Our Mission as Believers in Christ

"Our Mission Mandate as Christians

I. Introduction: The Core Nature of Christianity

• The Thesis: Christianity is inherently and fundamentally a missionary religion designed to convert others to faith in Jesus Christ. 
• The Defect of Passive Faith: Any form of Christianity that does not actively bear witness to Jesus is explicitly labeled as defective, as the Bible strictly mandates this lifestyle. 

II. The Historical and Physical Proof of the Resurrection

• The Core Event: The mandate is rooted in historical reality: Jesus was crucified, buried, and physically raised from the dead 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. 
• Tangible Evidence over Isolation: * Jesus did not appear to just one person or in secret; he repeatedly manifested to groups of disciples (ranging from 8, 10, to 11 at a time). 
  • He proved his physical, bodily resurrection by speaking, allowing disciples to touch his wounds, and physically eating broiled fish. 
• The 40-Day Instruction Period: Jesus spent 40 busy days on Earth post-resurrection, using his authority as King to instruct his followers on their vital mandate before ascending into heaven. 

III. The Fivefold New Testament Commission (Chronological Review)

The speaker outlines how the critical mission to spread the message of Jesus is uniquely underscored by being recorded five distinct times in the New Testament: 

• Commission 1: John’s Account (The First Evening)
  • Occurs on the evening of the resurrection behind locked doors. 
  • Jesus provides peace, shows his wounds, and sends them out with the model: "As the Father has sent me, even so I'm sending you.". 
  • He breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit and speaks on the authority of handling forgiveness. 
• Note on Thomas: Thomas misses this first meeting, doubts, but makes a grand confession of faith ("My Lord and my God") the following week. 
• Commission 2: Luke’s Account (The First Evening)
  • Connected to the Road to Emmaus disciples returning to the 11 in Jerusalem. 
  • Jesus proves his physical nature by eating, then opens their minds to understand that his suffering and resurrection fulfilled the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. 
  • He commands that repentance and forgiveness of sins be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. 
• Commission 3: Luke’s Account in Acts (The Day of Ascension)
  • Jesus corrects the disciples' focus from political timing (restoring the kingdom to Israel) to global witnessing. 
  • He promises the immediate power of the Holy Spirit to make them witnesses from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. 
• Commission 4: Matthew’s Account (The Royal Commission)
  • Takes place on a designated mountain in Galilee during the 40-day window. 
  • Jesus claims "all authority" in heaven and on earth. 
  • He issues the authoritative directive to go, make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Triune God, and teach obedience to his commands, backed by his perpetual presence. 
• Commission 5: Paul’s Account (The Ministry of Reconciliation)
  • Focuses on the conversion and commission of Paul, a former chief persecutor of the church. 
  • Frames evangelism as being driven by the love of Christ because believers are entirely new creations. 
  • Defines the church's status as "ambassadors for Christ," entrusted with the message and appeal for the world to be reconciled to God. 

IV. Conclusion: The Universal Scope and Purpose of the Mandate

• Not Restricted to the Apostles: The commission was explicitly not just for the original 12 disciples; it is binding for all believers across all time. 
• A Shared, Joyful Responsibility: While some possess a distinct spiritual gift of evangelism, every Christian is expected to witness to Christ through both their spoken words and the actions of their lives. 
• The Ultimate Goal: To share what God has done so that mankind can receive the forgiveness of sins, walk in eternal life, and be incorporated into the body of believers. 

Bible Insights with  Wayne Conrad
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Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Transcript

Title: Our Mission as Christians

Date: June 12, 2026

Scripture: Luke 24:44-49; Matthew 28:16-20

AI TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to Bible Insights with Wayne Conrad. God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light on our path. 

Christianity is a missionary religion. By its very nature, Christianity seeks to convert others to faith in Jesus Christ. If your former Christianity does not do this, then it is obviously defective because the word of God mandates that Christians bear witness to Jesus Christ. And we can look in the word of God and see why this is so.

Come with me back to Jerusalem. over 2,000 years ago when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under the Roman authority, buried, and three days later, he is raised from the dead. We don't just say that he was raised from the dead. There's evidence that he was raised from the dead because he appeared to his disciples, not to one of them and not in isolation He appeared to them as groups with 10 of them together, 11 at another time, eight.

And yes, he did appear at the beginning to one of the women, but Christ made appearances. Not only did he make appearances, but he spoke. And not only did he spoke, he even ate. In fact, he even cooked a meal. He was there for 40 days after his resurrection before he ascended into heaven. And during this period of time, he was very busy instructing his followers with their mandate, with what they must do as his people, as his disciples. And he speaks to them with authority. He speaks to them as being the king of the kingdom of God.

Christianity is a missionary religion. It is a faith that must be spread by the sharing of the message of Jesus Christ in order that people can be reconciled to God. They can experience the forgiveness of their sins and experience eternal life that begins the moment you believe, but that ultimately culminates in a new heaven, in a new earth, in the resurrected bodies when Christ returns. How important the mission is to spread the message of Jesus Christ is found in the fact that five times we are told in the New Testament of this commission.

I want to just review them with you chronologically. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the first day of the week. And that very evening, according to Luke's account, Jesus appeared to his disciples, two of his disciples, as they're walking on the road to Emmaus. Now he proves to them the resurrection of the Messiah by means of the scripture. When he's recognized by them, he disappears. And then they immediately began a trip back to Jerusalem to tell the other apostles and disciples that they had seen the Lord.

And when they come into the room, Behold, the 10 of them are there meeting together, and Luke records it, and also John records it. Now, let me go with John first. Now, John is one of the 12 apostles. He was the youngest one, we assume from what is told, and he was the one closest to Jesus with reference to emotional friendship. But John recalls on the evening of that first day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them.

And he said to them, peace be with you, shalom. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. And then disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them, again, peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, even so I'm sending you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and he said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive the sins of any, they have forgiven them. And if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. Now Thomas, one of the 12, was not with them on that particular occasion. But the next first day of the week, Jesus also appears to them again. And that day, Thomas was with them.

And he makes a great confession of faith when Christ shows him his hands and feet and invites him to touch him. He says, my Lord and my God. And Jesus said to him, have you believed because you've seen me? Blessed are those who've not seen and yet have believed. Now John tells us that the whole purpose of the gospel account that he's written is so that People will believe that Jesus is the Christ. He writes, now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. Now, Luke also records the events of that first evening.

As I told you, he records Jesus meeting with two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, though they did not recognize him at that moment because they're very consumed in their grief and they're talking about what had happened to their master. But he is invited in by them to come and eat with them. And as he is at table and begins to bless the food, He disappears and they recognized him when he said to them, you know, when he began to speak the words of the blessing. So, it says, and he then disappears and they immediately get up. I'm reading from John 24, and they ran back to Jerusalem. to tell the apostles and the disciples what had happened, that they had seen the Lord. And Luke records, as they were talking about these things, that's the 11, there was 10 of them there. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them.

And he said to them, peace be to you. but they were startled and they were frightened and thought they had seen a ghost, a spirit. And he said to them, why are you troubled? And why did doubts arise in your heart? See my hands and my feet, that is I myself, touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.

And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet, and while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, have you anything here to eat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it before them. And then he said to them, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you. that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. And then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and he said to them, thus it is written that the Christ that is the Messiah should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and the repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. You're witnesses of these things. And behold, I'm sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in this city under your cloak of power from on high.

So, we are given a little bit of different information by Luke and by John, with reference especially to the Holy Spirit. Now John records that Jesus breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. Luke records that Jesus spent the afternoon or that evening talking to the disciples through the scriptures and showing to them from the scriptures how he's the fulfillment of the law and the prophets and the Psalms.

So, he opens up the word of God to them. The Old Testament scriptures shows himself to them and then commissions him that they must preach him as a fulfillment of the old covenant. Everything that was written about him in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms that he has fulfilled this, that he is the Christ who has done what was necessary for the people to receive the forgiveness of sins. They are then commanded to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins in his name and to all the ethnics, all the peoples beginning from Jerusalem. Now perhaps it is this time that he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. In other words, he gives this demonstration of the spirit coming to them. And in fact, the spirit did come to them in his indwelling presence, as he had promised. But Luke also records in Acts chapter one, that on the day of his ascension, that Jesus again speaks to them about the commission, that they are to be his witnesses.

And he says in Acts 1.8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.

Now Jesus is being asked about by them on that day, is he going to restore the kingdom to Israel? And so Jesus tells him, it's really not for you to know the times that the Father has set by his own authority. And in fact, they will come to realize that the kingdom has been established in Jesus Christ with them as a nucleus, and that this kingdom will grow in the earth through the preaching and the proclamation of the gospel. Then we turn to Matthew chapter 28, and here we have the royal commission.

We've been looking at, first of all, the first day on his appearance, and he gave the commission to be witnesses to him, to his apostles, and to others that might be present. And then we saw the last day, on the day of his ascension, where he repeats this. But in Matthew's gospel, we're told that at some time during this 40 day period when Jesus is coming and going among the disciples, manifesting himself to them and teaching them and instructing them, he had told them at one point, I want you to go to Galilee, to the mountain, which he says, I will meet you on that mountain. Perhaps it was the mountain where he had uttered his famous Sermon on the Mount, as we call it. Now the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, all authority and in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore, as you go, make disciples of all nations, of all people groups, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." So, the Lord Jesus is commanding them. He is their King.

And He is giving them this royal commission that there to be witnesses to Him, to His person, to His work, to what He has accomplished so that men may be reconciled to God and become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ for all of their lives. And he incorporates them, has them incorporated into the body of believers through the profession of their faith, being baptized in the name of the triune God.

Now, Paul, who is not one of the 12 apostles, and who became the chief persecutor of the Christian church in its early days, was converted by the Lord Jesus Christ himself by an appearance to him on the road to Damascus. And Paul writes in one of his letters to the Corinthians concerning his commission, the ministry of reconciliation. He says that we are commanded to share this message with others. So, this shows that the commission wasn't just to the original 12, but to all believers, to all who come to faith in Christ, and especially to those who may be gifted with the gift of faith. evangelism, but all believers are to be able to witness to Christ with their words and with their lives. But Paul writes these wonderful words.

He says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Now before that he says it's the love of Christ that controls us. because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, that's Christ, and therefore all have died, and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised. So, he's speaking of believers, those who come to faith in him. He says of them, if anyone's in Christ, he's the new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

And all of this is from God, who through Christ, reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. What is that ministry? It is that in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against him and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, He, that is God the Father, made Him, Jesus the Son, to be sin, who knew no sin, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain, but to hear the message and believe the message and be reconciled to God. This is the commission that's given to the church, to all the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to bear witness to him, to his person and to his work. and to what he has done so that men might know God in the forgiveness of their sins and have eternal life.

This is our joyful duty as believers, to share with others that which God has done in Christ that has even affected us, and to urge others to believe in him as well, and to become incorporated into the body of believers and be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

This has been Wayne Conrad with Bible Insights concerning the commandment of God in Christ to preach Christ to all.