Community & Discipleship

Partnering with Compassion (Matt. 28:18~20)

2015.10.11Peter Chung

The Great Commission's central command is to make disciples, not merely to go, and every believer is called to take part in it. Compassion ministry, centered on Christ, church, and children, is one way to fulfill it, because Christ alone is our only hope.

The command is to make disciples, and it is for every believer (vv. 18-20)

Matthew 28 contains only one command, and its main verb is not 'go' but 'make disciples' (mathēteuō). 'Going' and 'baptizing' and 'teaching' are participles attached to that command. The early apostles' main concern was not to travel to the ends of the earth but to make disciples. The Great Commission is not a special task reserved for super-spiritual people or long-term missionaries. If you call yourself a follower of Christ, it must be one of the central driving forces of your life. Going overseas is not the core of the passage, though short mission trips can open our eyes.

We share a common need: we were not free in our birth, we are all damaged by sin, and our only hope is Christ

None of us chose the family, country, or era we were born into, and about 40 percent of the world struggles to eat one meal a day. Every person has been damaged and scarred by sin, which is why we see poverty and terrorism around the world. The only hope for this sinful condition is the cross of Christ. Nemelin, a girl from the Philippines who was abused as a child, said that wells, clothes, food, and medicine could not help her forget the laughter of her abusers. Only Christ could move her heart to love and forgive. For that reason, Compassion builds wells, hospitals, and schools, but its goal is to proclaim Christ, because the gospel is not that following Christ makes you a better or richer person, but that believing in Christ restores you to your Creator and gives you a new heart.

Compassion works through the church, centered on Christ, focused on children, and marked by integrity

Just as the apostles did their mission through the church, Compassion works through its four core values: Christ-centered, church-based, child-focused, and committed to integrity. The organization works with 6,500 churches in 26 countries, and in 2014 122,800 sponsored children accepted Christ. Frederick Douglass said that it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. A child changed by the gospel can change a family, and a family can change a community. A Manila pastor who came to faith through his son's sponsorship now leads a church of 5,600 members. A girl who was abused by her father's acquaintance forgave her father, and he later became a faithful deacon. Compassion has been rated among the most trustworthy charities for 14 years in a row.

One-to-one sponsorship can change a child's life and bring glory to Christ

Erlan, a boy in Indonesia, waited three years for a sponsor, and when his sponsors canceled twice, he lost heart and stopped attending church. A letter from a new sponsor said, "We love you, but Jesus loves you even more," and he came to faith in Christ. He later discipled many of the LDP scholars in Jakarta. Lillian Nakabiti in Uganda was on the verge of ending her life when she read the letters from her sponsor in Australia, each ending with "I love you, my little daughter." She gave her life to Christ that night. Sponsorship is not only a burden but also a privilege to represent the Creator of heaven and earth.

God calls you to get involved and obey

Why were you born where you were, while children in Iraq and North Korea have never heard the name of Christ? God wants to use us to take part in fulfilling the Great Commission. Each of us can join in here, without traveling anywhere, and we will not know what kind of disciples a child will grow up to make. The speaker's wife was raised with a name taken from her father-in-law's sponsor, and that kind of impact is a mystery that only God knows. God is good, and he wants to use us to share his goodness with others.

Apply to Life

  • Let us see the Great Commission as a command to make disciples in our everyday lives, not only as a call to go overseas.
  • Let us recognize that the gospel of Christ alone is our hope, and let us share it with the people around us.
  • Let us partner with Compassion through one-to-one sponsorship and change the life of a child.
  • Let us support the mission through prayer and giving, and let us obey God's call in whatever place he has put us.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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