Now as I mentioned the term Great Commission I'm sure certain images come to your mind. Just like the word church has a lot of religious baggage connected to it, so does the term the Great Commission.
Now you probably think of missionaries forsaking all to take the gospel to unreached tribes in India. We might also think of a large meeting where an evangelist calls on people to accept Christ. I think far too many believers don't see how they are integrally tied to the central mission of the ekklesia which is the Great Commission.
Instead far too many see a clergy class that has been commissioned and the rest just supporting them to fulfill the mission. Jesus nor his apostles ever modeled or taught this clergy class concept.
The author of Hebrews called Jesus the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. Now the word apostle originated from the ancient Greeks and it was initially a naval term used to describe the leader of a fleet of ships who colonized new territory. The fleet would be sent out to sea on a mission to locate territories where civilization was non-existent. Once an uncivilized region was identified the Admiral who was called an apostle along with his specialized crew and all their belongings would disembark, settle down then work as a team to establish a new community.
In referring to Jesus as the Apostle in Hebrews chapter 3 the author is talking about expanding into new territory and building a new house. The apostolic has to do with being sent to expand in a new territory and forming new communities.
Jesus the Apostle has commissioned each member of his body with a part to play and each member should be actively involved doing their part. The Great Commission it's not just for missionaries sent to a foreign country or some speaker at a crusade, but the entire ekklesia has been commissioned because it's much more than just leading people to a decision for Christ.
Now in the last two lessons that we covered concerning spiritual warfare we saw that the main focus of the ekklesia is advancing to the gates of hades through prayer and proclamation of the gospel which will result in people coming to Christ.
The goal is not converts, but the building of a community of living stones which is expanding with the transforming power of the Spirit.
As I previously said the word used for church in the original Greek language is ekklesia and it literally means called out ones. Now the double k in word gives a twofold meaning. Called out of the world and called unto God. So the ekklesia is simply a group of people who have been called out of spiritual darkness through the gospel of the kingdom and brought into fellowship with the king of the kingdom. It's living your life under the present reign of Christ rule through spiritual rebirth and being filled with the Spirit. The ekklesia is not the kingdom, but it is the vehicle of the kingdom on the earth.
Today we have each been commissioned with the instructions of Christ to make disciples.
Now we may fulfill this calling in a variety of settings. Jesus the Apostle sends each one of us with a mission to reach those in our sphere of influence. The gospel it's intended to affect all aspects of our life and even society because we're to be salt and light in this present evil age. It's the responsibility of each member of the body of Christ to use their gifts where wherever the Lord places them it's the breaking down of the false ideas that separate the clergy from the laity, the sacred from the secular. If you have a teaching gift it doesn't necessarily mean you have to serve in a traditional church way. You may teach in a public school or university. You could use your gift as a motivational teacher to Business Leaders. We are called to impact this world and we are part of Christ's body no matter where we've been called to serve.
An apostolic movement applies the gospel to all spheres of life recognizing God's gives people grace to serve in areas of business, civil government, church leadership, media, family, education, the arts and even entertainment. We are to be a multifaceted body serving in various arenas, but our mission is not to take over the various communities in our world. It is, however, to penetrate them, to be present, to provide God's alternative to evil, to demonstrate Christ's relevance in the here and now.
As I said earlier the mission is not just to make converts, but to make disciples. Now if you look through the gospels and in the book of Acts you'll see that those who make up the community of the faithful are called disciples. It's not hard to notice in the gospels and book of Acts the emphasis laid upon being disciples: the word disciple and disciples is mentioned around 272 times while the word church is mentioned only around 21 times in these same books. The Great Commission is the primary mission, we need to be focused upon and disciples are the vehicles by which this great task has been given to fulfill. Jesus said I will build my ekklesia, but he never put strict guidelines on what the community of the faithful is supposed to operate nor look like.
Now we have been given great flexibility to fulfill this task. You know, if there's supposed to be an exact pattern of what Jesus ekklesia is supposed to look like and operate like, then why do we have so many variations? I mean I honestly think it's one of the most confusing things for non-believers to understand. Which version of Christianity is right? Is it the blue jean Jesus that sips coffee while worshiping in a coffee house and has very limited organization? Is it the ecclesiastical Jesus in stained glass windows with ceremonial pageantry and ancient traditions? Is it the dressed up suit and tie Jesus with pews choirs hymnals and a pastor with hierarchical structure?
You know what. I'm not going to shoot down any of these outward styles because I believe the Spirit of Christ works through any format that truly identifies with the water, blood and Spirit of Christ. He's given us great flexibility to be ourselves and I'm not going to get hung up on outward appearances nor am I going to box anybody into doing things my way. However, I do see four main practices that are necessary if we want to call ourselves Jesus ekklesia.
Number one is teaching the pure doctrine of the word which includes discipleship and equipping believers to do the work of the ministry. Number two is the practice of water baptism which is a public demonstration and a sign or witness that you are a member of the body of Christ. Number three is the partaking of the body and blood of Christ on a regular basis among the community of the faithful which is essentially fellowship and prayer. Number four is having some type of leadership structure which is about accountability, formation of Christlike qualities and character.
Leadership is for the unity, safety, protection and guidance of the community so that the mission of the Gospel is fulfilled.
It's pretty simple and it's what the apostles did in establishing the community of the faithful wherever they went. Acts 2:42 it says the disciples devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of bread and to prayers. Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Leaders are not separate from the body, but they're just another part of the body. Leadership is like the rudder on a ship; it guides and directs the ship though it's a little small part of the ship. However, it's essential to have so you stay on course. Hebrews chapter 13:7 says remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God, consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Leaders are simply mature facilitators and Peter along with Paul called them elders.
In the book of Acts we see three things happening which are prayer, proclamation and then formation. It takes all three to fulfill the command of Christ to make disciples.
Paul laid out this pattern for building the community of the faithful through his apostolic ministry and it's in the book of Ephesians that he lays out a framework for building the ekklesia. It's the 'mystery of the church' living between the two mountain tops of the day of the Lord. The death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ to the right hand of the Father opened the ‘day of the Lord’. On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out Christ began his rule from the heavenlies through his body the church. The kingdom of God is a present reality in the heart of man now. To get more understanding of the ‘day of the Lord’ listen to part one and part two of the introduction to this section Kingdom Ministry through the church.
Paul opens the book of Ephesians praying that the eyes of our hearts are enlightened so that we may know Christ. He wants us to experience the power of the Spirit in our hearts. He wants us to know the Spirit working in and through our lives. We can be partners with this power because of the great might that was worked in Christ when he was raised from the dead and seated in the heavenly places far above all rule, authority, power, dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. Christ has been made head over his body which is an extension of his rule on this earth.
The main focus of Paul's apostolic mission was to be a steward of the mysteries of God.
It's important we get the mystery of Christ correct. We talked about this in previous lessons because like Paul, we are also called to be faithful stewards over the mystery. If we don't get this foundation correct then the whole house is built on a faulty foundation.
Paul out of all other apostolic writers was given special insight into the 'mystery of Christ'. Paul wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. Paul was an apostle, but he was also a master teacher and called himself, a wise master builder of the community of the faithful. He was able to take large sums of information, digest it and break it down to simple understanding. He was a learned Jew in the Torah along with being fluent in Greek so he also understood Roman culture. His comprehension and understanding of Christ's purpose compared to none other and he tirelessly labored in the grace of God. He gave us a living example of being a faithful steward.
Let's take a look at what Paul had to say about this mystery. The word translated mystery doesn't mean mystery as we think of something mysterious or mystical, strange or weird.
It means something previously unrevealed, a secret and something kept hidden until the appointed time by God. Paul used the term to describe the gospel that had been revealed to him.
The book of Romans was a theological masterpiece that Paul wrote and he ends this book saying: Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but has now been disclosed. Did you hear that?
It says the mystery has been disclosed and made known. It's not hidden anymore. It's not something we can't understand.
Paul, though he was a very well educated man, was able to make his message so simple that the uneducated could understand. It's actually so simple that we stumble over it. He said, we preach that Christ was crucified. The Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense, but to those called by God to salvation both Jews and Gentiles Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The simplicity of Christ is a stumbling stone and at the same time the foundation that the whole household of faith is built upon.
Paul told the Colossians he became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to him. To make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. Did you hear that? Paul said it again which is, the mystery is no longer a secret. He goes on to say, to them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. Again listen to what he said, he wants the mystery to be made known and no longer hidden. Paul then said, him we proclaim. Who is him? Christ in you, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
The mystery is that God became man. It's the Incarnation when Christ took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. The prophetic writings from Genesis to Malachi have woven throughout them the redemptive story of man. One author has called it the scarlet thread that ties the scripture together from Genesis to Revelation. The mystery is that through Christ's death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, he has dealt with sin once and for all through the cross. Subsequently through the outpouring of his Spirit, the God who created all things by the power of his word has now taken up residence in those who identify with the blood, water and Spirit.
It's not just a cliche, we are literally the body of Christ and the new temple. We are the place where God dwells, connecting us to the heavenly Christ, our Head, our High Priest and coming King.
Paul teaches this same message to the church in Ephesus. He tells them in Ephesians 3: 2-10 that assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace, that was given to me, for you how the mystery was made known to me by revelation as I have written briefly. When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs with the natural sons of Abraham, the children of Israel. Gentiles whom the Jews considered dogs have been brought into the family of God through Christ. Jew and Gentile have been reconciled through the cross and made members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Paul said of this gospel he was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given him by the working of God's power. Paul was a faithful steward of this mystery which is simply the good news of what Christ has accomplished. Paul has distributed to those who have ears to hear this simple yet profound message concerning the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Just as Paul and yes that means if you are listening to me right now: you have been called, you have been called to be faithful steward over this message.
The gospel is the power to save all. The central core of the Great Commission, is the simple message that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but be changed from the inside out. Jesus did not die just to forgive some people's sins, but he died for the sins of the whole world. Paul says that it's God's desire for all to be brought to the knowledge of the truth. Jesus told his disciples in Acts chapter 1:8 that they would receive power and they were to proclaim his word in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the Earth. The good news was never meant to be confined to Jerusalem, but is for all people groups in all parts of the world. Our responsibility is to share the gospel. God has called us to look beyond ourselves and to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others.
The Great Commission is first of all about evangelism through prayer and proclamation.
Evangelism is simply being so filled with the Holy Spirit that wherever we go, people are touched. Our responsibility is to share with people what God has done in our lives and encourage them to receive the good news of Jesus Christ into their lives. We don't have to go to the far corners of the planet. We are going to be the most effective in the place where we daily live our lives.
You probably heard the word oikois because it's the name of a popular brand of yogurt which I like and actually eat every day. I've talked to you about this word in Lesson 34: Relationships. Oikois is a Greek word for a family and household. It can also refer to your co-workers and web of people that you regularly come into contact with on a daily basis. It is a relational web of interconnected people that you can influence.
The word is used 106 times in the New Testament. Oikois most commonly refers to a literal physical house. Its second most common usage is household which refers to the men, women, boys and girls who live in the home. In the early church ministry was driven in and through homes. The early church gathered in homes for worship. One of the qualifications for leaders was that they first needed to demonstrate they were leading their family and discipling their children at home, that is if they had children.
The early church viewed each believer's house as a place of ministry.
Acts 5:42 says, every day from house to house they did not cease teaching and preaching that Christ is Jesus. A believer's house was to be filled with evangelism, discipleship and spiritual life. Biblically we see oikois all over the place and this was the primary way for the gospel to spread in the New Testament.
One author has noted that each one of us lives at the intersection of four worlds: biological, vocational, geographical and voluntary.
The biological world consists of people related to us by blood such as siblings, parents, extended family or marriage such as in-laws. The vocational world consists of our co-workers, business associates, those we come into contact through the avenue of work. The geographical world includes our immediate community. It's our neighbors or people we meet at the school board meetings. The voluntary world is a world of my choice. It's when we engage in leisurely activities like going to the community pool, playing sports or even hobbies like being in a book club.
If the people you regularly come into contact with see you living the lifestyle of Christ that speaks volumes.
It doesn't mean you have to preach them all the time, but it does mean you live your faith by example. Let me share a personal example with you. As I told this story in the last lesson I was dealing large amounts of marijuana my first year of college. I was a mess and my soul was in torment. I had no peace in my heart. Now I had two Christians in my speech class. You know they never preached to me, but I can tell you their lives had a tremendous impact on my life. It was their witness that was a part of the reason I turned to God because they had something I lacked. I was looking in all the wrong places for peace and these two people had what I was looking.
It is your life that will be a living testimony and an open invitation for others to follow Christ.
Let me share with you what I see are the three main hindrances to sharing your faith which is culture, fear and just being too busy. Culture can be one of the most difficult things to break out of and a hindrance to the advancement of the gospel. The vast majority of people you're going to come into contact with on a daily basis is your oikois and it should be your main focus to reach others for Christ. It’s going to be people like you, however God's called us to go beyond the comfort of our own culture.
Our culture is those people who are like us, but the gospel will at times take us beyond our own family, our own race and even beyond our own social status.
The Jewish believers did not fully understand the words of Christ at first. It took a spiritual encounter for Peter to go beyond his own people because he was stuck in the prejudices that he inherited from his forefathers. In Acts chapter 10 we see that Peter had an open vision where the Spirit of God clearly showed him that he was to go preach to people that he was not comfortable preaching to.
Peter was the first person to carry the gospel beyond the Jews to the Gentiles and when he did he he told the first Gentile convert Cornelius in Acts 10:28: that you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
Generations of Jews had been taught that it was against the law of Moses to share a house or a meal with Gentiles and if they did they would become ceremonial unclean. Now after the conversion of Cornelius, it became evident to Jewish believers that Gentiles could be saved without keeping the law of Moses.
The greatest cultural bearer to ever exist in the world is the one between Jews and Gentiles, but it has been abolished through the blood of Christ.
The next hindrance to sharing your faith is the fear of being rejected, ridiculed, persecuted, laughed at or killed. All of these are legitimate fears when it comes to sharing Christ with others. However, there's only one fear that is greater and that's the fear of God. Jesus told us to not fear man, but to reverence God putting him first. To effectively share the mystery of Christ with others we're going to need the power of the Holy Spirit.
The last hindrance that we're going to talk about when it comes to sharing our faith is being preoccupied. It’s being preoccupied with daily life and not paying attention to the Spirit's leading. If your job, social activities, family life or sports activities are keeping you from sharing your faith and making disciples then you're just too busy. All of these things should be done, but they should not have first priority. Jesus said the priority of our lives should be following him.
The Great Commission is about sacrifice and living the cruciform life. It's the only way to fulfill the mission.
I showed you in the last lesson that in the book of Acts we see the advancing ekklesia focused on prayer and proclamation. It’s expanding into new territory, however the Great Commission is also about formation. We see throughout the book of Acts formation is about building the ekklesia and the body working together.
All apostolic movements have embraced the three ingredients: prayer, proclamation and formation.
The apostolic leader John Wesley who founded the Methodist Church first founded an apostolic movement. The movement was considered quite unorthodox for the day in which he lived. It was because he commissioned those who were not ordained by the established church, but they were just ordinary everyday people. In the same way, the apostles were considered unlearned because they had not been schooled in the approved educational circles so the core of Wesley's apostolic movement like the early church were preachers who were not approved by the religious rulers of the day.
It was a movement built on equipping every believer to do the work of the ministry.
It was releasing the power of the gospel through prayer and proclamation. However, it was followed up with an established system to develop and empower every member by organizing them in small groups. The small groups were set up for accountability and support for living the Christian life. I was all about the formation of the body of Christ.
The intent was to help people become disciples who lived out their love for God and love for neighbors. Each week the small groups which were made up of 12 to 15 members met giving an account of how they were living their faith. Now in saying this I don't want you to get hung up on a set number of people, but it's important that you meet regularly with a small group to share, learn, pray, support and strengthen one another.
It’s why I put this school of discipleship together. I encourage you to get a copy of the Building Your Spiritual House workbook so that you can read and study it. Just click on the link in the pictures and it will take you to Amazon.
As you are listening to each lesson you can take notes and you will find study questions at the end of each lesson so take the time to answer the question it helps you retain what you are learning. Each lesson has group discussion ideas because it’s important to get other people's perspective which helps with spiritual formation.
Wesley appointed women and men leaders over these small groups who could be trusted with the spiritual formation and care of others. These servant leaders served as role models, mentors and discipleship coaches for the pursuit of holiness of heart and life. Now we are told not just to share the gospel, but to make disciples and teach them the ways of God.
An apostolic movement is about every believer being commissioned to make disciples as a team member not as a solo experience.
The whole process of evangelism and discipleship should not be the job of just one person, but that of a team. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 Paul uses the example of farmers, it says: that one may sow the seed, others water it, but it's God who causes it to grow. On a team each person has a place in the work of discipleship. One might have the ability to reach someone, while another may lead them to Christ, yet another may teach them or nurture the new disciple like a good shepherd. Each of us have different gifts and God will show each of us how he wants to use us.
Disciples are not going to be made in a day since the process of discipleship takes time.
Jesus spent three years teaching, demonstrating, explaining through the practical training of his disciples. A disciple is a learner or follower and the principles of discipleship are used every day in the business and educational world. As an example, someone going through a university to become a teacher. A teacher goes through years of educational training then they become a student for a period of time. It’s a time of serving underneath a mentor who gives them practical training while they assume the responsibility of a teacher. It’s a similar process in making disciples. It’s about pouring our lives into others so they will become followers of Christ. In Antioch Paul spent two years making disciples and it was here that the disciples were first called Christians. To be a Christian means to be Christlike.
Discipleship is teaching others how to walk with Jesus and become like him.
The Great Commission is concerned not only with sharing this message, but also with making disciples who in turn will share the message and make more disciples. It’s this message that Paul told his disciple Timothy. He told him to take the message he'd been given and give it to others, who in turn would make more disciples.
In the following lessons of this school of discipleship we're going to be getting into building on this theme of fulfilling the Great Commission. Imagine for a moment every Christian you know training two or three others in the basic truths and experiences of walking with Jesus. The results would be amazing! You are a part of fulfilling the Great Commission by sharing Jesus Christ and your life with others.
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Next Lesson: Lesson 44 - Kingdom Ministry
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