WEBVTT 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:08.560 For those of you this morning who are a guest or even new to the Bible, feel free to use that Pew Bible in front of you. 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:13.679 And you can take it home with you if you don't own a Bible so that you can have a copy of God's Word. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.519 The big numbers are the chapters, the little numbers are the verses. 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:22.000 Well, we continue our series on church-centered missions. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:28.559 And this morning, I want to focus on the Great Commission and its role within the local church. 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:39.600 Nawemi read for us all of Matthew 28, but we're going to be focusing on verses 16 through 20, which is normally called or referred to as the Great Commission. 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:40.960 The great Bishop J.C. 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:49.119 Rao once said that the church, the church exists for one great end, to get to carry the gospel to the lost. 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:54.399 The church exists for one great end, to carry the gospel to the lost. 00:00:54.560 --> 00:01:04.719 Over the centuries, many churches, Christians, missions, organizations, and parachurch ministries have great zeal to see the gospel go abroad. 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:19.680 But unfortunately, there has also been a issue of a lack of theological understanding of what missions is, what a church is, and how we should do missions, which is why we I believe sermons like these are helpful. 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:27.359 I don't know about you guys, but I don't know if I can recall, since I've been a Christian, being in a church where I was taught from the pulpit or a class, what is missions? 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:28.480 What does that look like? 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:33.439 And so if you're not taught, then we just gravitate towards all sorts of definitions. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:55.040 So my aim in this sermon this morning is to help us look at the Great Commission and see that Jesus entrusted the Great Commission primarily to the local church, giving her the authority and the responsibility to make disciples by preaching the gospel, baptizing believers, and planting and strengthening churches. 00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:59.519 But to do that, we we have to consider some context here. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:02.319 So reading all of Matthew 28 is helpful. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:05.920 This is right after Jesus' death and resurrection. 00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:11.919 The disciples, the 11 disciples he's speaking to, were present during Jesus' horrific crucifixion. 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:15.680 They are now looking face to face at the risen Savior. 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:22.479 He has accomplished what he said he would do, and he opens his mouth and gives them this charge. 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:23.759 So just picture that. 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:34.000 I would assume if you were there, if you had the privilege of living with Jesus for three years, watching him perform miracles and teach, watch the Pharisees try to kill him, then execute him on the cross. 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:44.240 They hear Jesus make this charge. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.800 His words would have carried some weight, wouldn't they? 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:53.280 If you saw someone rise from the dead and now they're telling you, all authority has been given to me, your ears perk up. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:57.360 But we have to ask a simple question. 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:02.400 What, or I'm sorry, who did Jesus give the Great Commission to? 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:11.919 So some would argue, well, he gave the Great Commission to the 11 apostles that were present who he was speaking to in the text of Matthew 28. 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:27.360 Well, I would say that's not entirely true, because if you look at the end of the Great Commission, he says in verse 20, I am with you always to the end of the age, implying that this Great Commission is going to carry on until the end of the age. 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:32.319 So it can't end just with these apostles or disciples that Jesus is speaking to. 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:38.560 Others will say, well, the Great Commission is for every Christian individually, which is partially true. 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.879 Every Christian has a responsibility before the Lord to fulfill the Great Commission. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:54.080 However, I don't believe it's given to individuals, Christian, Christians primarily, which we need to be careful with because we are Western Americans and we tend to think about everything individualistically. 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:56.319 But that is not what Jesus is doing. 00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:04.319 I believe in the Great Commission, Jesus is primarily giving this charge to the local church. 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:14.560 Jesus spoke these words to the apostles, but he wasn't intending to create a bunch of free agents who would just run around individually and do their own thing. 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:19.360 These men would end up forming and leading local churches. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:26.560 So the best way to understand the Great Commission, in my opinion, is to ask the question: how did the apostles interpret Jesus' words? 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.759 And what did they do in light of what Jesus said? 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:30.639 And guess what? 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:33.519 We don't have to guess because we have the book of Acts, don't we? 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:56.000 So what we see is these apostles, and then you look at uh men like the Apostle Paul, who's added later, these men, after this Great Commission, after Pentecost, and they received the Holy Spirit, would go out and form and lead local churches, and those local churches would carry the mission forward long after the apostles were dead and gone. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:02.720 So the Great Commission is not about personal ambition or it's not about individuals, Christians' private calling. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:09.120 It's about a church authorized obedience under Christ's authority. 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:19.120 And a quick, if we look at the Great Commission real quick, quick sidebar here on baptism, look down in your Bibles in verse uh 18. 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:26.160 Jesus came near and said to them, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:34.240 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:37.519 Just notice the wording there from Jesus' mouth. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:42.720 Jesus' command assumes that baptism follows repentance and faith. 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:52.480 It's a disciple publicly identifying with a local church and going public to the world saying, I am born again and have trusted in Jesus Christ. 00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:58.639 And Jesus says, disciple that individual and bring them within the care and accountability of the local church. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:06.079 So though we love our brothers and sisters who are convinced of the infant baptism persuasion, I'm just confused how that fits with Jesus' words here. 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:08.879 But that's my mini soapbox on baptism. 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:18.319 But again, one of the best ways to understand Jesus' Jesus' command is to ask, what did the apostles do in light of what he says here in Matthew 28? 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:20.480 And the answer is clear. 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:25.920 They preached the gospel, people believed, and they planted churches. 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:27.839 That's what we see in the book of Acts. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:29.920 That's what we see at Pentecost. 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:37.920 They preached the gospel, people came to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and then churches were planted from those conversions. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.240 We see it immediately in Jerusalem, in Acts 2. 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:44.319 We see it in Antioch. 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:47.600 The gospel didn't create disconnected believers. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:52.639 People didn't just get saved and then just kind of roamed around autonomously and just follow Christ on their own. 00:06:52.959 --> 00:07:03.439 They were saved into churches that were formed out of the necessity of a bunch of people who come to faith in Christ who now need to be a part of a local church. 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.000 And those churches didn't stop there. 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:12.480 They helped plant and establish more churches that were fulfilling the Great Commission. 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:29.360 As one verse says, whenever this is Paul speaking to the church in Rome, he says, Whenever I travel to Spain, for I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:40.399 In Romans chapter 15, Paul is expecting the church in Rome, which is already an established church, to help him take the gospel to Spain where it has not yet been preached. 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:44.319 Mission wasn't detached from the church, it flowed out of it. 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:53.600 So even in Romans 15, we don't see Paul, even though he's an apostle, Paul's not running around saying, I'm just gonna drop in somewhere by myself and just pursue missions. 00:07:53.920 --> 00:08:03.279 He seeks the aid of an established church in Antioch and asking for their support so that the gospel could spread in Spain. 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:08.000 And then when we get to the church in Antioch, it shows us a very clear pattern. 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:14.079 The church in Antioch gives us, I would say, one of the clearest pictures of church-centered missions in the New Testament. 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:29.199 Because in Acts 13, while that church in Antioch is gathered, worshiping, fasting, and praying, the Holy Spirit speaks and says, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the works to which I called them. 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:30.480 And what happens next? 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:34.320 What does the church in Antioch do in light of the Holy Spirit's revelation? 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:47.360 The church in Antioch gathers together as a body, they fast, they pray together, they lay hands on Paul and Barnabas, and then they send them out to do the ministry the Holy Spirit called them to. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:48.799 Think about that. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:56.720 They didn't just run around with a private calling saying the Holy Spirit told me to go do this thing, and they just left as trailblazers and did missions. 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:05.360 They went to the church of Antioch, and that body of believers fasted on behalf of these brothers and the gospel work they wanted to do. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:14.879 They prayed for them, they laid hands on them, which is a sign of commissioning, and they sent them to do the ministry entrusted to them by the Holy Spirit. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:23.840 That's a beautiful picture of how the church has a part in spreading the gospel through vessels that the Lord seeks to use. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.480 There's no Lone Ranger calling here, there's no private commissioning. 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:33.440 It is the Spirit working through the gathered people in Antioch. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:41.919 And when, and I love this, and when they go, Paul and Barnabas, and their journey is over, do you know what Paul and Barnabas do? 00:09:42.159 --> 00:09:43.519 They return back. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:54.159 They come back to the church in Antioch, not to a missions board, not to a paraturance ministry, not to some agency, not that those things are bad, but they come back to the church in Antioch. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:10:11.919 They're sending church, and in Acts 14, it says this after they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them, and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, and they spent a considerable time with the disciples. 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:13.519 That is precious. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:20.720 That means God's design here was for the church in Antioch to have a hand in the gospel ministry that Paul and Barnabas were doing. 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:31.120 And Paul and Barnabas understood that they were sent by and under the authority of the church in Antioch, and they come back to graciously report, look what all God has been doing as we've been preaching the gospel. 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:37.840 And now the church in Antioch gets to celebrate with these missionaries to say, look at God's goodness. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:47.600 We have prayed, we have fasted, we have laid hands on these brothers and sent them, and God has glorified his name by bringing the Gentiles to saving faith in his son. 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:58.159 Missionaries go out from the church and they return to the church they are accountable to and supported by because it is a family endeavor. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:00.799 Now, here's the point I don't want you to miss. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:06.080 The Great Commission is instructions for the local church. 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:10.639 The Great Commission is an instruction for the local church. 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:12.159 Where am I getting that from? 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:18.399 If you're like me, when I first came to faith in Christ, I would have said the Great Commission is primarily just for us individually. 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:19.919 We all fulfill the Great Commission. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:22.720 Be a missionary in your home, your neighborhood, and all these things. 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:33.919 And I want to be very clear, there is an aspect in which the Great Commission is for each individual Christian, each individual church member, but primarily it is for the local church. 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:46.080 Remember, so we're in Matthew 28, the Great Commission, but what comes before Matthew 28, Matthew 16, where Jesus speaking to Peter says, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overpower it. 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:50.960 So he's saying, I have an intention to build my church. 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:58.559 And then later he gives us the Great Commission, which is the means by which he will build his church in Matthew 28. 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:05.600 We have to read the Great Commission in light of the authority Jesus has entrusted to local churches. 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:08.960 Jesus is telling his disciples, I have all authority. 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:16.000 And to be clear, he's not saying like just because he resurrected, he has like some new authority that he didn't already have as God in human flesh. 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:19.279 He's saying, no, all of y'all have now been put on notice. 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:20.960 I am who I said I am. 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:24.639 I have all authority over created order and the spiritual realm. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:28.320 Therefore, go and make disciples and baptize them. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:46.080 So he says, uh, I'm sorry, he exercises that authority as the senior pastor of every church, and he encourages these men to preach the gospel, to baptize believers, and to teach them to obey all of God's word and to send more workers who will do the same. 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:54.159 Or to put it another way, to make my point that the Great Commission is primarily for the local church, when you look at, look down at Matthew 28. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:57.279 Let's look at Jesus' commands here, his instructions. 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:01.919 Verse 18 All authority has been given to me on heaven and on earth. 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:12.960 Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe everything I have commanded. 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:14.159 Let me ask you a question. 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:16.080 Where is that best done? 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:18.320 In the context of the local church. 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:20.720 The local church proclaims God's word. 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:24.080 The local church has the mandate to disciple one another. 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:30.559 The local church has the uh the has been entrusted with the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:42.399 That's why we don't encourage Christians to baptize each other at youth camps or in their swimming pool or take the Lord's Supper at a wedding or a small group, because those are ordinances given to the local church. 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:45.519 So this is best done in the church. 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:57.120 So when Jesus says, teach them to observe all that I have commanded, he's describing the ongoing teaching ministry of the local church, which is how disciples are formed. 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:04.080 If we could just define terms here, I would say a disciple is simply essentially a student, a pupil of someone. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:05.600 That's what it means to be a Christian. 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:08.240 You're a student of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:13.600 And discipleing is the practice of helping other people follow Jesus. 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:20.159 And we are all blessed and entrusted with that ministry of helping others follow Jesus. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:24.879 So when Jesus gives this great commission, he's speaking primarily to the local church. 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:25.440 But guess what? 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:27.039 The local church is made up of what? 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:34.720 Redeemed, born-again, brothers and sisters in Christ, who are the instruments by which the Lord does these things. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:44.879 And when he says, teach them to observe all that I have commanded, that is one reason why at Redeemer we are committed to what some would refer to as expositional preaching. 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:51.440 Even though this is more of a what I would call a topositional series, we're doing where we're focusing on a topic and looking at passages of scripture. 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:58.799 But our normal diet, our normal rhythm is to walk through books of the Bible verse by verse and to try to understand God's word. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:06.480 The way I would define expository preaching is where the main point of the biblical text becomes the main point of the sermon. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:11.919 Instead of me as a pastor saying, hey, I got a great sermon I want to preach, I just need to find the verse to go with it. 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:13.840 No, that's not expositional preaching. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:17.120 Expositional is we want God's people to know God's word. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:21.759 And that's what every Christian should do in their discipling as we fulfill the Great Commission. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.879 We want to expose God's people to God's word. 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:29.759 And those who have yet to know the Lord, we want to expose them to God's word. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:40.159 Because God's word creates God's people, and God's people are shaped together in the context of a local church through inspired scripture. 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:42.960 This is important for our understanding of missions. 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:49.279 Because if we're, as churches, sending people overseas, we have to ask the question what are we sending them to do? 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:51.759 We are sending them to proclaim God's word. 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:59.120 We are sending them to make disciples by teaching others what God's word teaches, which is important. 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:03.600 Just to be frank, not everything that's called missions is always missions. 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:04.720 I'll give an example. 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:12.559 I was a part of a church in which we as leaders had made a decision to pull financial support from a missionary of the church. 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:23.600 After having prolonged conversations, trying to understand this gentleman's ministry, we came to realize his ministry does not align with our philosophy of ministry or our philosophy of missions. 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:38.399 So, for example, this brother was, first of all, he was stateside, he wasn't overseas, but he was teaching in a public school classes to young men on just moral virtues, just how to have integrity and virtue as a young man. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:39.600 Very nice. 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:41.600 That's not bad inherently. 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:54.240 But when we looked at the Great Commission, we said, brother, missions, first of all, is taking the gospel to an unreached people or going to strengthen churches in an unreached people group to make disciples and to see churches birth. 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:57.440 So to teach virtues is not missions. 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:00.960 And so we decided to steward resources elsewhere. 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:03.120 And friends, let me just emphasize this. 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:08.720 If you pay attention to Jesus' words, do you notice if he's giving the apostles an option here? 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:13.359 Is he saying, like, hey, y'all, um, since I rose from the dead, could y'all just consider this? 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:18.960 It would really help me and my father out if y'all went to all nations and make disciples. 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:20.160 No, no, no, no. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:24.720 He he starts out in verse 18 with authority, like, all right, y'all see me, right? 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:26.400 I was dead three days ago. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:31.039 Now I'm standing before you, like I said I would do, but y'all didn't believe. 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:34.480 Now he says, Go therefore and make disciples. 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:41.599 That is a command, which means obedience to the Great Commission is not optional. 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:49.039 Jesus says in John 15, 14, you are my friends if you do what I command. 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:51.440 That's not just referring to the Great Commission. 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:54.079 That's just referring to being a disciple of Christ. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:18:02.880 If you claim to be a disciple of Christ, but you don't do what Jesus commands you, it's hard for him to accept you as his friend. 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:08.640 So when it comes to the Great Commission, I would say there's only three types of people. 00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:17.759 There are those who go, there are those who send and support those who go, and then there's the disobedient. 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:19.359 That's it. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:23.519 There are those who go, and not everyone's gonna go, and that's okay. 00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:31.759 But if you're not the one who goes, you are the one who should be sending and supporting as you are part of a local church, or you're disobedient. 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:33.519 There's only three options. 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:35.680 Charles Spurgeon said it plainly. 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:42.960 It is the whole business of the whole church to preach to the gospel to the whole world. 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:44.160 I love that. 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:49.519 It is the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world. 00:18:49.680 --> 00:19:00.480 Every member of Redeemer Church has a biblical mandate to fulfill the Great Commission, to see the whole gospel be proclaimed to the whole world, to the glory of God. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:08.319 Whether you're going yourself or whether you're holding the rope for someone who is going, that is the privilege we get to play. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:11.519 That is the example we see in the church in Antioch. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:23.359 Now, if the Great Commission belongs to the local church, and if Jesus has entrusted his authority to each local church, then we have to get clear on two things. 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:26.880 What is a church and what is missions? 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:30.240 What is a church and what is missions? 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:33.599 This is important because confusion is everywhere. 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:46.079 And if there's confusion about what is a church and what is missions, then there's all kinds of nonsense that's going to be happening under the umbrella of gospel missions and ministry that doesn't line up with the Bible. 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:48.240 So let's define our terms here. 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:50.160 What is a church? 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:55.920 Now you cannot go to a chapter and verse in the Bible where the scripture says here is a definition of a church. 00:19:56.079 --> 00:20:06.240 However, when you look at the totality of the teaching of the Bible and put all that together, you can find a helpful definition as to what constitutes a local church. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:08.480 Here's my attempt at a definition. 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:26.319 A local church is a group of baptized believers who covenant together to gather regularly, to hear God's word preached, to share in the ordinances, to love one another, and proclaim the gospel to the lost, all for God's glory. 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:28.640 Let me just read that again. 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:30.799 So, what makes a church a church? 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:48.960 A local church is a group of baptized believers who covenant together to gather regularly to hear God's word preach, to share in the ordinances of baptism in the Lord's Supper, to love one another and proclaim the gospel to the lost all for God's glory. 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:51.759 That's what makes a church a church. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:57.759 That definition matters because missions exist to produce churches that do that. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:20:59.200 Does that make sense? 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:15.599 So when missionaries are sent, they are sent with God's help to establish churches of baptized believers who come in together to gather regularly, to hear the word preached, to share in the ordinances, to love one another, and proclaim the gospel to the lost, all for God's glory. 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:17.759 That is that is the aim of missions. 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:19.279 So what is missions? 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:21.440 This is the definition I introduced last week. 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:26.480 Uh but before I get to a definition again, here's the danger. 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.000 If everything is missions, nothing is missions. 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:36.240 Just like you know, the current cultural moment we're in, if everything's abuse, nothing's abuse, right? 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:40.000 If everything is missions, then nothing is missions. 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:52.960 Digging wells overseas, providing medical aid overseas, sharing the gospel on a short term mission trip, these are all good things, but they are not missions. 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:54.640 They are ministry. 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.279 Ministry and missions are different. 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:58.880 Let me just use myself as an example. 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:08.720 When I was in School, I was not even a Christian, but there was a Christian club on my campus that sent out an invitation to go on a mission trip to Tijuana. 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:12.000 Now living in South Cat Southern California, that's just a couple hour drive. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:13.279 So I signed up. 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:16.799 Not because I love Jesus or missions, I just didn't want to go to school. 00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:18.240 So I signed up. 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:24.000 We got a day off of school, and we took a bunch of clothes to an orphanage in Tijuana. 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:30.480 And we got to hang out with the kids, played soccer and all these things, donated some clothes. 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:33.359 We didn't, we didn't interact with a church. 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:34.960 No one shared the gospel. 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:36.799 There was no pastor involved. 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:40.480 We were there for a couple of hours and then drove right on back. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:43.599 But that was my first missions trip. 00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:46.160 No, that was a good deed we did. 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:56.240 That was a loving deed we did, providing things of necessity to these poor kids in this orphanage, but that was not missions, that was a service project. 00:22:56.559 --> 00:23:04.079 So we need a definition that's clear, that's biblical, and agrees with Jesus' Great Commission and church-centered missions. 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:06.480 And here's the definition I used last week. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:22.240 Missions involve churches sending qualified workers across linguistic, geographic, or cultural barriers to start or strengthen churches, especially in places where Christ has not yet been named. 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:24.240 One more time. 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:44.880 Now, let me, for the rest of this sermon, unpack that definition and give some implications. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:48.960 So starting with missions means churches send. 00:23:49.440 --> 00:24:03.440 Local churches, not individuals and parachurch organizations, according to the Bible, bear the primary responsibility for fulfilling the Great Commission and equipping, assessing, sending, and supporting missionaries. 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:10.799 Individuals obey the Great Commission through the context and the instrument of the local church, not apart from it. 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:23.440 The New Testament teaches that the local church is the primary means of obeying the Great Commission and taking the gospel to the nations and baptizing individuals and planting local churches. 00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:32.720 And the local church has the authority, as we saw in Antioch, to identify, assess, train, send, and support qualified missionaries. 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:35.279 Which brings me to the second part of the definition. 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:38.960 Missions requires qualified workers. 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:41.440 Qualified workers. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:48.319 This might be one of the most common mistakes churches and parachurch missions organizations make. 00:24:48.720 --> 00:25:02.319 They have detailed churches have detailed qualifications for who they allow to be a pastor or a deacon or a small group leader, but they'll send any zealous Christian who's interested overseas to go be a missionary. 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:05.920 I mean, this is very concerning as a pastor when I see this. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:11.279 I mean, you can't even go to a local shelter and adopt a dog without meeting certain qualifications. 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:17.680 And yet we're willing to just send any zealous Christian overseas to do the hard work of missions. 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:23.599 No, a careful vetting and training process does not hinder missions. 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:39.279 I would suggest it actually protects the faithfulness of missions and the honor of Jesus Christ by making sure churches are sending those who are assessed, qualified, and then supported by their local church. 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:47.039 And I want to be clear, I don't, I don't, I'm not saying that missionaries need to be seminary trained and have to have degrees and all these things. 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:48.319 No, no, no, no, no. 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:54.319 They just need to be qualified for the work that they claim they are called to do. 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:57.599 The most important missionary training does not happen overseas. 00:25:57.680 --> 00:25:58.960 It doesn't happen in a classroom. 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:04.079 It happens in the context of the local church that that missionary candidate is a member of. 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:08.319 And that happens through the ordinary life of the local church. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:17.359 So if we're wanting to send qualified workers to fulfill Jesus' command in the Great Commission, what should churches be assessing for? 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:19.279 What should they be looking for? 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:27.200 I would suggest before a church sends someone across cultures and continents, that church should examine at least four things. 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:38.960 And three of these I'm stealing directly from our church website, our philosophy of ministry, how we summarize a lot of what we do here at Redeemer, which is we are seeking to help people grow in conviction, competence, character. 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:42.240 But I'm going to add one more for missions here: fruitfulness. 00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:43.839 Let me just unpack those. 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:45.759 What do we mean by conviction? 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:50.559 By conviction, I mean their knowledge of God and their understanding of the Bible. 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:53.839 Meaning, do they know God and his word well? 00:26:54.160 --> 00:27:03.279 Not that they need to be pastors or preachers, but can they competently, with conviction, uh teach God's word well to help others understand? 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:07.039 Do they fully agree with their sending church's statement of faith? 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:08.960 That should just go without saying. 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:23.440 No church should ever send someone from their mist to be a missionary if they don't have a wholehearted endorsement with that church's statement of faith, because that means they might go overseas and teach something that contradicts what you as a church believe. 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:29.519 Are they committed to the authority and erancy, inspiration, and sufficiency of scripture? 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:30.799 That's very important. 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:47.279 If as a church you're committed to these things, but you send someone who's not committed to the inerrancy of scripture, they don't believe the Bible is truly inspired by God, they don't believe scripture is sufficient for all that pertains to life and godliness, then the next question is, then what are they going to be discipling people in? 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:53.759 Next, do they have a healthy biblical understanding of the church? 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:58.400 Do they understand according to scripture what a church is? 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:01.279 That I mean, some of these should go without saying. 00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:09.440 But if you're sending someone to be a missionary who doesn't have a robust understanding of what a church is, then what are you sending them to establish overseas? 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:22.640 If people come to faith in Jesus Christ, if they don't have a biblical understanding of uh church leadership, of membership and discipline, all these core things that make a church a church, then you're sending someone to plant a less than healthy church. 00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:33.519 But second, you should assess competence, which is the ability to persuasively and lovingly communicate God's word to others in various ways. 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:40.400 Are the people you're assessing as missionaries competent to persuasively and lovingly communicate God's word? 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:48.720 Meaning, can they clearly and lovingly and persuasively explain and teach the gospel to others? 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:51.519 That's something we need to assess. 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:57.839 Or have others, another question to ask, have others grown spiritually through their ministry? 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:00.559 Through their ministry of hospitality and discipling? 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:04.640 Have you seen others grow in light of their ministry? 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:06.880 Can they instruct others in sound doctrine? 00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:09.599 I think about the qualifications of a deacon. 00:29:09.759 --> 00:29:13.599 A deacon should be able to uh teach and defend the faith. 00:29:13.759 --> 00:29:19.759 That doesn't mean they need to be, you know, stalwarts of the faith who can memorize every dead Puritan or anything like that. 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:22.960 But can they competently instruct others in sound doctrine? 00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:32.880 If someone came to them and said, could you disciple me and help me follow Jesus, do you have confidence that that prospective missionary would confidently say yes and could do that? 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:41.440 Third, you should assess character, the godly character in life that accords with sound doctrine. 00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:44.559 Here's a stance we take here at Redeemer. 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:47.279 Every missionary should be elder qualified. 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:56.319 Not that every missionary needs to be an elder or needs to preach and serve in that office, but rather saying, do they meet those character qualifications? 00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:10.880 While not every missionary will serve as an elder, every missionary should be elder qualified because, in the context of missions, they are representing Christ and his church cross-culturally and they are exercising spiritual influence. 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:24.400 So you should assess are these mature, godly, faithful, holy individuals that we would tell someone in our church, if you want to, if you want to walk with Christ, imitate them as they imitate Christ. 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:29.680 Another question to ask are they trustworthy and reliable? 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:34.880 Are they the type of people that you would confidently say they are trustworthy and reliable? 00:30:35.039 --> 00:30:37.680 Do they do they show personal responsibility? 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:48.000 When you're on the mission field, you are working with a lot of uh lack of supervision because you're in an unreached people group, you're by yourself or maybe with a small team. 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:53.680 So you have to be able to work with faithfully with little supervision and just pragmatic things. 00:30:53.839 --> 00:30:56.559 Is their marriage and their home life healthy? 00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:01.279 I was a part of a church in which a sister wanted to be a missionary to Papua New Guinea. 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:03.359 And as leaders, we supported her in that. 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:08.640 We were working with her parachurch ministry and ministry, and we were, you know, moving along in the process. 00:31:08.880 --> 00:31:24.799 But as we were doing what I'm describing here, assessing her character and just her fruitfulness in the life of the church, we found out that she had some sinful conflict with a family member, and we suggested, like, sister, we support you, but we think you should resolve this. 00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:29.279 You should honor the Lord by pursuing reconciliation with this individual you sinned against. 00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:32.319 Long story short, the sister had no interest in doing that. 00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:42.720 Uh, she refused to do it and ended up just going to another church, asking their pastor to sign off on her parachurch ministry's uh endorsement for her as a missionary, and they sent her. 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:49.599 That I would say would disqualify that sister for being a missionary by displaying poor uh character. 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:55.519 Also, you should assess what are their motives for missions. 00:31:55.839 --> 00:32:07.599 I have been in ministry long enough to see sometimes people can be just ensnared with loving the idea of ministry, but not have the right motives for ministry. 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:11.839 So, as best as you can, assess what is their motives, what is their why? 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:19.279 Why do you want to go to this particular country to help establish a gospel preaching church, Lord willing? 00:32:19.359 --> 00:32:20.559 What is driving that? 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:26.559 Is it is it because you want to see God glorified amongst a people group who is not worshiping God? 00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:27.599 Praise God. 00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:29.759 That's the type of people we should send. 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.720 Is it because someone you look up to was a missionary and you're like, I can see myself doing that? 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:38.880 That's probably not a good person to send, at least at that time. 00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:42.079 And here's something else, just encourage all of us. 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:46.799 When we are assessing character, we must be willing to send our best. 00:32:47.200 --> 00:32:53.519 Because God sent his best, his son, Jesus, to die on the cross to redeem his church. 00:32:53.839 --> 00:33:04.720 We must be willing to send our best, which means if we ever have the privilege of sending one to do any type of ministry work, it should tear our hearts apart on their last Sunday. 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:12.480 Because we know we are losing a faithful brother or sister who the Lord has been using to help our people follow Jesus in our community. 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:18.480 So we should be willing to send our best because God was willing to send his best. 00:33:18.720 --> 00:33:22.400 Fourth uh aspect we should assess is fruitfulness. 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:23.759 Fruitfulness. 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:31.759 Do they display a track record of making disciples as a healthy member of your church? 00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:42.240 So many churches, so many prospective missionaries have a desire to go when they're not even faithfully making disciples at their current church. 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:55.680 It makes no sense to send someone to a different continent to do ministry, to do missions, to seek to evangelize the lost and to plan a church when they're not even a faithful, fruitful member of your church? 00:33:55.920 --> 00:34:04.559 If they're not actively making disciples, if they're not actively showing hospitality and evangelizing, why on earth do you think they'll do it on a different continent? 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:06.720 And a good question to ask. 00:34:06.880 --> 00:34:16.960 If they are faithfully serving the Lord and being fruitful members of their local church, then prayerfully ask, are people growing in godliness as a result of being under their ministry? 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:21.679 If someone is faithfully serving the Lord, or let me let me give a case study. 00:34:21.840 --> 00:34:32.559 If there are two individuals in a church and both are faithfully sharing the gospel, they're discipling people, but one brother you realize it doesn't seem like people are really growing. 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:41.039 It actually seems like the relationships kind of die off, and even when they show hospitality, they they seem to, they're not really making the connections that we would like to see them make. 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:47.760 But then you see another brother doing the same exact things, but you see people growing in their walk with the Lord as a result of that brother's discipleship. 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:49.920 You see people coming to faith in Christ. 00:34:50.159 --> 00:35:01.679 I would say you should probably go with that other brother and spend some time investing in him and then try to shepherd the other brother and figure out, well, what how can we serve you to help you grow to be more fruitful in your ministry? 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:06.000 Now, let me be very clear the fruits of any ministry come from the Lord. 00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:10.960 So we're not being pragmatists here on the negative side, but that does tell you something. 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:19.840 Like if a man is saying, I'm called to do this thing and he's trying to pursue it, but you realize, okay, I see what you're saying, but I'm not seeing the fruit from your ministry. 00:35:19.920 --> 00:35:25.760 So maybe we need to disciple you a little bit more to strengthen your ministry before we send you. 00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:32.000 All I'm saying is the church should not send missionaries who have potential. 00:35:32.320 --> 00:35:41.840 They should send their best, those who are qualified and trained and sent and supported to do the work of missions. 00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:47.840 Missions should not be something where we pat a Christian on the back and say, build the plane as you fly it. 00:35:48.239 --> 00:35:50.960 No, we want to invest in people well. 00:35:51.360 --> 00:36:03.119 So to start, just to keep unpacking this definition, the second half of my definition of mission says to start or strengthen churches, especially in places where Christ has not been named. 00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:22.239 I would say the Bible gives to us in the Great Commission and in other texts in the New Testament that the aim of all missions is the establishment of healthy gospel preaching churches, which means sharing the gospel overseas is not missions. 00:36:22.639 --> 00:36:27.760 Evangelizing the lost in a different continent with a passport in your back pocket is not missions. 00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:30.159 Evangelism is an aspect of missions. 00:36:30.239 --> 00:36:33.360 It's not less than that, but it is more than that. 00:36:33.599 --> 00:36:42.559 This is why I'm not necessarily a big fan, and I don't want to be too nitpicky here, but I'm not a big fan of, you know, hey, we we need to be missionaries in our city, we need to be missionaries in the workplace. 00:36:42.719 --> 00:36:43.920 I get what people mean by that. 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:47.119 What they mean is evangelize, share your faith. 00:36:47.360 --> 00:36:54.719 But missions is evangelizing for the sake of seeing a church planted as people come to faith in Christ. 00:36:54.960 --> 00:37:02.880 So the goal of missions is not trips, it's not service projects or being able to tell a nice story. 00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:12.400 It is the establishment of healthy gospel-preaching churches that will glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ, according to Matthew 28. 00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:16.239 So that is the aim of missions. 00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:46.000 You are so as Redeemer Church, if we were sending someone to the mission field, we as a church are saying we have assessed and trained and are sending these individuals to, Lord willing, share the gospel with the aim of seeing a church established where there isn't one, or we are sending them to a church that is established in a hard-to-reach people group so that they can go help strengthen that church's ministry so the gospel can continue to advance. 00:37:46.320 --> 00:37:48.239 So we are seeking in missions. 00:37:48.320 --> 00:38:04.400 The aim is to establish healthy gospel preaching churches, which means sometimes that means planting new churches in areas where no church exists, or it means joining and strengthening an existing church so it can bear faithful witness in its context. 00:38:04.639 --> 00:38:12.239 But the aim is always the same: Christ's glory displayed through Christ church. 00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:25.440 This is important stuff because there has been for centuries the problem of churches abdicating their role and their authority to parachurch organizations. 00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:28.000 And I'm not against parachurch organizations. 00:38:28.239 --> 00:38:47.360 I would say actually, parachurch organizations are a gift of God's common grace, in which, if they understand their role correctly according to the Bible, they understand just like a seminary, a missions organization, whatever it is, they exist to come alongside local churches to equip and support them and what the scriptures call them to do. 00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:57.599 So I would say ideally, every faithful Christian parachurch ministry should have in their mission statement, we desire to work ourselves out of a job one day. 00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:02.400 Because we have existed to serve the local church and what they're called to do. 00:39:02.480 --> 00:39:06.719 And if we do that well, then maybe one day churches will no longer need us. 00:39:06.880 --> 00:39:13.119 So again, I don't want to come off at all as if I'm anti-parichurch missions organizations because they are actually doing really great work. 00:39:13.199 --> 00:39:29.119 So, for example, if we needed to send missionaries into a hard country, I don't know everyone's careers in here, but I would be willing to guess we are not equipped to train someone in a new language, to help someone establish a business in another country so that they can safely enter into the country. 00:39:29.280 --> 00:39:33.519 We're not equipped to evacuate them out of a country for their safety if we needed to. 00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:48.800 There's all sorts of things that come into helping a missionary go from assessed and trained by their local church and their pastors, then to logistically getting them into another country and established to do evangelism and missions. 00:39:49.280 --> 00:40:05.360 So we all have our roles, but the challenge over the centuries has been churches abdicating their authority and the parachurch ministry stepping in as if they're the professionals saying, hey, pastors, just sign off your endorsement and then we'll take it from there. 00:40:05.519 --> 00:40:15.840 And what has happened is that has infiltrated churches, and then zealous Christians who mean well, who have a desire for missions, will not involve their church or their pastors. 00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:23.440 They go directly to a para-church ministry and start the whole process without saying, wait, what role does my church play in this? 00:40:23.679 --> 00:40:41.760 So, for example, if I could just give a quick layout of what should this look like in the life of a local church, I think a church that's just being healthy, that's preaching God's word, that's discipling its people and shepherding them well and evangelizing the lost, naturally you're gonna have people among your congregation who's gonna catch some passion for missions. 00:40:41.920 --> 00:41:05.840 And as that happens, that church member should first go to their pastors and say, I don't know what the Lord's doing, but the more I learn about missions, I feel like the Lord is just stirring in my heart a desire to be a part of that somehow, whether that's me going or supporting someone else who goes, and then submitting to their local churches process of does my church have a place overseas where they desire to see a church planted? 00:41:06.079 --> 00:41:31.440 Does my church already have established relationships with like-minded ministries overseas that we can be sent to to go support that team or to help work with your elders to determine a place where uh your church should have presence overseas and then be willing to submit to your church's vetting assessment training process to receive their full endorsement. 00:41:31.679 --> 00:41:40.480 Because at the end of the day, if a missionary is sent out from a healthy gospel preaching church, it's not the missionaries who are leaving and doing missions on their own. 00:41:40.639 --> 00:41:50.400 It is that church that is seeking to do missions in a particular place through the members it's sending to represent them in a different country. 00:41:50.719 --> 00:41:54.079 And that also invites, that's why I love that story in Antioch. 00:41:54.320 --> 00:41:58.960 Because as churches do that well, everyone has a part to play in missions. 00:41:59.199 --> 00:42:04.960 So here's what a lot of churches do they'll say, we support 50 missionaries. 00:42:05.199 --> 00:42:09.280 What that means is we send 20 bucks a month to all these missionaries. 00:42:09.440 --> 00:42:11.920 We don't really know them, we don't have any relationship with them. 00:42:12.079 --> 00:42:13.519 We're not, they're not accountable to us. 00:42:13.599 --> 00:42:18.000 They're kind of doing their own thing through this organization, but we give financially every month. 00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:20.559 No, friends, it is so much more precious. 00:42:20.719 --> 00:42:36.719 Number one, for a sending church to generously and sacrificially support their own members who they send and keep relationship of accountability, just like if they were members of your church still here physically, to have accountability, to shepherd and care for them. 00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:46.559 If you have the resources to send elders and members of your church to visit them, to strengthen and encourage them in their walk, to remind them like we have not forgotten about you. 00:42:46.639 --> 00:42:48.159 You are members of our family. 00:42:48.320 --> 00:42:56.239 You're an extension of us and your country representing our church while you proclaim the goodness of our God in salvation. 00:42:56.400 --> 00:42:58.960 And it is a family affair. 00:42:59.440 --> 00:43:05.039 That is the beauty and the example, I believe, that the Bible lays out for us in the New Testament. 00:43:05.280 --> 00:43:12.239 So, friends, when we talk about missions, we are not talking about a side project for a few Christians. 00:43:12.400 --> 00:43:21.119 We're talking about the mission that Jesus has entrusted to the church, which is why I entitled this series Church-Centered Missions. 00:43:21.519 --> 00:43:34.480