Most big blockbuster movies end up having a sequel, a continuation of the story. Well, some have a prequel or prequels. The first one I remember was a Chuck Norris movie: “Missing in Action 2: The Beginning.” I always thought that title was a little ironic. I don’t remember it being called a prequel, though. I grew up a huge fan of the Star Wars movies. About 10 years ago, George Lucas decided to make 3 prequels. He decided to tell the story of what happened before the first movie. The story before the story.
Our scripture today is sort of a prequel. Well, it’s not actually a prequel, but in our context it is a prequel of sorts. Last week we read about Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and they began their ministry of telling the world about Jesus. Today we’re going to back up and get the story before the story.
Matthew 28: 16-20
Just before his ascension, Jesus meets with his disciples and gives them a command, or a commission. Go; make disciples; baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; teach them everything I’ve taught you; and remember I’m always with you. There is a lot of direction in that sentence a lot of action. Go, make, baptize, teach, remember.
But, as most of you know, Jesus is not just talking to those disciples. This commission is not just for them, it is for us also. This is known as “The Great Commission” some of you probably already knew that. It is our call to action; our marching orders.
Does anyone else think that sounds a little intimidating? I’ll be honest; I’ve never been a fan of “witnessing” to others. I’m a shy person. Sitting and talking to someone about Jesus, to an introvert like me, is not an appealing prospect. It is intimidating. I hope in the next little bit I can make “The Great Commission” a little less intimidating.
We are all Disciples of Jesus. The apostles made disciples and those disciples made disciples and those made disciples and so on and so on until, almost 2000 years later here we are: Disciples; called to make more. But before we can do that I think we need to know what it means to be a disciple.
So what is a disciple? What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
A few years ago Rob Bell wrote a book called Velvet Elvis. In that book he gave one of the best explanations of a disciple that I’ve seen. Bell explains that in Jesus’ time all Jewish males around age 6 would start school called Bet Sefer or House of the Book. At school they would learn the Torah, the first 5 books of our Bible. By age 10 they would have the entire thing memorized. At that point most of the kids would begin learning the family trade, but the best students would advance to another level of school: Bet Talmud or House of Learning. At this level the students would memorize the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Genesis through Malachi. Memorized. Not just the names of the books, but the entire text.
At this level the students would also study the oral traditions around these texts; which is basically Bible commentaries. Throughout the centuries, Rabbis had read and questioned each other and interpreted the Scriptures. This is what they studied. A modern equivalent might be studying, and memorizing, the writings of Augustine and Luther and Wesley. They also studied the art of asking questions. At the end of this level, around the age of 14 or 15 only the best of the best remained. Now, the remaining students entered Bet Midrash or House of Study. The students would go to a well known rabbi and ask to become one of his talmidim; one of his disciples. The rabbi would then grill the student to see if he thought him to be worthy to be his disciple.
The goal of a talmid was not just to learn from the rabbi, but to be just like the rabbi. The talmidim followed the rabbi everywhere. They left their families, their villages, and devoted their lives to becoming just like their chosen rabbi. In his book, Bell tells a story of friend who, while visiting Israel, saw a rabbi go into the restroom and his talmidim entered right behind him. That is the level of their devotion. They don’t dare leave for a second because they might miss something he says.
That is what Jesus calls us to. That level of devotion. To dedicate our lives to being like him. I want to point out a very important difference, though.
Did you already catch the difference? In the case of the rabbi and his talmidim, the student goes to the teacher and asks to become his disciple. The teacher then evaluates the student and determines if the student is worthy. He either says yes or no. Think about Jesus and his disciples. How did that take place? Jesus chose them. Jesus called from the bank to Peter and Andrew. “Come, follow me.” And the rest of the original 12, Jesus sought them out. He chose them. That is still the case. Jesus pursues us. Jesus calls us to be his disciples. Not because he thinks we’re worthy, we’re not, but in spite of our unworthiness. Jesus invites us to learn from him, to devote our lives to learning how to be Jesus.
We are called to something else, or maybe you could look at it as another part of that invitation. We are called, as disciples of Jesus, to Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey all of the commands of Jesus, and to remember that Jesus is always with us.
I’m going to focus on the first part of that statement, because the baptizing and the teaching can’t happen until we go and make.
So let’s talk about going. Jesus says go! In other words, “Get out there among my people.” Does that mean we are all supposed to hop on a plane to Uganda and become missionaries? No. Some people are indeed called to be foreign missionaries, but not all of us. But we can go just down the street or around that corner or over those trees. We are called to go to where ever people need to hear about Jesus. That could be Uganda, or more likely, it could be next door. What that means to me is that we need to get outside of these walls. It is very easy for church to become about the church. It’s easy to let our focus stay inside, to worry more about the people in here rather than the world out there. That’s not to say that our own Discipleship is not important. There is that part about teaching, which in turn means disciples should be learning. But we need to make sure those things are preparing us to go & make.
Making disciples. This is that intimidating part I referred to earlier. What does it mean to make disciples? What does that look like? Let me start with what it doesn’t mean and what it doesn’t look like. It doesn’t mean “saving souls.” It’s more than that. It doesn’t look like asking, “If you die today do you know where you’ll spend eternity?” It’s so much more than that. Don’t hear me wrong, those two things could be a part of making disciples, depending on your approach, but that is not the end.
To make disciples is much more than “saving souls.” That’s just step one. Remember what a disciple is? Someone striving to become like Jesus. Salvation is just a step on that road. Asking if someone “knows where they’ll spend eternity” might start the journey, but it is not the destination. In class this week, my professor said something I thought was very appropriate to this topic. He said, to paraphrase, “Real things are not simple. There is a connection between truth and complexity.” I think that applies to making disciples, and to being disciples. It begins as simply as accepting Jesus’ invitation to discipleship, but it is just that; a beginning.
So what does it look like to make disciples? You’ve got to start somewhere. Here’s some advice. Soren Kierkegaard was a 19th century theologian from Denmark. He wrote this:
“This is the secret in the entire art of helping.
Anyone who cannot do this is himself under a delusion if he thinks he is able to help someone else. In order truly to help someone else, I must understand more than he–but certainly first and foremost understand what he understands.
If I do not do that, then my greater understanding does not help him at all. If I nevertheless want to assert my greater understanding, then it is because I am vain or proud, then basically instead of benefiting him I really want to be admired by him.
But all true helping begins with a humbling.
The helper must first humble himself under the person he wants to help and thereby understand that to help is not to dominate but to serve, that to help is a not to be the most dominating but the most patient, that to help is a willingness for the time being to put up with being in the wrong and not understanding what the other understands.”
In other words, we need to start by listening. Listen to their story. Hear their struggles. Know where they are coming from.
I want you to think of someone who is not in church. Not someone going to a different church, but not going at all. Maybe someone who has been hurt by the church in the past. Talk to that person. Listen to their story. You probably won’t even have to…let me restate that, you shouldn’t have to talk much. Then invite them to church. Not necessarily next Sunday or the Sunday after that. Tell them they don’t have to dress up. They don’t even have to take a bath! Just tell them Jesus loves them and we’d love to share in that love with them.
As disciples we are striving to be like Jesus. Let that show through as you talk to them. You don’t have to say the word Jesus to show someone Jesus. I think it was Augustine who said, “Preach the Gospel always, when necessary use words.”
I want to say one more thing about the Great Commission. As I was preparing for this morning I thought about the word. Commission. What does it mean? As I thought I came up with something better than a definition. I looked at the two parts of the word. Co-mission. We have a mission. WE. Not me. Not you. WE. It is our co-mission. To make disciples. As a church, we are called to be a community. Maybe you could think of that as the ‘Co” in commission. It is our Community Mission to make disciples.
Maybe you can’t think of anyone to invite, or the person you invite doesn’t come. But you are still a part of the mission. If you all invite someone and half of them come, we’ll have some new faces. Then the rest of us can participate in the mission. If there are new faces, it’s our job to love them. Not just to be nice to them, but to show them God’s love. No matter if they are dirty or tattooed or pierced in 14 different places. Just love them.
Benediction - The other part of the “Co” in that mission is the Holy Spirit. We have a helper. We have a guide. We have strength and confidence with us as we seek to make disciples. Go, Make.
SCoats,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing an excellent message.
THT