Sermon: Why Missions?

October 25, 2009 – Why Missions?
Matthew 28:19-20 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

• Why are we so involved in missions?
• Several Baptists in the past didn’t think the bible spoke about missions
• Acts: Church is scattered through Jerusalem and the world
• It is the scattered message of Jesus Christ
• It should be done on purpose
• We are going with His Presence
• Luke 11:46 – Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
 Jesus condemns the religious people

Where you go should make a difference in people’s lives. In fact, Jesus said that “as we go, we should make disciples.”

From the time of Christ to the year 300, the center of Christianity moved from its epicenter in Jerusalem to Armenia, which is the oldest Christian country. By AD 500, the center of faith had moved west to Greece and Rome. In the next 500 years, the center of gravity of the church continued to move further west in Europe, where it became synonymous with culture and art. In the next 1000 years, the center of the Christian Church moved even further west, into North and South America. While the Pope remained in Europe, all the cultural action, innovation, change and life in the Church was focused in the Americas. By AD 2000, the United States in particular came to see itself as the headquarters of Christian belief, now removed halfway around the world from its origins. In other words, for the past 2000 years, the center of Christianity has steadily moved west.

These huge demographic swings already in motion suggest several things. One, unless Christianity in the United States does a better job of evangelization and discipleship, what happens in North American Christianity in the next 500 years will simply be a slideshow. The main event will happen elsewhere around the globe. (The Fermi Project)

I. Going on Purpose
• Missions will not turn somebody to be just like you
• We want them to have a purpose in Jesus Christ
• Matthew 23:15 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
• Making disciples involves a heart and a head
 A personal encounter with Jesus Christ
• The Great Awakening was about falling in love with Jesus
• Romans 8:1-4 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
 God doesn’t condemn you
 So why condemn yourself?
• God’s laws are met because of Jesus Christ who resides in us when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior
• Jesus Christ becomes God’s righteousness
• We don’t go for one thing – we go to help the people be set free
• We tell them they are set free
• Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
 Not just saved to go to Heaven, but saved to serve
 Share the Good news with someone else
• Teaching “all” things
• John 14:25-26 – "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
• John 16:12-13 – "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
• We’re afraid to witness because we may not have an answer
 But realize that the Spirit of God leads you
 Have to Love God and love each other
 Matthew 22:36-40 – "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
 Teach to love God with all their hearts
• We are afraid to go witness
• All laws, prophets hang onto loving God and your neighbor
• John 13:33-34 – "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
• When we disciple ,tell them to love and serve God
• Matthew 8:5 – When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.
• The bible tells us that when we welcome a child in the name of Jesus Christ we welcome Him in as well
• John 13:14-17 – Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
• Being blessed means to be happy and healthy
• If you serve others and God, then you’ll be a happy person
• God instructed us to be more blessed when we give
• Many Christians done know who God is

II. Going with His presence.
• John 14:18-20 – I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
• Received Christ – His presence is in us and always will be
• Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
• All we have to do is release the power
• You are going on purpose and you will go with His presence

Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples are relevant to every believer today: As you go make disciples – where you go make disciples! When we go on PURPOSE, we have HIS PRESENCE AND HIS POWER as we share the Good News of God’s Love in Jesus Christ.
- Dr Phil Lineberger