Jackson
Snyder, April 10, 1994
Snyder
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Faith Sharing
Apostleship
means that one is authorized with a mission, then sent to fulfill that
mission. "Apostle" in the
koine Greek means one sent on a mission.
Jesus was an apostle to humanity, authorized by God, and sent to proffer
the tools of redemption to humanity.
That means that he came to make new
apostles - to reproduce himself - in order that there might eventually be
multiplied millions who would hear his voice through the voice of his chosen
ones.
Tonight we'll study the "Great
Commission" to discover that our apostleship and mission in the
contemporary world has not changed from the mission of the very first apostles.
Mat 28:18-20 (NRSV) "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. {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} and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded
you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Herein we
find a three-fold message that is as fresh and vital today as it was in the
wake of Jesus' resurrection from the dead.
We have a premise, a principle, and a promise.
"All
authority has been given me" is the PREMISE behind the command to
GO!
1) Authority = "power over,
power in, and power within" authorized by a higher power - the God of
Creation; "All power" belongs to Jesus', (who fulfilled mission), and
is available to us.
2) Godly authority is "authority which
can be trusted." Unlike the
authority of policial systems, religious organizations, and principalities and
powers of the air, the power of
Jesus can be trusted, he is benevolent love incarnate, he cares!
3) Jesus authority encompasses all heaven
& earth - "from beyond the Pleiades to beyond this galaxy his love,
presence, and power resides - from the greatest historical happening that the
world has ever seen to the shedding of a widow's tear at midnight - Nothing is beyond his authority; nothing
goes without notice; everything is significant; and every person is
important."
Jesus, the
all-powerful renders a PRINCIPLE: "Go and make disciples"
Notice the
similarity between this and Sunday night's text:
Mat 11:28 {27}
"All things have been delivered to me by my Father.... {28} Come to me,
all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you
rest."
1) Go / going: Greek poreuthentes
- Literally: "Therefore [while] going, disciple all the nations...."
2) By Jesus' use of 'going,' we realize
disciplemaking in terms of vocation <> to occupation; = vocation means
calling;
a) Paul "I, the prisoner of the
Lord, urge you to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were
called" (Eph 4:1 NJB).
b) Paul's vocation was that of
prisoner, and his imprisonment the vehicle for his disciplemaking
c) Each called to a vocation within
which we make disciples; our vocation constitutes our apostleship! In fact, we are authorized, and sent
"on a mission from God" to wherever we are going. And this is our co -mission: that, while
going, we make disciples
3) The scope of effort -
a) is not limited to baptizing and
teaching - these are what Jesus' disciples were apprenticed in. Rather - "Do whatever you do to the
glory of God."
b) Neither is it limited to any
place - to all ethnoi "Since
Jesus has received all power, and we are his followers and surrogates here in
our world at our time, then it follows that Jesus will be with us wherever we
go and whatever we do."
4) The methods of our efforts: Do the deed;
Share the story; Name the name
His promise
is "I am with you always"
1) How so?
Take the PROMISE seriously, then willfully try to become aware of
that presence. Miracles will
happen! "I'm still
convinced," says mother Teresa, "that it is Jesus and not I. That's why I am not afraid [to die]; I knew
that if the work was mine it would die with me. But I knew it was His work, that it will live and bring much
good.... If the work is looked at just by our own eyes and only from our own
way, naturally, we ourselves can do nothing.
But in Christ we can do all things.
That's why this work has become possible, because we are convinced that
it is He, He who is working with us and through us in the poor and for the
poor." The Living Jesus is with her and makes his presence know to her and
through her.
2) The travelers to Emmaus - met Jesus in
the breaking of bread
When we are with him by faith,
"he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own, and
the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known." - We begin with eyes of faith to recognize
his presence in our vocations and in our lives!
3) If we were constantly on the high plain
of awareness, our nerves would be jangled!
That is why Christ ever-present in subconscious - but he rises to
consciousness, as we allow him to rise.
(spiritual disciplines)
3) The scope of our togetherness is eternal,
intimate and infinite.
a) He promised, "Remember, I
will be with you until the end," one day we will no longer see him merely
with eyes of faith
b) intimate (love letter story?)
c) "He is with us now to the
degree that we allow him to enter in, minister to us, fellowship with us, and
empower us. He is here now."
CONCLUSION: The disciples revered the Living Jesus in
awe on the mountaintop that day, yet some were so hard of heart that, though he
appeared in all his glory, some yet doubted.
O you who still doubt! Can't you feel his presence here today? Must he come down in his glory just for
you? Must he die again for you? Must he endure the betrayal and treachery of
hell again for you?
Who can proclaim like the women at
the tomb, "We have seen him!"
Or as the heavenly messenger:
"He is risen just like he said."
All
authority is his! Let us surrender our
lives to him, for his is an authority that can be trusted! Let us go into our vocations with a new
intention, to make disciples for him!
Let us share the good news! Let
us indulge ourselves in his presence and love.
Let us become his, and let him become ours!
One morning early an elderly man walked
down the beach with a cane, looking for what the tide had left behind. Once in a while he'd bend to pick something
up then toss it into the ocean. He was
looking for starfish. Every time he saw
one in the sand, he would gently pick it up and toss it back into the
surf.
I asked him why he was doing this. He told me, "The starfish are left
behind when the tide rolls out. If
starfish don't get back into the ocean they'll dry up and die in the sun."
"But there are endless miles of beach,
and millions of starfish," I said.
"You can't save them all.
What difference can you possibly make?"
Slowly the old man bent over and picked up
another starfish. As he chucked it into ocean he looked at me and said,
"It makes a difference to that one."
(An apostle to starfish)
Each one Jesus puts in our path is of great
value to our Lord. We are called for a
purpose - it is our vocation to be faithful in scanning those
"beaches" and in making a difference to "that one" and
"that one" and "that one" in the name of Christ.
PRAYER:
Take my job
and make it yours;
Pounding
nails or scrubbing floors.
Take my mind
and make it one;
With the
purpose of your Son.
Take my
occupation, Lord;
Make it my
vocation, Lord
Let me show
someone your way
When I go to
work today.
I'll share
the story of my Lord
With whom I
work in one accord.
And in my
faith I'll do a deed
To help
convince a friend in need.
I'll name
your name, the name above all names,
through
which I make my claims.
Yes, take my
occupation, Lord;
Make it my
vocation, Lord.