Spread The Word Go!

 Spread The Word

Go!

Opening Illustration:

Do me a favor this morning, in your mind I want you to answer this question. What is the definition of “disciple”? You might think of this question in the terms of discipleship? What is discipleship? In the passage that we are going to read this morning, Jesus tells His followers to go into the world and make “disciples”. What if you don’t know what a disciple is or how to even define the word? When I was in high school, I was on a debate team. One of the first things that they teach you in debate is to define your terms. If you are going to discuss at topic, both parties must first have a clear understanding of what is being discussed. So, if Jesus tells us to go make disciples and we don’t know what that means, then we are heading for a lot of confusion. This reminds me a of a situation between a pastor and one of his members. 

Illustration: The Secret Service

I read a story about a preacher who was standing at the door shaking hands as the congregation departed. He grabbed one man by the hand and pulled him aside.

The preacher said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!"

The man replied, "I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Preacher."

The preacher questioned, "How come I don’t see you except for Christmas and Easter?"

He whispered back, "I’m in the secret service." 

Point:

You see friends, most people think discipleship is coming to church, showing up for a program, coming to a Bible study, serving in a mission or ministry, or giving to the church. My entire life I was taught that discipleship was always tied to doing. If I wanted to be a disciple of Jesus, 

I had to do this, 

I had to attend that, 

I had to show up for this event, 

I had to give to this cause, 

I had to say the right things, 

sing the right songs, 

please the right people, 

say the right words, 

read this amount of the Bible, 

have this much Scripture memorized. 

Discipleship was a program and if I was in the program then I was a disciple of Christ. There is a real danger to that sort of thinking. Sadly, there are going to be millions of people who were apart of the program but not in the family. They did everything that they were told to do but they missed on essential ingredient, they missed having a relationship with Christ. They missed Jesus.

These people who pledged themselves to a program rather than the person of Christ brings new meaning to Matthew 7:21-23, 

Matthew 7:21-32 NASB

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

You see friends, discipleship is not what you do but who you become. Being a disciple of Christ means that you become who you follow. A disciple of Christ is going to walk so closely to Jesus, 

listen to every single word, 

obey every command to the point that the follower of Christ and Christ Himself are indistinguishable. A disciple of Christ looks like Jesus and the term “discipleship” is merely the process of looking, thinking, sounding, and being in obedience to Christ. 

Point:

So friends, we must heed the last words of Christ to His followers. We must devote ourselves to the divine directive to make disciples. That is “Today’s Thought”. Devote yourself to the divine directive to make disciples. Now that we know that a disciples is not about what you do but who you become, let’s examine the text that we are about to read this morning. 

Today’s Thought:

Devote Yourself To The Divine Directive To Make Disciples 

Background and Context:

In Matthew's story of Jesus, these are His parting words to His eleven remaining disciples. Verses 18–20 are often called the "Great Commission" because Jesus is sending His hand-chosen disciples out into the world to accomplish a specific mission: Make more disciples. This comes with some noteworthy inclusions, but what is also crucial are things which Jesus does not say. 

Specifically, the disciples are to make more disciples of all nations. This means people from every people group and ethnicity on earth. Through Jesus, God's relationship with humanity has moved beyond Israel to include people from every corner of the world who come to the Father through the Son. 

Discipleship to Jesus involves at least the two things Jesus mentions in this command: baptism and obedience. The disciples are commanded to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The choice to be publicly baptized is evidence that someone has believed in Jesus and made the commitment to follow Him. The disciples were given the authority to baptize that person in the name of God, declaring that person's position in the eternal family of God. 

So, let’s read from Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 28 verses 19-20. These are the words of Christ to His disciples commanding them to make more disciples. I am reading this morning from the English Standard Version.

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 28:19-20 ESV

19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Quote:

So, where does the Great Commission rank on the important “things to do” list for Christians? Well think of it like this, the last words of an individual are usually the most important. The last words of a person are their last chance to impart some piece of crucial information, some last piece of important wisdom, or some parting statement to encourage their family or friends. The reason that The Great Commission is great is because it is the very last thing that Jesus stated to His disciples on earth. So, where does making disciples, sharing the Gospel, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ rank on the important “things to do” list for Christians? Id say it is top billing, number one, at the very top. We have no more important thing in our lives than to speak the truth of the Gospel to people everywhere. John Wesley, the famous Methodist theologian and pastor said this, “you have one business on earth-to save souls”. Im not sure that I could have said it better myself. 

“You have one business on earth-to save souls.”

-John Wesley

Point:

So, let’s look briefly at this command of Christ to “go into the world” and make disciples. How should we respond to this command? As followers of Christ, what is our comeback to Christ’s command to “Go”?

3 Comebacks To Christ’s Command To “Go”! 

I. Reach Out

Point:

Our first response to The Great Commission is to reach out. As believers in Christ, we are to seek out non believers and tell them about Jesus. We are bridge builders, building a bridge between the lost and Jesus Christ. 

Point:

Over the years, you have heard me talk a great deal about my wife and my marriage. I dearly love my wife and we have a strong, healthy marriage. Don’t get me wrong, we have had our fair share of tough times, bumps and scrapes. Early in our marriage with one another, especially that first year, we had a few arguments. We were learning to communicate, learning to live with one another. Adjusting to the differing lifestyles coming together and managing expectations of one another. I can remember arguing with Angela on one occasion, I don’t remember the subject of the argument, but I do remember my response to her. We were standing in our kitchen, both of us at an impasse. I put my hands in the air, raised my voice, and said “Angela, just tell me what you want me to do. Tell me what you want me to say”. 

Ladies, I will give you one guess at her response. What do you think it was? That’s right, Angela said “I shouldn’t have to tell you what to do or say, you should just know what to do”.

It can be very frustrating when you are in a relationship with someone and you have no idea what they are looking for, what they want from you, or how you can help. Angela and I laugh at those early years because we have learned how to communicate with one another. 

Point:

I love The Great Commission because Jesus takes all the guess work out of it for His followers. Jesus knew that they were not mind readers. He knew that without a directive, they would not know what He expected of them. So, before He left, He told them plainly and clearly what He wanted them to do. He told them to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”. The Great Commission is not just for His disciples, the 11 of them, but His words are also for us today. How do I know this to be true. Well first we know that the Gospel spread quickly throughout the world as the apostles followed Jesus’ command to “go” and “make disciples”. This was made possible by the power of replication. One person told one person. Both believed. Then two went and told two. Now four believed. Then four told four more now we have 8. You see the math. Clearly the expectation was not just for the disciples to carry the load of the Gospel all by themselves. Jesus wanted everyone participating in the project of building His Kingdom. Josh’s Wednesday night worship service is called “Replicate” for this reason. Josh is teaching our students to be disciples of Christ and a by product of that discipleship is replication. Another reason we know that sharing the Gospel is for everyone is because of what Paul shared with the Church of Corinth. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Paul reminds the believers that they are “ambassadors for Christ”, representing Jesus in their community and country. Again, the expectation was for the members of the church to take an active role in sharing the Gospel and making disciples. 

Point:

So what does it mean to reach out? Friendship! Be a friend. Build relationships with people for the specific purpose of telling them about Jesus. Even if they reject what you offer, maintain the friendship and pray that the Lord send the Holy Spirit into that person’s life so that the seed of the Gospel will grow. 

The Great Commission is a beautiful statement, full of practical theology and encouragement for the follower of Christ. Jesus tells us that when we share the Gospel that He is with us. When we obey Him, He is with us. Isn’t that awesome? Brothers and sisters, if you are hungering for the presence of Christ in your life, go tell someone about Jesus. He has made us the specific promise that He will not forsake us, abandon us, or leave us. In fact, He will stand with us. 

Point:

So, should you really make friends with lost people? Wicked people? Preacher are you saying that we should be friends with evil people? My response is that before any of us knew Jesus, were were all lost, wicked, evil people. Thank God that He sent someone to me to share the Gospel. We spend billions of dollars on evangelism today although we are not willing to spend a minute on forming new friendships with the lost.

We will meet some very wicked people. Jesus even said he is sending us out like sheep among wolves.

 

Matthew 10:16 ESV

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

While preparing for this message I remembered a film I watched back in the year 2018. The title of the film was “Alpha”. In it, the protagonist befriends and earns the trust of a wolf that attacked him. Jesus was saying we are ought to befriend even the Wolves and earn their trust. It is then alone we can influence them with the gospel.

This is exactly what Jesus did. He became friends with the marginalized of the society. Which is why his enemies called him the friend of sinners. 

Matthew 11:19 ESV

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 

Friendship has to be genuine, however. You can’t fake it because people will know sooner or later.

Point:

So, what does it look like when you are trying to have a genuine friendship with someone outside the Christian community of faith? 

First, accept them for who and where they are. Remember they are not Christians so they are not going to act like a Christian. They are not going to speak like a Christian. They are not going to think like a believer in Christ. It is comical to me when believers get frustrated with non believers for not acting like believers. Of course they are not going to act like believers. They are lost, without Christ, devoid of a Biblical standard. Accepting them where they are does not mean that you condone their sin, take part in their sin, or tolerate their sin. I have befriended men and women who are homosexuals without condoning their behavior. I have shared Christ with people who are members of the “trans” community. I accept them where they are, knowing the Christ loves them and that they are made in the image of Christ. They are due our love and respect. Do I shine a favorable light on their sexuality? Absolutely not! Do I bless their behavior? Of course not. I accept them where they are in that moment with the full understanding that if they were to embrace Christ that Jesus will set them free from those desires, change their heart, and reconstruct their mind. Acceptance does not equal tolerance or turning a blind eye. However, sharing the Gospel should always be done with love and kindness. 

Next, be available. I love the story of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan was available to help, available to love, and willing to step in to make a difference. The Good Samaritan shows that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Sometimes being available can be as simple as a prayer for healing or needs. At other times it can be as complicated as going out of your way to help. Either way, you cannot make friends unless you are available.

Point:

The first step in sharing the Gospel is being willing to open yourself up to love. The scary part of opening yourself up for love is that it means that you are opening yourself up to be rejected. Jesus is pretty clear how we are to treat our fellow man. 

Matthew 22:37-40  ESV

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The greatest way to love your neighbor is to tell him or her about Jesus. 

3 Comebacks To Christ’s Command To “Go”! 

I. Reach Out

II. Pull Up

Point:

Research indicates that nine out of 10 people trust what a customer says about a business more than what that business says about itself. As a result, customers are likely to spend 31% more with a business that has good customer testimonials. Your story or how you came to know Christ (also known as your testimony) has a similar but far powerful effect on your friends. A personal testimony about the difference Christ has made in your life grabs the attention of your friends and often touches hearts more than talking about the ideas of the faith in an abstract way.

Think for a second about Jesus. Jesus, when he spoke with people, often shared stories about things that everyone understood. Farming. Fishing. Vineyards. Fields. Jesus spoke from His heart about things that everyone understood. That is what made Him so appealing to the people. He was one of them, sharing their experience. That is what people need from you and me. Authenticity. When we tell others about Jesus, we need to realize that people are looking to see if we really care about them. It is not so much about what we know that matters, it is about how we love people. 

Ever heard the statement that people don’t care so much about what you know until they know how much you care? It is a very true statement. 

Think about Paul. Even Paul the apostle used the same approach in his ministry more than once. He was always willing to debate people about the gospel, but throughout his letters, he pointed to his experience as the most compelling proof of Christ’s significance.

Maybe you are like me. Maybe you started walking with Jesus when you were a child. For years I didn’t think that I had a very compelling testimony. My story with Jesus would not make a blockbuster movie, who would want to hear my story. Remember, the subject matter of your testimony is always the celebration of God setting you free from sin, ushering you from hell to heaven, and adopting you into His family. That is always great story that everyone needs to hear. 

Point:

So, how can you practically share your testimony?

How Should You Share Your Testimony?

A. Life Before Christ

Be modest and discreet when mentioning the sins of your past life. Something like as simple as “I was doing things on the weekends I shouldn’t have been doing,” “I was struggling with purity” or something similar is usually enough to give people a sense of your real struggle without putting a picture in their minds of you in your sin.

A. Life Before Christ

B. How I Met Christ 

If other people were involved in bringing about the conversion see to it your story is focused on Christ, not someone else. Don’t exaggerate. Often words can’t express the deeds of God in our lives. Always organize your story so that people will understand what you have been through and who God is.

A. Life Before Christ

B. How I Met Christ 

C. Life With Christ 

Emphasize which areas in your life have changed since accepting Christ because the listener needs to know the significance of a relationship with Jesus. Avoid Christian jargon. Don’t pause as a saint but don’t dwell on struggles and failures also.

A. Life Before Christ

B. How I Met Christ 

C. Life With Christ 

D. An Invitation To Follow Christ 

Now you can ask your friend in a casual setting “Would you like to learn more?” You could even transition from your story to sharing the Gospel directly. Once again, the purpose of the story is to lead your friend into conviction, confession, repentance and finally commitment.

Also, be prepared to share your story whenever the opportunity knocks. If someone asks you a question about the faith, shows curiosity about Christ, asks you why you live the way you do or simply seems like they need encouragement, hope or inspiration, be prepared to tell what Jesus has done in your life. There are many settings and situations when you might use your story, so be prepared.

Daniel 4:2 ESV

It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

3 Comebacks To Christ’s Command To “Go”! 

I. Reach Out

II. Pull Up

III. Build Up

Point:

Years ago I went to a conference for pastors to learn about discipleship. The speaker said some things to the group that I found extremely convicting. The first thing the speaker said was that most Pastors were not trying to build the church or God’s Kingdom, most pastors were trying to build their own personal kingdom. He said that most pastors were more concerned about building their brand than reading their Bible. The second thing that he said was that mosts pastor were not so much concerned with making disciples of Christ but making clones of themselves. Little versions of themselves, cheap copies, who would advance the call of the pastor in the community to build out their own private kingdom housed in the building that the congregation called a church. The speaker said that many pastors had highjacked the term “discipleship” and without the church knowing, changed the definition to “cultivating a following that feeds his ego, blesses his poor theology, and gives a wink and nod to cultural relevance instead of Biblical purity”. 

How do you know if you are a part of a church that I am describing? How do you know if your pastor, me, could be heading down the road? There are a few ways. The first way is what I call the inverted pyramid. Think of the pyramids in Egypt, the base of the pyramid is wide, supporting the overall structure of the building. If you were flip the pyramid on it’s point, the structure would fall apart. Sadly there are to many churches who are operating under the inverted pyramid structure of church growth. Churches are growing because of the magnetic energy of the pastor, built on the tip of his personality, held together by his giftedness as a CEO. Inevitably when that pastor leaves or he is embroiled in a moral failure, the church falls a part. Brothers and sisters, do you know what would happen if I left here next week? Nothing. The doors of this church would open the following week, this pulpit will be filled by another man, and the ministries would march along. You would still show up to worship, you would still give and serve. In fact, if I were to exit you might feel the Lord leading you to step into more a leadership role in my vacancy. You see friends, this is the body of Christ, not the body of Stuart. Thank God for that. Still, what is another reason why Eastern Shore Baptist Church is not an inverted pyramid? Two primary words, accountability and the collective. Let me speak to accountability first. I am not my own boss. I am held accountable by numerous people, committees, and groups. I am held accountable by the deacons of Eastern Shore Baptist Church. The deacons have never directed me or ordered me to do anything but they hold me to a Biblical account of my actions and my messages. I am held accountable by the staff of Eastern Shore Baptist Church. We gather weekly and discuss the overall direction of this church evaluating everything from this service to individual programs and ministries. I am held accountable by various committees including the finance and personnel committees of Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Now the second word, the collective. The collective is you. You are my family, people that I love with all my heart. You encourage me and yes…at times, hold me accountable. I came here over 11 years ago. I made mistakes, errors, incorrect judgements, and I am thankful to have had both men and women sit with me, pray with me, aid me in my decision making processes. Because of you, I am a better father, husband, pastor and man. That is why God’s church at Eastern Shore Baptist remains His church and not my church or our church. We remain about God, His business and His Word. 

Here is the problem with the misconception, or humanistic definition of discipleship instead of a Biblical approach to discipleship. Actually there are two things in my estimation that are wrong. We first need to take back the Biblical definition of the word. Discipleship is the process every Christian should enter into to look more like Jesus everyday. Discipleship is shaped not by the word of a crafty pastor but by the Word of God under the leading and power of the Holy Spirit. 

“We need to encourage new believers to feed on God’s Word—

it is nourishment for the soul.” 

-Billy Graham

The outgrowth of discipleship is Godly works, not just good deeds, but works done in God’s name.  Evangelism. Meeting the needs of the less fortunate. Justice. Personal holiness. Standing for Christ against the world. Not tolerating the world’s ever shifting definitions of gender, marriage, truth, or morality. Next, if we don’t return to a Biblical sense of discipleship, we will raise churches and Christians that are a mile wide but only an inch deep. No roots. When the storms of life come, they will easily be blown over, crushed under the weight of sin. 

Point:

Discipleship is hard because discipleship is hard, it is time consuming. It requires commitment. Years ago, 2009 in fact, I was in Yanti China. It was from this trip where God planted in my heart to adopt. Naturally we adopted Jett. While my group was there we worked closely with a missionary. The missionary encouraged us to share our testimony, speak the Gospel story to the Chinese people that we were working with, but stop short of actually leading them to Jesus. This made no sense to me. I asked “why”. The missionary told us that the Chinese people placed deep reverence and respect on those who led them to Christ. This person, in their eyes, was their spiritual father and mother. The missionary told us that these new converts felt a sense of abandonment when their American counterparts, those who had led them to the truth in Christ, left to go back home to the States. The missionary wanted us to stop short of leading them to Christ because it was important to him to help them in the continuation of their discipleship. We were to point out to him which men and women were ready to receive the Gospel, he would them lead them to Christ. We would leave and he would remain behind to aid them in their discipleship. 

That is what building up is all about. To many times Christians are happy to see new converts but we are terrible about taking the next step with our new Christian brothers and sisters. Leading someone to Christ is the easy part, walking with someone with authentic love and a commitment to discipling them is the hard part. 

Point:

So, how do you disciple someone? It starts with God’s Word. You don’t need a self help book or another novel by a famous pastor. Give them God’s Word and walk through it with them verse by verse. Discipleship should be personal, face to face. Give them your time, your attention, your encouragement. I am discipling several men in our church. I am meeting with them weekly. We are reading God’s word together and I pray for each man daily. I call them, talk with them, and pray with them. I have them engaged in men’s groups and various Bible studies. I am also actively helping them make new friends and finding them places to serve. 

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

I. Reach Out

II. Pull Up

III. Build Up

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I want us to consider Matthew 28:28 and the end of verse 20. Jesus made two beautiful promises in these verses. One is that Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. This is of significant value unto us for it indicates we are not being led like sheep to slaughter when we take the gospel to our communities. Rather Christ is sending us as his ambassadors.

The other promise is that Jesus will be with us even to the end of the age. This is a promise of assurance. We will face opposition from demonic and human entities as we go to our communities and even the world with the Gospel of Christ. Still, we don’t need to be afraid because we are not alone for Christ himself will accompany us. It’s a repeated promise that we can all take to the bank!

Hear Jesus’ Call To GO!