Renewal's Second Ingredient: The Great Commission Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; John 20:21-23

- Our definition for church renewal that we have been talking about is: church renewal is the continual transformation of God's people into the people he has called them to be, doing the things he has called them to do.

- Last week we learned that, renewed worship is about renewed worshipers joining God in the unfolding of in his story.

- In a moment, we will read our three Scripture lessons. I invite you to remember that taken together these reflect the great commission of Jesus to his disciples passed down to us by the apostles and the early church.

- And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20 (ESV)

- "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV)

- Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
     And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
     If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20:21-23 (ESV)

- The first thing I want us to notice coming out of these passages is the relationship between these and last week's take-home truth: Renewed worship is about renewed worshipers joining God in the unfolding of in his story.

- The 11 disciples who received this commission from Jesus become a model or paradigm for all future disciples. These disciples who were with Jesus throughout his earthly ministry and throughout the 40 days following his resurrection are a model for us.

- Jesus' commission of his disciples is his invitation to them and to every disciple of Jesus after them, to join with God in his mission to the world. It is Jesus' invitation to become part of God's story, the story of salvation offered to the world through him.

- The commission Jesus gave them is, therefore, the mission of the church.

- The mission of the church is nothing less than God's mission, the continuing saga of God, the great story of his actions in the world.

- What else can we note about these passages?

- The first thing let's notice the authority of Jesus. It resembles the authority that he had during the rest of his earthly ministry, only now that he is going to return to the Father his authority is complete and total.

-  As Jesus said, "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." The authority before that he had spoken of only in riddles and parables now belongs to Jesus. The authority he had before his birth has been restored to him.

- Jesus commission to his disciples to make disciples of all nations is on the basis of this restored authority as the one who sits at the right hand of the Father.

- The mission Jesus gave to his disciples is a mission that carries his authority and it is the mission that we have received and that we must also carry out.

- As the one who has received all authority in heaven and on earth, Jesus gives his disciples a single command, make disciples.

- Baptism is a picture of a disciple of Jesus dying to their old life and being risen into the new life in Christ.

- Baptism is not just about the act of baptism. It is about our commitment to immerse ourselves into the person of Jesus Christ.

- It's like learning a new language. The best way to do that is through immersion, to place your whole self into the cultural context where you must learn the new language in order to communicate.

- That's what discipleship to Jesus is like. Jesus calls us to immerse ourselves into his person and his teaching so that we will become like him and learn to do and say the kinds of things he would have us do and say.

- The deeper our relationship with Jesus, then the more immersed into him that we are, and the better our lives, in both word and action, will communicate God's story to the world.

- Matthew also reminds us that we will not be alone in this. Jesus gives us his word that he will always be with us.

-It is this assurance of the presence of Jesus in the person of his Holy Spirit that is spelled out clearly in Acts and in John.

- Thankfully, we do not have to rely on our own strength or our own power alone. As we immerse ourselves into Christ, Christ fills us with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

-It is the Holy Spirit who gives power and authority to God's people.

- We receive the power of Jesus. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told his disciples that the power which the Holy Spirit provides is the power to witness.

- The witness to which Jesus' disciples are called is to testify to both the present and future reality of God's reign in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

- The kingdom of God (or 'the kingdom of heaven') about which Jesus preached was a present reality in his day because it was present within him. His actions and his teachings pointed to God's reign in the here and now as well as for eternity.

- Jesus said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses".

- Our role as his witnesses is to speak and act on his behalf, working to invite the world into God's story.

- As Christ's witnesses, his disciples carry his power & authority by the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit.

- Just as Jesus said, "as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you" and immediately after saying this he breathed on them and said, "receive the Holy Spirit."

- Jesus sends his disciples into the world as the Father sent him. We are sent by him to continue his ministry which is the work of inviting others into God's story.

- He sends us with his power and his authority and entrusts us to carry out his mission.

- Remember last week I mentioned that we live in a culture which has largely forgotten the truth of God's great story.

- The idea that we are all culpable for our sins, that we will all one day be held accountable and stand before Almighty God to be judged is an idea that many people in our culture flatly deny.

- In a world where many people deny that they are sinners, then not only do we need to proclaim forgiveness of sins, we also need to proclaim withheld forgiveness of sin, as Jesus told his disciples.

- Those who receive the good news about Jesus will receive forgiveness, but for those who refuse the good news and remain in their unbelief, then they will not receive forgiveness.

- It is our greatest calling and privilege to announce the forgiveness of sins that is available in Jesus Christ to the world in word and deed.

- It is this good news that the church is called to share. It is the mission of the church to learn to say and do the kinds of things Jesus said and did.

- Christ's presence, power, and authority renew his church to continue his work of inviting others into God's story.

- Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”John 20:21

- A renewed church is Spirit empowered for the work of inviting others into God story.