Missionaries on Mission

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishers.  And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around.  In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish.  And the fish were hungry.  Week after week, month after month, and year after year those who called themselves fishers held meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. They carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is always to be the primary task of fishers.

They continually searched for improved methods of fishing, and for new and better definitions of fishing.  They loved slogans such as “Fishing is the task of every Fisher.”  They sponsored special meetings called “Fisher’s Campaigns.” They held congresses to discuss fishing, to promote fishing and to hear about the new methods of fishing and whether any new bait had been discovered.

These fishers built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters.” The plea was that everyone should be a fisher and every fisher should fish.   However, there was one thing they didn’t do…and that was fish.

In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishers to other places where there were many fish.  The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in faraway streams and lakes where many fish of different colors lived.  But one thing they didn’t do was…fish.

Large, elaborate, and expensive training centers were built to teach people how to fish.  Over the years courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, where to find fish, the psychological reactions of fish, and how to approach and feed fish.  Those who taught had doctorates in fishology.  But no matter how well they taught, one thing the good Dr. Fishers forgot was to…fish.

Now it’s true that many of the fishers sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day.  Some received the ridicule of people who made fun of their fishing clubs.  So, imagine how hurt some of them were when, one day, someone suggested that those who didn’t catch fish were really not fishers – no matter how much they claimed to be.  How can someone be a fisher if he isn’t fishing? (adapted from John Drescher).

Here’s our main idea for today: The last commission of Jesus must be the first mission of the church.

The Book of Acts shifts dramatically in chapter 13. Up until this point, the church’s mission has been largely centered in Jerusalem and Judea. But here, the spotlight turns to the church in Antioch—a diverse, Spirit-filled community that becomes the launching pad for global mission. This chapter marks the beginning of Paul’s first missionary journey and the intentional spread of the gospel to the Gentile world.

To set up our passage, let’s go back to Matthew 28:18-20. Even though the resurrection happened in Jerusalem, Jesus directed the disciples to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee, a journey of 90 miles to the north. This was predicted in Matthew 26:32: “But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.” Galilee is an appropriate setting for the Great Commission because it was also called, “Galilee of the Gentiles” in Matthew 4:15.

We’ll never know the person of Jesus and we won’t know His plans if we’re not obedient to go to the place He calls us to

Don’t miss this. If the disciples wanted to see Jesus again, they had to go to Galilee. Because the disciples obeyed Jesus, they put themselves in position to hear Him make a monumental statement from the mountain. Listen. We’ll never know the person of Jesus and we won’t know His plans if we’re not obedient to go to the place He calls us to. If you want to maintain communion with Him, you must strive to obey His commands. Obedience is the key to fulfilling God’s plans for our lives.

The disciples had two different responses:

• Some worshiped. When the disciples saw Jesus, they hit the dirt in
  worship. The idea behind this word is they prostrated themselves in praise.
• Some waffled. The word for “doubt” means, “to be divided in half,
  uncertain, wavering in hesitation.” It was used of a person standing where
  two ways meet, resulting in hesitation or indecision.

Doubt doesn’t disqualify you from disciple-making

I find it fascinating that Jesus didn’t rebuke them for their doubts, nor did He reject the worship of those who revered Him. While some found great delight in Him, others doubted Him. Most of them were focused and faithful but some were filled with fear. We’re a lot like that, aren’t we? Sometimes we’re devoted and other times we doubt. Write this down: Doubt doesn’t disqualify you from disciple-making. You don’t have to remove all doubt before Jesus will use you. One of my favorite verses in this regard is in Mark 9:24 when a father declared, “I believe; help my unbelief.”

To be clear, the Great Commission is found in all four gospels but for our purposes let’s look at Matthew 28:18-20: “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.’”

I see three parts of His commission that will propel us to participate in His mission.

1. Believe the claim of His authority.

We see this in verse 18: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” Before giving the doubters an assignment, Jesus made sure they knew He had the authority to do so.

• Scope: The word “all” refers to “totality” and “authority” speaks of power. Jesus has the right and the might to do whatever He decides to do.
• Sphere: In “heaven and earth.”
• Sovereignty: “has been given to me.”

Have you’ve given Jesus first place in your life? Is He prominent or is He preeminent? Do you label Him as your Lord but live your life only according to what you like?

Jesus has all authority, He’s large and in charge, and He’s in control. The number one requirement in fulfilling the Great Commission is to make sure you are following Jesus as a devoted follower. Besides, if you’re not walking with Him, you’ll feel too guilty to be a witness for Him.

The last commission of Jesus must be the first mission of the church.

2. Obey the command assigned.

Once we believe the claim of His authority, we’re ready to obey His assignment as found in verses 19-20a: “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.”

As Jesus hovers between heaven and earth, He has one last thing to say to His followers.  This is not a suggestion or an option, though for many of us, we could call it the “Great Omission.”  This is His purpose and plan for the church. Let’s look at this command phrase-by-phrase.

“Go…”  This is an active verb which means, “to transport oneself; to go from one place to another” or “in your going.”  In other words, we are to make disciples in the natural course of our lives, wherever we go.  To go is an authoritative command that expects action – as we go, and we will go, this is what we should do.  We must move and not stand still! We’re to be active, not inert.

Noah was told to go into the ark. Abram was to go to the land. Moses was to go and bring the Israelites out. This is reinforced in Matthew 28:7 when the angel told the women: “Go quickly…” and in verse 10 when Jesus urged them to: “Go and tell my brothers to go…” Interestingly, the first two letters of “Gospel” are “G-O.”

Because God is a going God, going also means crossing tribal boundaries – going across the street, going to have dinner with an unbeliever, going beyond one’s comfort zone, or going cross-culturally to another country.

“Make disciples…”  A disciple is literally a “learner,” one who is being mentored by the Master.  It also denotes “one who follows another’s teaching.” Thus, a disciple is a life-long learner who lives out what he or she is learning from the teacher. There is one main verb, one main command in this passage and that is to “make disciples.”  This is our singular imperative.

“Of all nations…”  When Jesus first sent out His disciples in Matthew 10:5-6, He told them to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But now He inaugurates an explicitly worldwide mission. This was not only new and novel to many Jews, even though it was taught in the Old Testament; it had become abhorrent for them to think about going to pagan lands.

The task of making disciples must extend to the ends of the earth.  The word “nations” is the Greek ethne, where we get the word ethnic and refers to “people groups,” not just the 195 countries in the world today.

We’re to make disciples of everyone, everywhere, at all times. This requires dedicated disciples who will go and others who will stand behind them with their prayers and pocketbooks. One pastor reminds us there are only three responses to
the Great Commission: “Go, send, or disobey.”

Here’s some good news from Revelation 5:9: “…and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Since there will be believers from every people group in heaven, we must go with the gospel and develop disciples to the ends of the earth.

“Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Baptism is a sign of separation from the world and identification with the triune God, where we pledge allegiance to the Almighty.

“Teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.”  We are not interested in just filling heads; we want filled up hearts and faithful hands and feet that obey. Information about Christ must lead to transformation by Christ. We’re to teach people to “observe” all that Jesus has commanded, meaning a lifetime of learning, and living out what the Lord teaches us. One Greek dictionary explains it as “persisting in obedience.”

Christ came near and they knew Him. Now He tells them to go far and make Him known. Now that we know, we must grow and go so we can make Him known to those who don’t know. We’re to be a going church for a coming Christ.

The last commission of Jesus must be the first mission of the church.

3.  Embrace the comfort assured.

Knowing it is a daunting task to make disciples of all nations, Jesus quickly promises His presence in the last part of
verse 20: “And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.” The word “behold” means, “See, pay close attention.”  The word “with” means, “remaining in the midst of.” And “always” means, “the whole of every day.” Notice He
doesn’t say He will be with us, He says He is with us personally right now and forever.

Matthew began His gospel introducing Immanuel, God with us. Jesus is not only with us when we gather in His name, but when we go in His name. Because we have His assurance that He is with us, we can complete His authoritative assignment to go and make disciples. In that sense, we don’t go for Him, we go with Him.

Here we see His authority to send us and also His faithful assurance to be with us. The entire commission is bookended with Jesus’ sovereign power (“all authority) and His sweet presence (“I’ll be with you”). He is omnipotent and omnipresent.

We are never closer to Jesus than when we’re doing what He commanded us to do.

Every time you go with the gospel, every time you strive to live out the Great Commission, every time you have that awkward spiritual conversation, every time you seek to disciple someone, Jesus is there with you, and He’ll be with you until the end of the age. You can count on the promise of His presence! We are never closer to Jesus than when we’re doing what He commanded us to do.

Notice the word “all” is used four times in this passage.

• Jesus possesses “all” authority.
• He sends us to “all” nations.
• We’re to teach people to obey “all” He has commanded.
• When we make disciples, He is with us “always.”

Making disciples here and among the nations is not a “program” of our church. Discipleship is the primary purpose for our existence. It’s not one of our many ministries; it is our ministry mandate. It’s for everyone, not just the pastors, and it must start in our hearts and then be fleshed out in our homes. Parents are called to make disciples of their children and grandparents are called to disciple grandchildren. While decisions for Christ are important, the true metric is how many disciples of Christ we are making.

The last commission of Jesus must be the first mission of the church.

As we’ve been learning in the Book of Acts, the early Christians took the commission of Jesus seriously by going with the gospel to those who hadn’t yet heard it.

1. Called by the Spirit (Acts 13:1-3).

Keeping Matthew 28 in mind, let’s consider Acts 13:1: “In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.” Every church is made up of different people with different abilities and gifts. Here we’re introduced to five individuals from the church in Antioch.

Verses 2-3 say, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” Among all the people at this church, the Holy Spirit set aside Barnabas and Saul for a special work. This would be a good time to make the point that we’re not all missionaries. Some are sent off and the rest of us need to be involved in sending. We either go, or we give, so others can go.

God still calls today. He calls individuals, but He speaks in the context of community. Are we listening? Are we creating space in our lives—through prayer, fasting, and worship—to hear the voice of the Spirit?

2. Commissioned for the work (Acts 13:4-12).

In verses 4-5 we’re introduced to their ministry plan as they did some traveling and then shared the Word in synagogues: “The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.” Mission requires both calling and commissioning.

Next, we see in verses 6-7 that Paul and Barnabas met some who were closed to the gospel: “They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus.”

The last part of verse 7 says they also came across someone who was open to the gospel, “The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.”

Verse 8 tells us that some people were not only not interested in the gospel but actually opposed it: “But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.”

It’s not easy being a missionary. On top of dealing with cultural adjustments, loneliness, conflicts, financial pressures and other issues, we know that there is a spiritual battle taking place. We see this in verses 9-11: “Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ‘You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”

It’s important to persist because God has already prepared some to respond. In verse 12, we read how a man put his faith and trust in the Lord: “When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.”

3. Courage to Proclaim (Acts 13:13-52).

The missionary teams in the Book of Acts took the gospel message to town after town as they worked at fulfilling the Great Commission. We have the same responsibility today, don’t we? Check out verses 13-15: “From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.’”

There are only three options when it comes to the command of Jesus to make disciples of all nations. We can go, we can send, or we can disobey.

What about us?

•  Are we making space to hear God’s call?
• Are we obedient when He sends us?
• Are we bold enough to speak the truth of Christ to a world in need?

Let us go with the same courage and conviction, trusting the Spirit to empower us for the commission He has called us to.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s make the last commission of Jesus our main mission!