Now with the arrival of Jesus on the scene, we came to understand last week that it was not as expected. In the session of Multiply, by Francis Chan, we learned how strange and actually bizarre the whole arrival of the Messiah was.
As we also know, the story does not end with Jesus arrival, in actuality, it is just a beginning of a whole new section. In this session we will get to know more of the actions the Messiah took in the beginning and how it relates, right up to our time here today.
Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection should affect every day of your life. During His short time on earth, Jesus challenged the religious leaders and their assumptions about what it meant to please God. He showed us what God intends humanity to look like, and tore down every barrier that would keep us from being the people God made us to be. Jesus’s mission on earth was to see God’s power, love, and healing permeate every aspect of this broken world and our broken lives. He came to see God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. One day, Jesus will return to finish this task, to take all things and make them new (Rev. 21:5). But in the meantime, He has given us a mission to accomplish.
Mission of the Church
We discovered and talked last session how surprised the people must have been when the Messiah came and he was not what they expected. As the disciples began to recognize that Jesus truly was the Christ, the Messiah, they must have seen the importance of what Jesus was doing. (He was fulfilling Isaiah 61)
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. – Isaiah 61:1 NLT
Then when he was humiliated and crucified, they had to be devastated. The roller coaster of emotions must have been unimaginable when He rose from the grave. This mission to restore the world was back in motion Jesus could now assume Israel’s throne and rule the world in righteousness and peace. But Jesus had a different plan. It was at this time Jesus gave His disciples an all-important task:
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 ESV
What exactly should the church be doing? The answer has been the same since the day Jesus spoke these words. Sure, each church will have some distinctives, and the church in different places and in different times has had some unique issues that it has needed to address. But the church has one mission. It is the mission that characterized Jesus’s ministry on earth, and it is the mission that He left to the church when He returned to His Father.
Read Luke 24
Read Acts 1:1-11
As you read those, how would it feel to be in those situations? How do the circumstances surrounding the Great Commission add significance to Jesus’ words?
The Authority of Jesus
In order to more fully understand what we are called to do here on earth, we will analyze the Great Commission in this session. As Jesus delivered this command to His followers, He began with a very important statement: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18). Here we have the foundation for the Great Commission.
We serve a King who has absolute authority over every square inch of creation. This authority extends not only to animals, plants, and weather patterns, but also to every human being on the planet. Understanding this truth should give us confidence as we move out into a world that is opposed to God’s reign.
Since all authority belongs to Jesus Christ, we are obligated to obey the Great Commission. The command is clear. But this is about more than cold obedience. The King who commands us to make disciples is the same King who sacrificed Himself to give us life. It is our pleasure to serve this King, and we should find joy in submitting to His will. Furthermore, it should not be enough that we ourselves enjoy a healed relationship with our King; we should want every person on earth to experience this great salvation.
Worldwide Mission
Jesus first gave the Great Commission to the early disciples. They took this task seriously, and spread the gospel throughout much of the known world within a relatively short amount of time. Yet the task of taking the gospel to all peoples did not end with them. This worldwide mission belongs to the church, and it ought to characterize our efforts today.
There is no denying that the task of taking the gospel to the nations is massive. There are a lot of people in this world, and a huge percentage of them have no way of even hearing about the gospel.
Let us not forget about our family members, friends, and coworkers who reject the claims of Christ. Thankfully, we aren’t alone in this supernatural task. Making disciples is ultimately God’s work, and He will accomplish it in His power. But God’s commitment to His plan of redemption does not absolve us from our responsibility to obey His commands. God will reach every corner of this world, and He has chosen to accomplish this task by working through His church.
We can get so caught up in our own personal relationship with God that we forget to think about the global implications of the Great Commission. Why is it important to see the mission of the church as a global calling?
Go and make Disciples
The Great Commission, given when Jesus was resurrected, all comes down to making disciples. But now we can see that disciple making is rooted in God’s plan of redemption. It is central to God’s heart for His people, for His world.
As we have learned, a disciple is simply a follower of Jesus. If we believe that Jesus is who He says He is and we do what He tells us to do, then we are disciples. So the process of disciple making amounts to telling other people about Jesus and calling them to follow Him as well. Discipleship is a lifelong process where we are continuously made more and more like Jesus.
Why do you think Jesus would give us the strategy of disciple making as the means for accomplishing our mission on earth?
What is the significance of baptism? What are your experiences with baptism?
What role should teaching play in our Christian lives and in the life of the church?
Continuing Presence of Jesus
If the Great Commission sounds impossible to you, that’s because it is. As daunting as the task to make disciples of all the nations on the face of the earth would be by itself, we also face serious opposition. Satan, the world, and our sinful desires fight against our growth in the Christian life and the advance of the gospel. Paul warned us that if we are going to live out this mission, we will experience persecution:
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted – 2 Tim. 3:12
This very day, Christians around the world are being persecuted, beaten, and even put to death for identifying with Jesus Christ. We are mistaken if we think our message will always be received warmly. But while the opposition is real and intimidating, Jesus’s final words in the Great Commission should give us courage:
“I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus’s very presence is promised to us so that we do not need to be afraid. Imagine how fearless you would be if you could physically see the Son of God by your side. He promises to be with us. Remember that God’s plan has never wavered, and our ultimate victory is assured.
Take a moment and share what the simple truth “I am with you always” means to you. How should this statement affect your daily life and the way you view your God-given mission?
Power of the Holy Spirit
After telling His disciples that they would be His witnesses to the entire world, He instructs them to “wait”. That advice might sound crazy, but if we see his intention, we can have renewed and restored confidence.
The Great Commission will never be accomplished by human effort or wise planning, though both are crucial for the task. We need God’s power in order to carry the gospel into every part of the globe. Only God’s power can transform rebels into disciples. This is precisely why Jesus commanded His disciples to wait (Acts 1:4). Before moving out to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth, the disciples had to be empowered by the Holy Spirit for this supernatural task.
Have you ever tried to follow Jesus apart from the power of the Holy Spirit? Why is that approach bound to end in frustration?
What would it look like to “fully” pursue the Great Commission through the Holy Spirit?
Finished & Unfinished
Read Revelation 7:9-12
This passage gives us a vision of the end of the story. This life will conclude with an enormous community of redeemed people from every nation, tribe, people and language praising God together for His salvation.
How should this vision of the end of the story affect the way we think about our mission now?
This week as let this lesson tend to us, Ask God to affect your heart with the urgency of the mission He has given you and the other Christians in your life. Ask Him for the strength, wisdom, and perseverance to pursue His mission in the strength of His Spirit.
Preparing for next week…
The reading plan:
1 Corinthians 1
1 Corinthians 2
1 Corinthians 3
1 Corinthians 4
1 Corinthians 5
1 Corinthians 6
1 Corinthians 7
1 Corinthians 8
1 Corinthians 9
1 Corinthians 10
1 Corinthians 11
1 Corinthians 12
1 Corinthians13
1 Corinthians 14
1 Corinthians 15
1 Corinthians 16
Watch the overview video for this coming week:
- Chan, Francis. Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples. David C Cook. Kindle Edition.
- Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
- The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.