Great Commission Ramblings

After this past Sunday’s sermon (Link:https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-kh4rc-585edf),  I thought I might need to clarify and expand upon something I said about the Great Commission.  During the sermon, I said that the Great Commission was not just a call to World Missions.  That is true, but I don't want to imply in any way that it is not a call to world missions at all.  In fact, if you look at what Matthew 28:19 says, it says to make disciples of "all nations".   More specifically, the call to missions is to all ethnic and cultural groups. That can mean anything from a race of people to a nation to a tribe or even to a community or subculture.  The Great Commission's scope to make disciples reaches to every sect or subgroup of humanity.

Too often we tend to be somewhat selective about those we determine to reach out to with the gospel.  To some, they have no problem going across the ocean on a short term mission trip and sharing the gospel to a stranger, but they have a problem (or simply don't have the courage) to invite their coworker to a bible study - or even more boldly, to start one at work.   Whether we are afraid of failure, afraid of what people will think, or simply ashamed of the gospel within our own culture, we simply don't carry out the Great Commission at home.

On the other hand, some people don't agree with going on mission trips when there is so much still to do here in our own Jerusalem.  I actually had someone recently accuse me of abandoning/neglecting my own flock because I went to Uganda on a short term mission trip (no, it was not someone from Pawnee).  First of all, I was only gone for one Sunday and 10 total days.  I wonder how often that person misses church for far less noble reasons?  More importantly, though, that kind of thinking displays a gross misunderstanding of the Great Commission and the mission of the church.  A Pastor's responsibility is to take care of the local flock entrusted to him, but part of that responsibility is both to teach and to show by example the full extent of the mission of the church.

Acts 1:8 gives us the complete scope of the Great Commission:

"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.”

In other words, as I said Sunday, the Great Commission is a call to everyday missions... AND it is a call to deliberate missions outside our Jerusalem.  There are opportunities for us to make disciples at every point in our lives and we can make specific opportunities to make disciples in contexts outside our normal lives.  These are all important and, to be direct about it, we could all do a better job of it.

Let us not fall into the trap of "lifestyle evangelism" - which is a crutch by which most Christians think, but would never say, "If I am just good enough in my behavior, I have been a witness."    Well, you have been a witness for sure, and whether it is a good witness or a bad one is debatable, but what is not debatable is the fact that lifestyle evangelism alone will neither save the lost nor disciple the spiritually immature.  Romans 10:17 says (paraphrased) that faith comes through hearing and hearing through the word of God.  At some point we have to start sharing and teaching the word.

Well, I know that much of this week's blog has been rambling, but let me just end with this though that was shared to me some time ago by a pastor friend of mine.  Since the mission of the church is to make disciples, my friend says that every Christian should either be (a) being discipled, (b) discipling someone else, or (c) both at t he same time.  I agree completely.