A Word about the Church as a Missionary Creation

 

Today I want to share a word about the church as a missionary creation.

In our last episode about the qualities of the church, we observed that the church is a worshipping creation. We worship God because He is our one true hero, and He is worthy of our worship.  We also worship God because we need His presence among us and that is the best part of life. We also realized that we are destined to worship God. It is an innate part of who we are and why we exist. Today we want to look at the quality of the church which distinguishes it from many other religious faiths: the church is a missionary creation.  Let’s begin by reading Matthew 28:16-20.

The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 When we look at the Scriptures, and when we consider the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament, from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, we can observe that many elements of our relationship with God developed new aspects. Instead of many sacrifices, we have one. Instead of employing human efforts to understand the Scriptures, God writes them on our hearts, and He sent the Holy Spirit to illuminate them. Instead of “an eye for an eye,” Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. One element of our walk with God didn’t develop or mature, however. From Genesis 12, God has expected His people to be a missionary creation. That did not change, that did not develop. It remained the same. Genesis 12:1-3 says,

The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

The missionary calling of God’s people is to go and be a blessing to the world. Jesus renewed that call in the Great Commission, and we are going to focus on that missionary call today.

Our Missionary Authority:

C.S. Lewis was the Oxford professor in the mid-1900’s who became a great evangelist and a great apologist for our faith. He often appeared on radio programs and other media, and he wrote books like The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Although we now look back upon his work with awe and admiration, some people at the time felt like he had gotten out of his lane. Even J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis’s friend whose own personal walk with God had helped Lewis become a professing Christian, questioned Lewis’s missionary and evangelistic activities. From Tolkien’s perspective, Lewis was not a trained theologian, nor was he an ordained priest. What authority did he have for taking on such work?

We need to understand our authority for sharing our faith. Like all leaders in our society, that authority comes to us in two ways. First is what we might consider “official authority,” which is delegated to us from “duly constituted authority.” This comes from outside ourselves, and it is necessary so that we can have the authority to be missionary.

For example, a man was walking his dog when he came upon an open piece of ground which was perfect for playing fetch with this dog.  While he was doing so, a police car stopped, and the officer got out.

The officer approached the man and told him, “Sir, you can’t be here. I need to ask you to take your dog and leave.” The man was polite, but puzzled, and asked the officer, “Why do you say that?” The officer pointed at a sign in the weeds which said, “Off-limits To Unauthorized Persons,” and then said, “Because of that sign.” The man smiled and said, “How do you know I am an unauthorized person? Do you have a list of who is authorized?”  The officer was stunned for a moment, and then realizing he had been caught out smiled, “Nope, I sure don’t. You have a nice day.”

Of course, the officer did search for that list, and he found it, giving him the authority to do what he had tried to do. He never got to exercise that authority because the man never went back and played fetch in that field again.

Police officers cannot make up laws as they patrol their beats, and our elected officials cannot do so as they administer our towns and cities. They can only act based on the legal authority that is granted by and limited by laws which were passed by duly constituted authority.

Our official authority to act is necessary, but it is not sufficient for us to be effective missionaries. We also need “moral authority,” and this comes from within ourselves. Moral authority is based on the exercise of leadership traits and principles. A great example of this is leadership by example which proclaims, “Follow me and do as I do.” A poor example of moral leadership is the one who says, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

To be honest, one reason we may have a more favorable view of C.S. Lewis today is that, from time-to-time, he could be abrupt in his manner, and he struggled to be kind when dealing with students who were not as bright as he was. It is instructive for us to note that some of the headwinds Lewis faced in sharing his faith were caused by his own frailties and foibles.

Jesus, however, has all authority.  Jesus has legal authority:  He is sovereign.   Jesus has moral authority: God is love and He acts today out of love. Jesus has spiritual authority: He sits at God’s right hand. Jesus has temporal authority: He puts the magistrates in their offices and gives them authority to govern human nature.

When we are being missionary, therefore, we act on His authority, by His power, which is delegated to us!

 The other thing we need to remember about authority is that not only does it justify us, but it also compels us. Jesus not only puts us on the list of authorized people, but he also puts us on the list of people who are required to be missionary. Not only can we be missionary, but from God’s perspective we must be missionary.

Our Missionary Goal:

If our goal for prayer is to commune with God, and if our goal for worship is to praise and magnify God, then what is our goal as missionaries? We don’t have to guess, Jesus tells us. Sometimes, however, the limitations of language can get in our way.

The Greek text here is often poorly translated. Often this passage is made to read, “Go ye therefore and make disciples . . .” In reality, this passage instructs us “As you go, make disciples . . .” So, from this passage we must understand that making disciples should be a natural part of our lives!

Many of us have learned the habit of checking our cell phones on a regular basis. It has become natural to see if we have any missed calls or any voicemails. We want to see if we have any emails or text messages, or if any of our friends have posted on social media. Twenty-five years ago, such behavior was unheard of, but today it is a routine and natural part of our lives. Jesus saw making disciples as just as much a natural part of our lives as checking our cell phones.

Note also that our goal is to make disciples, not converts. You must be a convert to become a disciple, but producing converts is not the goal; the goal is to make disciples. Disciple means learner, follower. This is our basic relationship to God: follower, learner, disciple. We are to become disciples ourselves, and then we are to make disciples.

Again, another struggle we have with language is found in the word “nations.” When we think of that word, we think of the modern nation state, like the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, or Japan. The concept of the nation state was foreign to the disciples. They thought in terms of people groups, tribes, and ethnic groups. So which people are we to be missionaries to so that we can make disciples? All people:   

• Rural and Urban 
• Employed and Unemployed  
• Rich and Poor White, and Black, and "Other" 
• English Speakers, and Spanish Speakers

Jesus died for us and for them, for ALL! Our goal is to make disciples; how do we do that?

Our Missionary Task:

Again, we don’t have to wonder about how we are to make disciples of all nations. Jesus told us that directly, commanding us to teach all that He has taught us. This is the model that Paul followed in 2 Timothy 2:1-2:

You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

So, we are to multiply ourselves as we teach what we have learned as we have grown in the Lord. This means we must learn and teach in two basic areas of our faith.

First, we must teach orthodoxy: the right doctrine. Many people today do not believe in “truth.” They have the attitude that people are like “Ships passing in the night, and if we find each other it is beautiful.” But there is real objective truth, and it is found in God! We must teach it!

We have learned over time that, “What you don’t know can hurt you!” and that, “Ignorance is not bliss.” Why do you think there are warnings plastered on all types of products these days? Why does your hairdryer warn you, “Don’t use in the shower?” That’s because someone didn’t know better and they did use it in the shower. For them, discovering the truth about that product was shocking!

Teaching the truth is necessary, but not sufficient; we must also teach orthopraxy: the right way to act. Right does not make might! Jesus acted out of love, and so must we! Vance Havner said, “You can be just as straight as a gun barrel theologically and just as empty, spiritually!” Knowing the living Truth must affect our behavior!

How are we to teach and make disciples? One way is through the basic ministries of the church: 

• Worship 
• Bible Teaching 
• Evangelism  
• Ministry 
•  Fellowship
• Doing all these decently and in order!

 We also need to do this by teaching people one-on-one, or in small groups. We might say to that, “I don’t know enough to disciple someone else.” That might be true, but that really is not an excuse.

 First, Paul would tell us what he taught the church at Corinth:

Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

He also taught the Colossian believers,

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. (Colossians 1:9-12)

So, Paul would tell us today to become disciples ourselves, and to grow-up as well! Along with that word of correction and instruction, I would add a word of encouragement. We don’t need to know everything before we can teach others; we only need to be a step or two ahead of them.

For ten years I taught Bible college classes for Samford University at the association of churches that I served in Alabama. For almost every semester of that time, I was teaching a new class. I could not specialize in one or two areas of study with a portfolio of a handful of classes that repeated over and over again. No, I had to teach a fresh class with a fresh textbook almost every semester. For most of that time I was only a chapter or two ahead of the students. Yes, I had a general knowledge of each subject, but I was not an expert in any of them. I was learning as we went along also, and as long as I was a step or two ahead of my students, I was fine. And you will be too!

I would encourage us to simply admit it when we don’t know something. A great way to facilitate learning is to say, “That’s a great question. Let’s see what the Bible says about that.” Or, we can say, “I don’t know; let me do some research and get back with you about that.”

We don’t have to be experts; we just have to be disciples ourselves, learning more about Jesus every day as we walk with Him.

Our Missionary Encouragement:

This is a huge task! It is one far beyond what we can do ourselves. It almost seems as if God is setting us up for failure. How can we do this thing which is so far beyond our capabilities? Well, like the slogan of UFO hunters, “We are not alone!” We are not alone in this struggle.

First, we have each other. We have each other in our church and we need to have each other’s back! We also have our sister churches.  In fact, that is the reason we have the Southern Baptist Convention. It is not intended to export southern culture, or to fight culture wars, or to cultivate a particular type of theology. No! The SBC is intended to help churches pursue the Great Commission that our Lord gave us. To me, it is a great comfort to know we are in this great effort, together.

Second, and even more importantly, God is with us, living in us, and helping us. This is like having a cheat code in a video game. It’s like the difference between having children while living near grandparents and having children when living away from your hometown. It’s like entering a contest which you already know you have won.

Our God is with us forever:  

• With us in our lives here  
• With us in trouble here 
• With us as we serve Him here 
•  With us as we leave here  
• With us as we go to be with Him there

In fact, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:9, we are God’s coworkers. But what that really means is that He carries the load, while we enjoy the blessing of walking alongside Him, amazed at what He can do!

Conclusion:

Abraham was a great man, and a great leader of God’s people. He was used of God in many ways, but he did not leave a legacy of missions. We must avoid his mistakes and realize that the church is a missionary creation.

Christ with all authority has sent us out on mission for Him to make disciples of all peoples for the glory of God. We know that our destiny is to worship God and to enjoy being in His presence forever. Let’s bring as many people as we can with us!

Every blessing,

Dr, Otis Corbitt