Communauté et discipulat

Make Your Mark (Mat. 28:18~20)

2019.05.26P. Stephen Cha

God has put us on this earth to answer Jesus' Great Commission: go, make disciples, and live in response to who Jesus is, because all authority is his and he is with us.

Why has God put you on this earth?

Last Monday, longtime missionary friends came to our house for lunch. Right after college, God put Mongolia on their hearts. They trained for about ten years, served Cambodians first, and were sent to Mongolia. Now they want to run their race and finish it. That made me ask why God put me here. He did not put you here just to make more money, live in a bigger apartment, travel, or eat good food. The Great Commission is for the whole church, you and me, not only during mission season.

Go: you are sent to all nations (v. 19)

Jesus commands us to go because many people cannot come to him, and we have the gospel they need. "Nations" means ethnos, ethnic-linguistic peoples, not just the 195 countries counted by the UN. Between 6,000 and 8,000 groups still lack the gospel in their own language and a thriving church, and fewer than 1% are Christian. In 1996 Onnuri adopted 15 unreached groups and has about 900 missionaries on the field. People cannot know Jesus unless those who know him go.

Be willing to stay, but live as a sent person

Many say, "I am willing to go, but planning to stay." They think they will go only if God bankrupts their business or makes them sick. Jesus calls us to live as sent people, prepared to go. A man here went to a Muslim country but had to return when his mother fell ill, and he still carries that love. Going also means sharing your burden so others pray and are mobilized, and sending others. Our founding pastor Ha was rejected as a missionary by WEC International, so he started Onnuri Church. Pray regularly for specific people at school and work, because God put you here for people, not for a building or money.

Make disciples by investing in people

The one main verb in verse 19 is "make disciples," and going, baptizing, and teaching show how. Jesus called people to come and see, then to follow, and in three and a half years of public ministry he poured most of his time into the twelve. A disciple trusts Jesus with all of life, honors him at work, at home, and where no one is watching, and helps others follow him. Stop being merely nice to everybody. Invest your time, money, and prayer in at least one person, such as a youth group kid or a coworker.

Therefore: Jesus holds all authority (v. 18)

"Therefore" points back to verse 18: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen. We hold back because the enemy blinds us to who Jesus is: the Creator, born as a baby, who lived righteously, died for our sins, rose, and now sits on the throne. When this becomes real, no sacrifice is too great. As God told Joshua to go in and take the land prepared for Israel, the gift becomes ours only when we go.

I am with you, so be a witness (v. 20)

If you say you are not good at talking, not smart, or not rich, Jesus says, "Look, I am with you." God split the Red Sea, and Israel took Jericho only by singing and walking around it. Rather than signing up for more short-term trips, spend more time in the Word to see who Jesus is. My son Christian noted that witnessing is the one thing we can do here but not in heaven, since no unbelievers will be there. D. L. Moody said the world has yet to see what God can do with one fully surrendered man. If Jesus is our king, we cannot act as prime minister and keep doing what we want.

Apply to Life

  • Let us ask again why God has put us on this earth, and live for his Great Commission rather than for money, comfort, or enjoyment.
  • Let us live as sent people, willing to stay but prepared to go, and share our burden so others pray and join in sending.
  • Let us pray regularly for specific people and people groups, including those at our school and workplace, and look for ways to share God's love.
  • Let us set aside time, money, and prayer to invest in at least one person and help that person take a step closer to Jesus.
  • Let us spend more time in God's Word to know who Jesus is and what he has done, and obey him as our king.

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

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