7 Reasons to Care About the Great Commission

Thabiti Anyabwile:

1. To experience the power of God (Matt. 28:18). “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” proclaims the Lord. He invests that authority and might in the work of redemption. Our participation in the Great Commission brings us under that Heavenly Authority. No better place to be.

2. For the glory of God in Christ (Matt. 28:18). The Lord’s words in verse 18 harken back to that wonderful vision of Daniel 7:13-14. The transfer of “authority, glory and sovereign power” that Daniel foresaw is completed in our Lord’s post-Resurrection commission to His Church. The bringing of nations to worship Christ spreads the glory of God in His Son.

3. To express obedience and love (Matt. 28:19). The commands us to “go and make disciples.” We’re not only to “teach them to obey everything I commanded,” but we’re also to express such obedience ourselves. Participating in the Great Commission is in a sense the simultaneous way we both obey and teach others to obey. The Lord knows our love for Him by our obedience to Him (John 14:15, 21, 23).

4. For eternal significance (Matt. 28:19). Is there a purpose in life loftier than working to bring every nation under the sovereign rule and worship of Jesus Christ? Can we give our lives to any greater purpose? Is there a human pursuit that will echo louder in the halls of heaven than the conversion of sinners and salvation of the lost?

5. For the joy of all peoples (Matt. 28:19). Those nations brought to the Savior, confessing their faith in baptism, will simultaneously be brought to the Pearl of Great Price. They will be like that man who found treasure hidden in a field and “in his joy” sold everything to purchase it (Matt. 13:44). Those who give themselves to the Great Commission work for the joy of the nations (2 Cor. 1:24).

6. For abiding presence and fellowship of Jesus (Matt. 28:20). “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Lord promises His presence with His Church.  That presence is felt most when we’re on mission for and with Him.

7. Because God cares (Matt. 28:18-20). Men and women tend to think their last words are their most important words. Perhaps we should apply that thinking to the Master’s last words in Matthew. He leaves us His enduring charge, a charge resting on His power, blessed with His presence and purchased with His blood. It seems anti-climactic to say “God cares about the nations” or “God cares about the Great Commission.” But He does. And because the Lord cares, we should care, too.

How are you or how will you express your care for the glory of God and the joy of the nations in the Great Commission?

Teaching in Burma

It has been my privilege to lecture at a couple of Bible Colleges in Rangoon, Burma, during the last four years. I love being involved at a theological and pastoral level in preparing young aspiring leaders for ministry in and from the local church.

This time I’ll be teaching on the Pastoral Epistles. These short letters by the apostle Paul teach into a Christian scene in the first century (not unlike our own), that is marked by doctrinal error and moral compromise. The only antidote is the Gospel; correctly understood, and skilfully applied, within the local church context specifically, and all of life generally.

Particularly relevant for today, me thinks!

Back in a couple of weeks.

UPDATE:

Home again after a wonderful time in Burma. In eleven days I delivered about 30 hours of bible teaching and preaching. The students and church members have an insatiable appetite for God’s word. “Exhausted, yet perusing!”

Beirut Bound Again

Thanks for stopping by. I’m just about to head out to The Lebanon for a couple of weeks to teach at a conference aimed at preparing Christians for missional life and ministry, and preach in a number of churches. Looking forward to being with my pastor friends Josef and Elie. That’s iced coffee, by the way!

UPDATE:

Home safely from a very busy and blessed time of bible ministry. It is definitely gratifying to teach/preach among believers who have such a hunger to hear the word of God. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Lebanon as the seek to minister to refugees fleeing into their country from neighbouring Syria.

Preaching at Frinton Mission 2012

If you’re interested, here are my sermons preached at Frinton Mission last week.

My theme was The Goal of the Gospel – what it is, how it works, and why it’s important:

• Jesus is Building His Church (preached at St. Mary’s Parish Church)
• The Fall of Man
• The Essential Elements of the Gospel
• The Goal of the Gospel
• Beholding the Glory of Christ
• What it means to be Born Again
• Does it really matter what we believe? (evangelistic sermon)

Election: Handle with Care

David Mathis:

I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. –2 Timothy 2:10

The doctrine of election is a sharp scalpel.

It can be wielded with care and skill, and taken up to give life and heal. Or, in the hands of an untrained fanatic or detractor, it can be used to harm, to sever vital arteries and mutilate hurting people by spinning out untrue implications.

In this five-minute clip of his most recent sermon, John Piper encourages us to follow the apostle Paul’s powerful example in 2 Timothy 2:10 and wield the dear doctrine of election with gospel care.

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Tanzania Today!

I leave for Tanzania this morning to speak at a conference for pastors in Mbeya. These church leaders have formed a gospel partnership across the denominations in the 3rd largest city in Tanzania. What a joy and privilege to be teaching and serving brothers in Christ who love the gospel. May its God-glorifying transformative power be evident among us.

UPDATE:

Back home! Wonderful trip. Thanks to everyone who prayed. The week of conference ministry went very well. I expounded the book of Ephesians each morning, and then taught on related theological subjects in the afternoon. My aim was to introduce the benefits of consecutive expository preaching and teaching. Something quite new to these faithful pastors. Also to show them the connection between right biblical understanding and God-honouring Christian living. It is always a thrill to expound the gospel and to see the word begin to shape vision for a glorious local church. Hallelujah! I have now formed an official relationship with this gospel-centred Pastors Fellowship of Mbeya. What a privilege!

Joe Thorn on Cultural Engagement

Joe Thorn:

As the church is faithful to the mission given to her by Jesus Christ she will, out of necessity, “engage culture.” Of course, engaging culture is not our mission, but “making disciples of all nations” is what our Lord has called us to do. Yet, this sacred work cannot be done in a vacuum, outside of the cultural milieu in which people live.

Paul’s experience in Athens (Acts 17:16-34) is helpful as it demonstrates how he approached people and ministry in a particular culture.

The Apostle found himself in Athens, not through the careful planning and execution of a detailed ministry strategy, but in the providence of God as he encountered opposition to his ministry. And, while he was there, Paul was not idle. He was led by God to push forward with the gospel into a unique time and place. Here we see three things that characterized Paul’s ministry as he engaged culture.

1. Paul was provoked by the lostness and idolatry of the people.

He was struck by the deep and pervasive idolatry of the people in Athens. These were men and women who were created to know and reflect the glory of God, but they had rejected the Creator and instead chose to worship created and imaginary gods. Paul engaged the culture not because he loved culture, but because he loved God, people made in God’s image, and because it is a necessary aspect of carrying out the mission of the church.

2. Paul focused on the grand narrative of God that culminates in the work of Jesus.

His response to people and culture in Athens was to do what he always did in every city–proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. He first went to the Synagogue where the Scripture was available to be read and expounded upon. He didn’t develop a totally new approach to engage the people God had surprisingly sent him to. Rather, he continued to fulfill his calling to preach Christ crucified. As the Athenians heard this message they became curious or incredulous.

3. Paul was able to show the Athenians how their culture and lives were both connected to and yet disconnected from the truth of God.

He could do this because he understood their religion and worldview enough to point out the need for redemption from within their own belief system, as he brought the good news to them from outside of it.

Cultural engagement is not the thoughtless consumption or uncritical reception of things in culture, but a pressing into the lives of people who live in a particular cultural context with an understanding of their world and how the gospel ultimately answers their brokenness and alienation from God. Cultural engagement is not the goal of ministry, but a necessary component of faithful gospel proclamation. It means we work to know the beliefs, values and idols of the people, determining where, what, and how they worship. It means we work to clearly articulate the supremacy of Jesus over these things. It means we remain focused on the mission Christ gave the church.

Letter to a 12-Year-Old Girl About the Eternal Destiny of Those Who Have Not Heard the Gospel

By John Piper:

Dear [Sarah],

You asked what happens to people who live far away from the gospel and have never heard about Jesus and die without faith in him.

Here is what I think the Bible teaches.

God always punishes people because of what they know and fail to believe. In other words, no one will be condemned for not believing in Jesus who has never heard of Jesus.

Does that mean that people will be saved and go to heaven if they have never heard of Jesus? No, that is not what God tells us in the Bible.

The main passage in the Bible that talks about this is Romans 1:18–23. Here is what it says. Then I’ll make a comment or two.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that havebeen made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Notice several things:

1. All people ”know God,” even if they have never heard the Bible. “What can be known about God is plain to them” (verse 19). “Although they knew God…” (verse 21).
2. The way they know God is by the way God has made the world and their own consciences (verses 19–20).
3. Even though they know God, no one who knows God anywhere in the world “honors God as God or gives him thanks” (verse 21). Instead, they “suppress the truth” (verse 18). That is, they resist the truth deep in their hearts and “exchange it” for other things that they would rather have (verse 23).
4. Therefore, they are “without excuse” (verse 20). That is, they are guilty and deserved to be punished.

So I don’t think the Bible teaches that people can be saved without hearing the gospel. Look at what Paul says in Romans 10:13–17. You need to hear the gospel to be saved.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ¹⁴How then will they call on him in whom they have notbelieved? And how are they to believe in him of whom theyhave never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

So let’s pray for missionaries and ask God if maybe we should be one. The world really needs more people to tell all the lost people in the world about Jesus and the amazing good news that he died for sinners so that whoever believes will be saved.

Thank you for your good question.

Keep praying and reading your Bible. God will give you growing understanding.

Pastor John

Missional and Global: Making Disciples of All Nations

John Piper: “It’s a biblical mandate that mission be fully missional by reaching the unreached.”

 

Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions

Probably the most important sermon on missions preached in years.

David Platt at Together for the Gospel last week:

 

It’s not missional if we change the message

Eckhard Schnabel:

“If we avoid speaking of God’s wrath, of God’s justice, of the coming day of divine judgment, of Jesus’ death as an atoning sacrifice for us, we are not changing the form of the missionary presentation of the gospel but its content. The foundational centrality of “Christ crucified” is of critical importance for the existence of the local church. In mission and evangelism the search for a presentation of the gospel that will convince listeners is misguided if the fact of Jesus’ death on the cross and the significance of this death are not central to that message.

The cross has been and always will be regarded as a religious scandal and as intellectual nonsense. The search for a message that is more easily comprehensible must never attempt to eliminate the provocative nature of the news of Jesus the messianic Son of God who came to die so that sinners can be forgiven by God who hates sin and judges sinners on the Day of Judgment. Paul knows that it is only the power of God, the “proof” of God’s Spirit working in people, that convinces unbelievers of the truth of the news of Jesus and that leads them to faith in Jesus the Messiah and Saviour.”

(Paul the Missionary, 399-400)

(HT: Kevin DeYoung)

Minimizing Comforts for Maximizing Joy

John Piper:

There and back again

Thanks for your prayers, I’m now home from my recent trip to Burma. I had a busy schedule of preaching and teaching in the capital Yangon and some rural locations. There is a definite air of optimism abroad concerning the increasing openness of the military-dominated government to progress to a more democratic form of rule. Aung San Suu Kyi is as popular a heroine as you will find. So much of the hopes of the people rest with her leadership of the reforming democratic party. Time will tell. We should pray for her. But the real seat of government lies with King Jesus, and the real hope of Myanmar is in the gospel. Please do pay for for the word of God to make haste during this widening window of opportunity, and that wisdom will prevail over the overly zealous attempts of the well-meaning to ‘seize the day.’

From Open Doors:

Burma transitioned to a new, semi-civilian government in March, stirring hopes for significant change, including the re-admission of Aung San Suu Kyi into the political arena. A new Human Rights Commission was established in September, with minorities represented on it. It remains to be seen how independently it will operate. However, pressure on Christians from society and the military appears unchanged. There were several reports of the army harassing Christians of the Kachin tribe. In November a bomb killed 7 children and 3 Kachin people at an orphanage run by Christians.

Pray:

• For wisdom for a respected member of the Christian Kachin minority serving on the new Human Rights Commission
• Hundreds of imprisoned political dissidents were released at the end of 2011, but at least 2,000 remain in prison. Pray for their release
• That promised political reform will bring more freedom to Burma’s Christians.

Burma Bound, Again!

London to Yangon – That’s 16 hours and a 40C swing in temperature. I think I’ll manage!

I will be teaching at two bible colleges, and speaking in two local churches. I would appreciate prayers, of course, especially for the family while I’m away. Many thanks!

Jesus’ primary concern

“The first two petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are perhaps the clearest statement of all in the teachings of Jesus that missions is driven by the passion of God to be glorified among the nations. ‘Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come’ (Matthew 6:9–10). Here Jesus teaches us to ask God to hallow his name and to make his kingdom come. This is a missionary prayer. Its aim is to engage the passion of God for his name among those who forget or revile the name of God (Psalm 9:17; 74:18). To hallow God’s name means to put it in a class by itself and to cherish and honor it above every claim to our allegiance and affection. Jesus’ primary concern — the very first petition of the prayer he teaches — is that more and more people, and more and more peoples, come to hallow God’s name. This is the reason the universe exists. Missions exist because this hallowing doesn’t.”

— John Piper Let the Nations Be Glad (Grand Rapids, Mi.: Baker Books, 1993), 35

(HT: Of First Importance)

Go and make disciples

 

(HT: Timmy Brister)

Seeing Some of the Unreached Peoples of the World

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(HT: Justin Taylor)

Paul’s Missionary Strategies and Methods

 

Justin Taylor posts:

Some summaries and conclusions from Eckhard Schanbel’s Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods (IVP, 2008):

What is “mission”?

Schnabel defines “mission” or “missions” as “the activity of a community of faith” that

• distinguishes itself from its environment in terms of both religious belief (theology) and social behavior (ethics),
• is convinced of the truth claims of its faith; and
• actively works to win other people to the content of faith and the way of life of whose truth and necessity the members of that community are convinced. (p. 22)

Movement and Intentionality

Schnabel sees movement and intentionality as two core components of mission.

• “Jesus asserts [in Luke 4:18-19] that he has been sent by the Lord God to the Jewish people (movement) in order to bring good news (intention).”
• “Paul describes his own mission in terms of movement (sent to the Gentiles) and in terms of intentionality (to proclaim Jesus Christ) [cf. Gal. 1:1, 15-15].” (pp. 25, 26-27, my emphasis)

What did apostolic missionaries do? (pp. 28-29)

1. “Missionaries communicate the news of Jesus the Messiah and Savior to people who have not heard or accepted this news. . . .”
2. “Missionaries communicate a new way of life that replaces, at least partially, the social norms and the behavioral patterns of the society in which they new believers have been converted. . . .”
3. “Missionaries integrate the new believers into a new community. The new converts become disciples. . . .”

Missionaries:

• establish contact with non-Christians,
• proclaim the news of Jesus the Messiah and Savior (proclamation, preaching, teaching, instruction),
• lead people to faith in Jesus Christ (conversion, baptism), and
• integrate new believers into the local community of the followers of Jesus (Lord’s Supper, transformation of social and moral behavior, charity).

Paul’s missionary goals (pp. 34-37)

1. “Paul knew himself to be called to preach the message of Jesus Christ.” [Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 2:2]
2. “Paul knew himself particularly called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to Gentiles, that is, to polytheists who worshiped other gods.” [Rom. 1:14; 1 Cor. 1:23;Rom. 1:16]
3. “Paul’s goal was to reach as many people as possible.” [Rom. 1:14; 15:19, 23-24]
4. “Paul seeks to lead individual people to believe in the one true God and in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Savior and Lord.” [1 Thess. 1:9-10; 1 Cor. 1:18-2:5]
5. “Paul established new churches, communities of followers of Jesus Christ—both Jews and Gentiles, men and women, free and salves—and teaches the new believers the Word of God, the teachings of Jesus, the significance of the gospel for everyday living.” [Col. 1:25-29]

Paul’s missionary methods (pp. 34-37)

1. “The oral proclamation of the gospel was a fundamental element of the missionary work of the early church.”
2. “Geographical movement from city to city, from region to region, and from province to province was a principal element of missionary work in the first century.”
3. “Since the goal of missionary work is to reach as many people as possible with the gospel, Paul went to any locale in which people would be willing to listen to the message of Jesus Christ.”
4. “Since Paul wanted to reach all people in a given location, matters of ethnic identity, class, culture, or gender did not control his missionary focus.”
5. “As people in antiquity were accustomed to encountering and listening to traveling orators, the expectations and the procedures that are triggered in such encounters had to be considered.”

Our families belong not to us but to Christ

“I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress, to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death.  Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you, for the sake of perishing, immortal souls, for the sake of Zion and the glory of God?  Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?”

Adoniram Judson, writing to the father of the girl he loved and wished to marry, anticipating his departure for the mission field, quoted in John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life (Wheaton, 2003), page 158.

(HT: Ray Ortlund)

The Message Is the Method

(HT: Dane Ortlund)