What? Equip and send

Michael White

Purpose, Mission & Vision • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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As we are going we are called to show others what it means to follow Jesus then give them opportunities to show others.

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Scripture Reading - Mark 16

HBI - As we are going we are called to show others what it means to follow Jesus then give them opportunities to show others.

One part of loving each other that I want to focus on is the fact that we are to love each other enough that we are equipping each other to go and share what we have learned with others.

Intro

we have talked about loving each other as why we do what we do. but the thing is, that is also what we do while we are here, we are to not only love each other but to share God’s love with those around us. The next part of our mission as a church is to share God’s love and to make disciples.

…to worship God together while sharing God’s love as His disciples in our community.

Essentially what this boils down to is to worship together, equip each other, send people out. you see, to share God’s love as His disciples in our community means that we will be discipling each other and making disciples around us. Hence then equipping and sending. Equipping each other and those around us with the tools they need to live lives for Jesus and sending them out to do the same.

Illustration of people not properly trained

Like that person in the illustration, it can be a dangerous thing to give someone only part of the information, to do only half the job and then expect it to go well. These two parts of what we are doing here, the two parts of discipleship that means we are equipping and sending through loveing others means that our jobs are never done with just a simple conversation.

so does this mean that we can just invite people to church and that be the end of it? How do we equip others to follow Jesus? How can we show love to others so they want to follow Jesus to begin with? the big question is if this is really what we are about, what does it look like to properly disciple people?

I want to go back to the life of Jesus and the command He gave His disciples as He was leaving earth at the end of the book of Matthew.

Make disciples - Matthew 28:18-19

We go back to Jesus ascension when he gave the disciples what we call the great commission. Jesus was on the Mt. of Olives when He gave the disciples a job to do, and to us as well. It starts out though with quite a massive statement. Matt 28:18

Matthew 28:18 CSB

Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

All authority has been given me, this is quite the statement and it is important to look at before we go into the great commission on discipleship. Jesus sis saying that he has the authority to make the statement, to tell them what to do. It echoes what was promised and prophesied in the OT in the book of Daniel 7:14

Daniel 7:14 CSB

He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

Jesus once again claiming His divinity and saying that He is the messiah, He has the authority of God for He is God in the flesh. Just look to that verse in Daniel, that is what Jesus was saying when He said “I have the authority. Jesus is King and we have been given a Job to do. In case there is any doubt. that being said we move onto part of the great commission that had me searching grammar and scratching my head over all the different grammar words that make my life difficult. Matthew 28:19

Matthew 28:19 CSB

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,

This seems fairly straightforward doesn't it? go and make disciples. Do you know how many times I have heard a sermon on the passage. In Bible College whenever there was a missionary passing through giving a message in chapel or somewhere on campus they would likely preach on this passage. Encouraging us and all the other bible college students to become missionaries to go all over the world to share the gospel and make disciples. leaving the rest of the people at home not to worry about it. But what we are talking about is equipping and sending, so how does this fit in then? first the grammar then we will get into equip an send. You see Grammar is important apparently and I do not know enough of it.

first we start out with the word go. It is a participle, which I had trouble figuring out. it is like the words baptizing and teaching. essentially what this is saying is that in the Greek the word go would be more like going. so in other words what Jesus originally said was as you are going, while you are going. In other words going is something we are already doing, something we have already done and something we will be doing.

according to how it is written, we already need to be going. it is for all people, not just missionaries overseas. But this is what is called a circumstantial participle. That means it is dependent on something else, it is defendant on the imperative we are given. an imperative is something that is crucial. and what it is dependent on is making disciples, they both are meant to go together and one is not meant to happen with out the other.

in the verse, “and make disciples” is all one word in the Greek. going and making disciples are two words that rely on one another. One the action, the command, the urgent think we are to be doing and the other telling us we need to be doing it at all times.

Why do we do this, because of all God has done for us. in the name of the triune God we are to do this. Because of what Jesus has done, because of the promised spirit of God, because of the glory of God we are to be going and it is imperative that we take the action of making disciples. it is interesting that we are here given the command to baptize as well. It is not a requirement for salvation but none the less we are given the command to be baptized showing our public commitment to follow Jesus.

so what does this mean for us? this means that it is not just for missionaries and pastors. To often I hear that people are either to scared, or do not feel like it is their job. The great commission is for all of us, we all need to be doing this.

Teach them - Matthew 28:20a

So we have learned that we are all to be going out to make disciples at all times. But there has become a bit of an issue in the church over the years making converts instead of Disciples. What if I told you that nowhere in the Bible are we ever told to make converts. What if I proposed that people accepting Jesus into their life does not fulfill our mission? We may share the Gospel, but it’s not always the same Gospel Jesus shared. Our version can be a little softer. It can be easier.

Jesus isn’t looking for cheerleaders. He is seeking men and women who will follow Him whatever the cost. He is looking for radical devotion, unreasonable commitment and undivided dedication.Jesus isn’t looking for converts. He’s looking for disciples.

to often we see people that where put through the motions of turning to Jesus and sent off to go and figure it out on their own. we guided them through the conversion process now our job is done. but what if I told you that is not good enough? what if I told you that we are called to more? That is what the next part teaches us.

Matthew 28:20 (CSB)

teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.

teaching them to obey is what the Jesus had taught them is what we are told to do. SO then this goes against the idea of making converts. To make disciples means that we are going to equip and then to send, this is what we are hear for. I want to look to the life of Jesus to see how he did this.

if we go back even farther we see that true discipleship has been happening for a while. Moses had Joshua. We read in Exodus that after Moses would see God face to face He would come back to the camp where His young aid Joshua was. They spent a lot of time together and Joshua eventually took over Moses Position.

Samuel ministered under Eli and learned under him for a lot of years. Samuel helped Eli out in the temple as a helper. We look into Jesus and how he called the apostles to follow Him. Jesus did not just say her you, how would you like to be my follower and leave them their to figure it out all on their own.

Jesus called them and they followed Him the whole time He was on earth. They did not get it all the time either. Jesus would teach them a lot of the time using parables. Half the time the apostles sis not even understand what Jesus was saying, they had to go to Him later and ask “hey, what did you mean by this anyways? we do not understand what that story meant teacher, please tell us.” Jesus spent 3 years doing this.

Paul as well had His companions that would go with Him and learn from Him and then eventually they where sent to do things when Paul couldn't. we see this example again and again in the bible. the idea of teaching them to observe all that the Lord has commanded.

this should not be approached with a non committal attitude, this is a serious undertaking but it is something that we see again and again that we need to be doing, teaching people what it means to obey they word of God. so look around you and see what kind of dedicated fruitful relationships we can cultivate with those around us and teach others what this looks like.

send them and be encouraged. Matthew 28:20b

and lastly we need to send them. to be a church that disciples people means that we are going to send them out but with the reminder that we are not alone. Matthew 28:20

Matthew 28:20 (CSB)

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

again the reminder that we do not have to do it on our own, we are told not to do it on our own. Jesus reminded us that here, I am with you always. As followers of Jesus, He is with us. This does not mean that we are going to be having an easy time of this. It is not an easy thing to be a follower of Jesus despite what we have been told sometimes. but we have that promise, I am with you.

a disciple is someone that is first a convert, that is important. Someone who turns from their sin and turns their life to Jesus. but that is not the end of it. A disciple is someone who has turned to Jesus as their Lord and savior and then is taught what it means to follow Jesus.

as we are taught what it means to follow Jesus we need to then use what we are taught to then go out and do the same. It is a never ending process, or at least it should be. Disciples that go out and make disciples through the strength of Jesus.

SO What?

If instead of just making converts, our job is to equip and to send (make disciples) then how should this affect our lives?

Evangelism is not just the job of missionaries and pastors, but it is the job of all followers of Jesus.

I was having a conversation with someone a while ago about this. His opinion was that he did not have to share the gospel like this because it was the job or preachers and missionaries. I was helping at bible camp as well one summer when we saw little kids go through the motions and pray the prayer to become a follower of Jesus. But to often I saw the kids back home with no follow up not following Jesus anymore.

Making disciples is what we are called to do, and we are all to be doing at. are you drawing breath as a follower of Jesus? Than as we are going, as we are living then we need to be making disciples.

Our Job is not to make converts but to come alongside and teach people what a follower of Jesus is.

quite the concept. I was in a church once talking about how they did baptism. and there rules where similar to ours, except the person getting baptized was set up with a mentor the year before and a year after they where baptized. I loved that idea. to come alongside people and teach them what it means to follow Jesus.

Imagine what it would look like if we all started to do this. It could just start out with the older generation coming alongside the kids in our youth group and partnering with them. You older Christians find a teenager or younegr erson that has similar interests as you. Do you love hutnign and have been doing it for years? find someone who wants to learn and teach them to buidl a relationship, use that shared love of hunting to build the relationship and then turn it into a way of showing them how to live for Jesus in all that they do.

this i just an idea but it would be an amazing thing if we all found someone we could build into, that we could love and teach and train.

Send them out in Jesus Name

lastly we send them out. we teach, we train we equip we send. Part of what we have come to understand as a church is that we would be foolish in thinking our kids are going to want ot stay here forever. Abigail was saying the other day as we drove into Cold Lake that she missed the city and being around so many people. I dont see any better place then where we are in Loon Lake. I wanted nothing more growing up then to leave the farm and get out on my own. We know they are going to want to go and live life so how then does that change how we do things.

We know people are going to come and go, so then we become a people that trains and equips them while they are here. We only have so much time to do this. And then send them out to tell the world of Jesus.

with the reminder that though it may be hard, Jesus is with them and will be their strength to do this.

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