Read
Matthew
28:16-20
I have not played golf in a decade or
so but when I was playing every now and then, I’ve never made a putt that came
up short. Some that I hit too hard
lucked into going in, but I never made one that didn’t make it to the hole. I’ve missed them long and I’ve missed them
short but only the long misses ever had a chance.
I never made a shot in basketball that
I didn’t take. That’s not quite
true. In basketball, if somehow the
other team makes a basket in your goal, the player closest to their own goal
gets the credit. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s good to have a
friend who is also the team scorekeeper and gets to decide who was
closest.
It was hard to play with the level of
consistency that I had in high school:
Five points and five fouls per game, and you can’t get your point total
up if you get to five fouls before you get to five points.
Some people don’t understand that
there is more to basketball than blocking and tackling, but generally, you
never make a shot that you don’t take.
Despite the Keto craze right now, I
never gained a pound from something that I didn’t eat. There is some food at fellowship meals that
seems to put the pounds on me even when I never put it on my plate, but it
really doesn’t work out that way.
Perhaps we will return to these simple
concepts later, for now, I want us to consider a commission. A commission is essentially an order with a
grant of authority for the purpose of carrying out that order. You can find a variety of definitions, but
they generally include what you are charged to do and the power or authority to
do just that.
For example, I think that it is
ridiculous that there is only a two-lane road between Burns Flat and Foss. That should be four lanes. It should be on an insurance
commercial—everybody knows that. C’mon,
we have a sign on the interstate that says, SPACEPORT OKLAHOMA. We need a four-lane road.
So, I commission you to make that
stretch of road into a four-lane highway.
Chances are you won’t get far with this project. It’s not that you couldn’t do the work. You might move ground and run asphalt with
the best of them, but I do not have the authority to direct changes to that
state highway and I don’t have the authority to tell you to make those changes.
I really can’t commission you to give
me a four-lane road. Looks like we will
just have to deal with the traffic congestion associated in living in the
state’s spaceport.
A commission must have authority. I served as a commissioned officer of the
United States for 20 years. I had the
authority of our federal government to execute my assigned missions.
Our presbytery often appoints
commissions for specific tasks, ordaining and installing ministers of word and
sacrament frequent the list of commissions.
When the work is done, the commission is dissolved.
As a reserve officer, my commission
expired on a certain date. When I became
a regular officer, that date was changed to indefinite. Essentially, I was commissioned until my
country said, it’s time for you to do something else.
If you have ever had something
notarized, you might note that the notary generally indicates when his or her
commission expires on whatever document you have notarized. There is usually a time element in a
commission.
Our commission, sometimes referred to
as the Great Commission, begins with these words: Therefore,
go.
Therefore, is generally considered an
adverb or a conjunction. Don’t stress
out, we will not be diagraming sentences later, but I want us to consider a
little something about this word. It
usually connects thoughts. We could
substitute the phrases:
· For that reason
· Because of that
· On that ground
We could use other words. Some synonyms might be:
· Consequently
· Accordingly
· Wherefore
· Thereupon
· And a favorite of mine, ergo
But we translate the words of Jesus
and find Therefore to be most
appropriate. So what is being
connected? What is the antecedent? As we get our marching orders, what does
Jesus connect with them?
Authority. Jesus noted, All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Jesus didn’t decide to take a time out and
just brag a little. This statement
precipitates what follows.
Therefore, go…
God’s authority is connected to the
word go. It does not mean, when you are out and about
anyway. It doesn’t mean when you think
about it. It means go.
Let’s put it this way. “Runners to your mark. Get set.
Whenever.” Not! The word that belongs there is go.
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.
If all of those places seem far away,
substitute this. You will be his
witnesses in Burns Flat or Dill City, the State of Oklahoma, the United States
of America, and the ends of the earth.
If you don’t like political
boundaries, just thing concentric circles.
Start in the middle and work outwards.
Coming back to Matthew’s gospel, we
see that there are some specific tasks in our mission—part of our commission. They are simple ones but necessary.
· Make disciples everywhere
· Baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and
Spirit
· Teach them to obey what Jesus commanded—what
he taught
The first two on the list don’t seem too hard. When someone professes Jesus as Lord, discipleship is the next step. I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. There is a lot of learning involved here. Discipleship involves learning.
Baptizing, well, we can pawn that off
on the preacher. It’s important and the
believer will want to do this. He or she
will want to share publicly what’s gone on privately.
Then we come to the last one. We are to teach what Jesus taught,
right? That’s sort of like making
disciples, isn’t it?
Not exactly. We are to teach those who profess Jesus to
obey that which he taught, which he commanded, which he directs. Now that can be a might prickly because
people in this century don’t like the obey
word. Folks today would prefer generally go along with or not offended by, but the word that has
the most fidelity to the original text is obey.
We know and we must be conversant in
the fact that Jesus told his followers that to put his words into practice is
like the wise man who built his house upon a rock foundation. Everything else is sinking, wash away, won’t
hold up in a storm sand.
To obey our Master is to put his words
into practice, and oh by the way, we already know this part from our study of
faith, obedience will not be a burden.
That does not mean that we force or
coerce compliance. We teach disciples to
obey what our Lord taught us. Part of
teaching obedience is living obedience, with love one another at the top of the
obedience list.
How long do we do this? Let’s make this multiple choice.
A. As long
as it is called today.
B. Until death
C. Until the end of the age.
The answer is D, all of the
above. Essentially, our commission does
not expire until we do or this age does.
This commission comes with a
bonus. Do you know what it is? Did you pick it up?
Jesus is sending us into the world to
share the good news, but instead of commissioning us and saying Good Luck, he says, I’m going with you.
Surely, I am with you until the end of the
age.
That’s the nuts and bolts of our
commission. We are sent into the world
with good news and the authority to deliver it.
So what now?
If you have been here for a few months
or a few years, you may have noticed that most of my messages are about
discipleship. I am preaching to the
saints—to the saved. I do have some
evangelical messages, but mostly I am talking to those who will do the
evangelism.
And I have fallen short in equipping
you. In the past I might give you a
challenge. I might appeal to your nature
that is becoming more and more like that of our Master, desiring none to
perish. I might have loaded you up with
gospels and wristbands, but I didn’t give you everything that is available.
Part of that is just having
blindspots. We all have them. When I have them, they might affect you. They might impact your effectiveness in
sharing the gospel.
Remember that we are a church in the
reformed tradition. What’s that
mean. It means that God is the same
yesterday, today, and tomorrow but the church with Jesus as the head, changes
means and methods, tactics and techniques, and feels free to go from the
didactic to the dramatic. We will find a
way to get the good news to the people who need it.
Unlike the first century world where
the good news was shared with a Jewish community that was heavily vested in
atoning for its sins on an annual basis and a pagan world that made its own
gods and the rules to go with them, we face a different challenge.
We go into a world that serves the
twin gods of apathy and ambivalence. We bring a message of love not fear, but
we must bring it with urgency. Tomorrow
is not promised.
Now, to those blindspots. For the rest of this year, I will give you a
weekly challenge. That challenge will be
to give out 3 cards a week to people who are in your path in the course of that
week. This is for everyone junior high
to senior adult. For the younger ones, I
will give you one card a week.
The front of the card has our service
times. The back has a website full of
videos about Christianity. For the
purpose of this evangelical effort, you may invite people to church. Yes, I know that we are the church, but if it
breaks the ice and helps you deliver the cards, then invite someone to church
and give them a card.
Next Sunday, I will ask, “Who
delivered all three cards?”
Don’t just give yours to your husband
so he can give you his. Give them out in
purposeful fulfillment of the Great Commission.
The back of the card is not a
substitute for personal and group Bible study.
It is an appetizer. It lets
people get some basic questions answered that might help them walk through the
doors on Sunday.
Remember, our biggest challenge is
apathy and ambivalence. People should
taste the goodness of God when they encounter us. God’s light should shine through us. We must not be afraid to step out of our
comfort zone a little bit more. Some of
you have done this a few times.
Understand that there is a difference
in being a disciple and fulfilling our commission. The former helps us fulfill the latter, but
just living the Christian life is not a fulfillment of the commission. Our commission calls us to deliver good news.
Think about this. I announce something from the pulpit for six
months. I put it in the bulletin for the
same period of time. It could be to be
on a fellowship team or on a committee or to sing a special. Those announcements are so powerful that I
often get no response.
How could we not get volunteers? I announced it from the pulpit!
But when someone comes and invites you
personally, the response is so much better.
Do you think that God did not know that personal contact is so much more
effective that a Facebook post? Do you
think that we are commissioned to deliver the good news for no particular
reason? God is purposeful in everything
he does. His purpose in this commission
was for us to go across the street and into the world and talk with people
about being made right with God through the blood of Jesus Christ.
We are starting with a small step and
a small card. Take wristbands and
gospels as well if you want, but deliver three invitations and three cards this
week.
Please do not do this because Tom said
so. I challenge each of you to reflect
upon, pray about, and be fully convinced in your own mind that you are serious
about fulfilling your commission from God.
I have preached the Parable of the
Talents close to 50 times over the past dozen years, not always in this
gathering. On several of those
occasions, I asked the question, What did
I do with what God gave me?
I have often broken this into areas of
time, talent, and treasure. Those are
the traditional subtitles. But over the
past half dozen years, I frequently went beyond the traditional three and
include the gospel, asking, What did I do
with the gospel entrusted to me?
This week, I charge you to give out
three invitations to come and worship the Lord—you can say come to church—and
accompany these invitations with 3 cards.
It’s simple. It’s doable.
It should not take you too far out of your comfort zone.
I am going to ask next Sunday who did
this. This is not to coerce you or
embarrass you but to remind you we are doing a little something extra in
fulfilling our commission. I believe
that after your time of prayer and reflection, you too will choose to take the
commission that the Lord has given you very seriously.
You might want to latch onto an
accountability partner that will send you a text on Wednesday and Friday or
Tuesday and Saturday seeing how you did.
We are not only saved from our sin and
from death, but we are also commissioned to rescue others. The Holy Spirit is going with us.
Know that I will run out of cards
before we run out of people to talk with.
It’s a target rich environment.
People need to hear the gospel and people who have heard it and
responded at some point need to come home.
I have never made a putt that came up
short. I have missed some long and
missed some short but only the ones that I missed long had a chance to go in.
I’ve never made a basket without
taking a shot.
I’ve never shared the gospel with
anyone that I did not speak with.
We are called to live a life of love,
be God’s light, and even be the God seasoning of the world as his disciples,
but we are commissioned beyond just living this godly life. We are commissioned to share the good news.
Will you take these first steps in
fulfilling your commission? It is a
mission that we execute together with our Lord. I pray that we fulfill our
part, not with fear but with faithfulness.
Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment