we shouldn’t attempt big things for God. It does mean that if we overly concern ourselves with events and circumstances outside of our control, we will lose our effectiveness in witnessing to the people right next to us.
I have no control over Washington. I have no control over Israel, Russia, China, or even in Lincoln, NE. I’m not even sure I know anyone that does have influence in those areas. But I do know I can influence people in my town. I can invest in the lives of young people, so they can make better decisions than I did. I can help the older folks understand it is never too late to start serving the Lord. The guy on the street I see; I can give him a meal and tell him about Christ who still saves lost sinners and is making all things new.
Missions start locally. Look at the pattern in verse 8. The disciples are to begin in Jerusalem. That is home base. The Church at Jerusalem will be the first Christian Church. They won’t even be called “Christians” yet. They are “Followers of the Way” until Antioch.
The best place to start missions is right where you are.
When you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive the power needed to go and tell lost people about Jesus. There are lost people right where you are, so you can begin right there. We aren’t alone. Jesus is with us, and there are other Christians around to help.
Then, we can look beyond our own community. They will start with Jerusalem, and then go to Judea. Judea is the surrounding area of Jerusalem. The equivalent would be Custer County for us. So, as a church, how can we engage with the people of Custer County? Who can we work with? What people groups are unreached? What bible studies, or maybe even another church, can we start in the surrounding communities?
Then, the disciples head to Samaria. Samaria represents a cross-cultural mission. Samaritans were not Jews—close but not fully. In fact, Jewish norms dictated the disciples should stay away from Samaria, but Jesus had already broken those norms several times. The disciples were to go to people “not like them,” and we, too, can go reach people that are not like us.
Last, Jesus says to go to the ends of the earth. Wherever there are people, that is where we go with the Gospel. That is where Missions agencies are most helpful, but those agencies need Christians that are willing to get out of Jerusalem. Take a look at the New Testament in your hands. The bulk of that Bible does not exist if the Jerusalem Christians weren’t willing to send out Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, and a host of other names—most of whom we don’t actually know.
The Kingdom of God continues to grow in this world because faithful Christians go wherever people need to hear the Gospel of Christ.
Tradition tells us what happened to the original apostles.
Peter and Paul both landed in Rome in the 60s. Several stories and legends emerge, and the details don’t always match. What we can know, however, is they were both martyred under Emperor Nero.
Andrew went to Turkey, Greece, and then into what is now Ukraine—then called Scythia, the “Land of the man-eaters.”
Thomas headed east of Syria. Tradition holds he went as far as India before being pierced with spears.
Philip, who famously witnessed to the Ethiopian eunuch, built a ministry in Carthage of North Africa.
Matthew, the tax collector, ministered in Persia and Ethiopia where he may have been martyred. The oldest manuscripts disagree on his death.
Bartholomew traveled with Thomas to India, and then back to Armenia, Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia. The records are fuzzy on how he was eventually martyred, also.
James, son of Alpheus, probably went to Syria where he was clubbed and stoned to death.
Simon, the Zealot, ministered in Persia where he was killed for refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
Matthias, the apostle who replaced Judas, went to Syria with Andrew, and there was burned to death.
John, the only apostle to for sure die a natural death, spent his final days on the Isle of Patmos where he wrote Revelation. He was a prominent church leader in Ephesus ministering to the churches Paul founded on his missionary journeys.
Now, the traditions surrounding these men tell us a few things. First, when Jesus said that if anyone would follow Him, they must “take up their cross,” He wasn’t being entirely figurative. Several of these disciples were hung on an actual cross. And even if it wasn’t a cross, only John is known to have died a peaceful death (though it’s worth mentioning the story that Romans tried to boil him in a vat of oil before his exile).
Missions is not usually an easy task. Living the Christian life, in general, is not always easy. The fact of the matter is if your Christian walk is always easy, there’s a strong chance you aren’t doing it right.
The other thing these stories teach us is that missions is worth it. The torture, the long journeys, the persecution, the conversations, the hospitality, the forgiving, the sacrifice, the absence of family, and whatever else we sacrifice for the cause of Christ is worth it.
Whatever we sacrifice to follow Christ and tell others about salvation is worth it.
Look at these countries again: Carthage, Ethiopia, Ephesus, Turkey, Persia, Arabia, India, Rome. Now think about all the countries and people that heard the Gospel from Christians in those places: Gaul, which is now France, Britain, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Bulgaria, Czech, Macedonia, Slovakia. Many of you trace your family lines to at least one of these places. For me, I can trace one family line to Wales, and I even found evidence of ancestors who were also clergymen. The other family line goes to Poland. And for every single American Christian, you are a product of Christians who left their homeland to come here with Gospel—whatever that looked like.
I am thankful for Andrew, Matthias, Peter, and Paul because those four, I know, went to my people.
But there is one apostle we don’t talk about much when it comes to missions. He gave up before he even got started. The last one is Judas, who we know, killed himself. His guilt was too much. His shame too heavy a load to bear. If he had just waited a bit longer, I am convinced Jesus would have restored him, too.
His story has a lesson to teach us, also though. Don’t give up before you even get started. Whatever the shame, whatever the guilt, take that to Jesus. Let Jesus restore you, so you can stand up and “Go.”
A Template for Your Testimony
Before we go from here, I want to give you one last tool from Acts 22. In verses 3-5, Paul tells us what his life was like before Christ.
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
Acts 22:3-5
Then, in verses 6-11, Paul tells how he met Christ—or rather Christ grabbed his attention. In verse 12, Paul meets with Ananias who restores Paul’s sight and tells him what God has in store.
This chapter gives us a template we can use for our own testimony. Take time to put together your own testimony using these questions.
What was your life like before you surrendered to Jesus?
How did you learn about Christ and surrender to Him?
What is your life like now that you follow Jesus?
These three questions will help you tell your own story. A bonus question to help with how to proceed in your faith is to ask, “What is God teaching me now that will help me do what He has next?”
Look at Acts 22:17.
“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Acts 22:17
Paul is dealing with all kinds of guilt about his past, I’m sure, but he is also dealing with fellow Christians who just aren’t sure about him. They are skeptical of his testimony, and for good reason. Paul is concerned about his service in Jerusalem, and God tells him, “Don’t worry about Jerusalem. You’re headed to the Gentiles.” His past may be a problem for the Jews, but it will help him point Gentiles to Christ. It’s actually a very loaded statement when he tells the tribune he is a Roman citizen by birth. Paul has grown up in two different worlds—the Jewish synagogue and Roman citizenship. He, then, became a persecutor of Christians. These are all problems if he hopes to minister in Jerusalem and Israel, but God doesn’t call him to the Jews. He calls Paul to the Gentiles.
Our past struggles and failures can be used by God to fuel our future missions and ministry.
From the very beginning God has laid out two paths for His people. We can choose the Way of Life or the Way of Death. We can wallow in the misery of our past, our guilt and sin finding ourselves ineffective in the Kingdom of God. We’ll find every excuse not to witness, not to serve, and wonder why we struggle to find joy.
Or, we can choose the Way of Life. It’s not always pretty, and the reality is we may sacrifice quite a bit to follow this way. But the returns are worth it. We will find ourselves renewed by the joy that only comes from serving the Lord. We will serve in ways we didn’t think were possible. We’ll meet new people, make new friends (probably some enemies), and all the while experience a life we never imagined for ourselves, but wouldn’t trade it for the world.
It’s not a life that most people are willing to live. We are creatures who love our comforts and routine.
But maybe the life you really want, the one God designed you to live, is just on the other side of breaking that routine.