Bible Stories You Should Know: 3. The Great Commission

Bible Stories You Should Know: 3. The Great Commission

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

March 30, 2014 Fourth Sunday of Lent

Matthew 28:16-20

          There’s a story about an elderly Native American who attended a church service one Sunday morning.
          The preacher’s message was boring, so he did a lot of shouting and pulpit pounding to cover up his lack of preparation.

          After the service, someone asked the visitor what he thought of the minister’s message. Thinking for a moment, he summed up his opinion:

“High wind.

Big thunder.

No rain.”

          A girl returning home from Sunday school expressed disappointment with the class’s reaction after the day’s lesson.
          “We were taught to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations,” she said, “but we just sat!”

          This morning I hope that we have ‘High Wind, Big Thunder and Rain!’

                   …. and that we will leave here this morning ready for action.

          This is the third in a series of five messages I have titled, Bible Stories You Should Know.

          Two weeks ago I said that the Great Commandment is a ‘Bible Story You Should Know.’ What is the Great Commandment?

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

With all your being,

With all your mind,

And with all your strength…..

AND….

You will love your neighbor as yourself.”

          Last week I said that Jesus’ story about the ‘Least of These’ is a ‘Bible Story You Should Know.’ Jesus said:

“I tell you the truth,

whatever you did for one of the least of these.....you did for me.”

          This morning ‘The Bible Story You Should Know’ is what we call the Great Commission.

          Matthew concludes his Gospel with an encounter between the risen Christ and the remaining disciples. One moment the disciples were mourning the death of their Messiah, and suddenly he stood among them and told them they were invited to join an incredible adventure.

          What is the Great Commission? It is Jesus’ last words before he ascended into heaven.

“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,

teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you.”

          Say it with me.

          Here we are at the end of the gospel story. In this last meeting with the disciples in his resurrected body Jesus did three things.

          1. He assured them of his power.

          2. He gave them a commission.

          3. He promised them a presence.

          The Great Commission is a pinnacle of Jesus’ mission on earth.

          The commission is authoritative.

          The commission defines our purpose as Christians.

          Jesus gave very clear instructions before he left. And those same instructions are for us today!

          If we believe in Jesus, then we’re called to share his story and our story of faith with others!

          Yes, I said it! That’s right; we are to share our faith!

          Does that mean that we are to walk the street with our Bibles held high,

                   wear signs on our bodies,

                   put bumper stickers on our cars

          and preach on the street corners?

          Well, maybe…..but maybe not.

          It might be as simple as listening to other people’s stories and when the time is right share your story.

          When I was in High School I took this scripture literally. I put gospel pamphlets in library books so other students would find them.

          I put pamphlets in phone books…..I left them everywhere.

          I carried my Bible with me everyplace I went. I guess that that is why the other students called me deacon!

          Today I still take this passage seriously but I like much better the approach that was used years ago to catch pigeons.

          A person who wanted to catch pigeons would place a sweet-smelling ointment on the wings of domesticated birds and let them fly free.

          Then, other pigeons followed them into the cage for the sake of their perfume.

          Maybe we all need heavenly anointing on our wings, the divine perfumes of peace and joy; because then others will be fascinated by Jesus, allured to faith.

          Our mission is to go into the world and share the good news about Jesus everywhere we go, so people everywhere will know how much God loves them.

          "Good morning, Mr. Phelps.

          Your mission, Jim, should you choose to accept it ......

          As always should any member of your IMF force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions.

          This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim."

          This is from the television series ‘Mission: Impossible’ which aired from 1966-1973, starring Peter Graves

.

          In the same way the Great Commission stands as marching orders for the church.

          What if we took the words of the Great Commission as a template to assess how “on-purpose” our church is?

          Let’s take a look at each piece of the commission.

          Go therefore: Jesus has authority and translates it into power for his followers. The result is “going” — authority breeding action.

          Make disciples: We are to be ever in the pursuit of wooing people toward Christ-likeness. So we ask ourselves

                   how our spouses are more like Jesus because of us,

                   how our children are more like Jesus because of us,

                   our neighbors?

          Of all nations: Jesus’ purpose is to extend the gospel to every tribe, language, people and nation.

          Baptizing them: Baptism communicates belonging.

          Baptism is extending belonging and welcome within our worship settings.         No program can make a church warm and welcoming to the unconnected; only people can.

          And teaching them. One does not need to know everything to teach.
          Christianity is an inherited faith, passed on from one generation of believers to the next.

          We are all called

                   to have a mentor

                   and to be a mentor.

          Jesus says,

         “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

          In July we'll be celebrating the 45th anniversary of humanity's first steps on the moon—a real life example of the old Star Trek invitation to "boldly go where no one has gone before."

          Since then, however, finding real adventure in places where few or no humans have been before is elusive.

          Enter the new phenomenon called ‘place hacking.’ Have you heard of it?

          ‘Place hacking’ is all about getting into actual places where access may be forbidden or into areas that the rest of the world has simply forgotten about—places like former military bases, abandoned factories, decommissioned hospitals or power stations, sewer tunnels and even skyscrapers under construction.

          Armed with only a camera, place hackers reveal a whole new world that's rarely, if ever, seen by the general public.

          Jesus commands us to "go ... and make disciples of all nations".

          To do that, we might find ourselves hacking into places and into lives we might never have imagined.

          The gospels are full of incidents in which Jesus was in places that few other "proper" people of his day would ever have imagined themselves.
          He crashed countless dinner parties where he spent time with people who lived most of their lives in hidden places -- prostitutes, tax collectors.

          He ventured into the territory of the Samaritans and spent time talking to a woman with a checkered past.
          He touched lepers who hovered on the edge of society.

          He went into the temple and flipped over the tables of the moneychangers.
          He would find himself in an upper room and a garden.

          He would find himself viewing the world from a Roman cross -- a place where no one wanted to go—ever.

          And you shall likewise be place hackers....to boldly go where no one has gone before.

          I heard of a church that teaches the following:

"We want our members to wear aprons, not bibs."

          They provide this explanation:
                   Bibs are for people who only want to be fed.
                   Bibs are for those who are not yet ready to feed themselves.
                   Bibs are for those who are more interested in being served than in                               serving.
                   Bibs are for those who insist that the church exists for them and their                                   needs.
                  
                   Aprons are for those who have a heart to serve others.
                   Aprons are for those who don't mind getting their hands dirty.
                   Aprons are for those who take the time to be lifelong learners.
                   Aprons are for those who are growing in faith.
          What are you wearing? A bib, or an apron.

          There's an old story of a man who attended a silent Quaker meeting, not knowing anything about Quaker spirituality. He grew increasingly puzzled because everyone just sat there, not saying a word.

          Finally, growing impatient, he turned to the person next to him and whispered, "When does the service begin?"

          To which the whispered reply came back: "When we leave!"

          Our service begins when we leave today!

Here is a ‘Mission Trip Charge’ that I have used with youth.

When you leave this place today:

I challenge you to speak
          To speak up for what you believe is right
          To speak up for what is not easy.
I challenge you to listen.
I challenge you to let yourself fail.
I challenge you to stop trying to impress others.
I challenge you to do the unpopular thing.
I challenge you to be a rebel.

I challenge you to allow yourself to be humbled.
I challenge you to avoid the path of least resistance.
I challenge you not to await opportunity.
I challenge you to find joy despite difficult circumstances.

I challenge you to believe without seeing.
I challenge you to live life better than you ever have before.
          Go into the world today with God’s grace!

          I hope that we are leaving today with

‘High Wind,

Big Thunder

and Rain!’

…. and ready for action!

Prayer

          Response: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

          God of compassion, you call us to live in the light of your Word, and yet there are so many, who are unable to see your light, let alone walk in it.

          Response: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

          Lead those who suffer from mental illness into your light. Help them to know they need not struggle alone.

Response: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

          Bring healing and light to those who are ill and live with physical pain.

Response: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

          Comfort those who are under the shadow of grief; remind them of the promise of the resurrection.

Response: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

          Instill hope in those whose lives are governed by fear.

Response: In your mercy, hear our prayer.

          Loving God, as we continue in this season of penitence, in this time of uncertainty and darkness, help us to seek the light you provide and to remember that you are always present. Amen.