Turning the World Right Side Up

“Perform One Mission”

Matthew 28:18-20; I Corinthians 9:19-23

One King…One Kingdom…One Message…One Mission

One King – Jesus, the Son of the Living God

One Kingdom – the reign or rule of God in our lives

One Message – Jesus says we are to repent and believe in Him. There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

One Mission – to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ. The one mission is what in the Bible is called “The Great Commission.”

Read Matthew 28:18-20

To turn the world right side up a church needs to focus on transforming unbelievers into fully devoted followers of Christ who become kingdom multipliers of the message of Christ.

Bringing people into the kingdom must be our focus above anything else.

The primary responsibility of our church is to reach the people God has placed near our church. This is our Jerusalem; and then we move out to our Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world.

As a church we are to equip people not just for personal growth but also for personal impact. Your mission is to share the good news of Jesus through your life and your words. Your mission should result in impacting lives for the Kingdom of God and in so doing turn the world right side up.

I. The Great Commission  (Matthew 28:18-20)

A.     The Authority of His Person (vs. 18)

(vs. 18) – “all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me” – Complete authority over all living creatures in heaven and earth. This implies divine status. Jesus can only make this claim if He is fully God since this includes the entire universe.

“has been given to Me” – What is amazing is that Jesus is standing before these 11 men with no money, no army, no government position nor title, charging these men with world conquest and bringing them to believe it is possible.

This authority has been given to Him by His Heavenly Father. Paul explains:

Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

All will bow: Mohammed, Dahli Lama, Osama Bin Laden.

Satan promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him. But Jesus refused, followed God’s will which led to the cross AND resurrection. Now God has given all authority to Jesus so that everyone will bow and proclaim Him King of Kings. Authority in heaven and earth.

Satan was offering the world; God was offering the universe. Satan was offering the temporary….God was offering the eternal.

You can obey Him without fearing what is happening around you. No matter where He leads you, no matter what circumstances you face, He is in control.

You do not face a lost world on the basis of your authority but on the authority of Jesus Christ. Universal authority of the Lord leads to the universal mission of the church.

B.     The Aspects of His Plan  (vs. 19-20a)

(vs. 19) – “Therefore” – Since all authority is given, GO!

1.     We know the true savior and Lord so we should go

2.     Since He has the authority, this passage is not the “Great Suggestion” but the “Great Commission.”

If the CEO comes to your sales team and reminds you he has all authority and then proceeds to tell you something to do, do you treat that as a suggestion or a command?

1.     Make disciples

Main verb in this sentence is “make disciples”.

“make disciples” – evangelism in its fullest sense. Person receives Christ as savior and then grows to become a committed follower.

“all nations” – peoples or ethnic groups. Our responsibility is to make disciples of all the people groups of the world.

Go, baptizing, teaching, are participles dependent upon the main verb “make disciples.”

The way to fulfill the command to make disciples is to “go”, “baptize”, and “teach.”

2. Go

“Go” – While you are going, make disciples of all the nations. No matter where you are, you should be witnesses for Jesus Christ and seek to win others to Him. You are to duplicate yourself wherever you may be. Whether it means going overseas or across the street.

Going means crossing boundaries to make disciples – going across  the street, going to dinner with an unbelieving friend, going into the inner city, going beyond one’s comfort zone to make the gospel accessible to the lost.

Living life is “going” with a purpose, every day.

3. Baptize

Baptism unites a believer with Jesus in His death to sin and resurrection to new life. Baptism shows submission to Christ and a willingness to live God’s way.

4. Teach

Teach new believers the words of Scripture so they can obey God and live a life of purpose and fruitfulness.

A disciple identifies with Jesus, learns from Him, and lives with Him. A disciple believes in Jesus…gets baptized…gets into the fellowship of a church and learns to be obedient to Jesus’ commands (Acts 2)…then tells others about Jesus and disciples them (II Tim. 2:2).

C. The Assurance of His Presence and Power (vs. 20b)

(vs. 20) – “I am with you always” – “always” – strictly means “the whole of every day.”

An amazing promise! He is to be with the disciples when He is gone, with each one of the disciples, with all knowledge, with all power, with them all the days…the good ones and the bad ones.

Jesus has accomplished His work in His incarnation. He gives us His presence so that we may accomplish ours.

He can only do this by the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit not only comes the presence of Jesus, but as we see in the Book of Acts, also comes the power to do the work…to carry out the Great Commission.

Matthew introduced us to Jesus in the first chapter (1:23) as Immanuel, “God with us.” And Jesus is still with us to the very end of the age.

II. The “On Mission” Strategy as a Convention – A Great Commission Resurgence

A new recommended mission statement for Southern Baptists:

“As a convention of churches, our missional vision is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations.”

Understand the lostness of our world:

All slides from Progress Report Findings:

Lostness of the world

Alabama has 3250 churches and 4.7 million people

Canada and Western states

Northeastern US  - They have 11 times more people and we have 3 times more churches!

Baptized 33,000 fewer people with more than 17,000 additional churches.

1972 – baptized 140,000 teenagers and 2008 only 75,000

EXPLAIN THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

At SMBC we give 10% of all budget receipts to the Cooperative Program

All money goes to state offices of Alabama State Board of Missions in Montgomery. The state keeps 57.5% and sends 42.5% to SBC

The state uses its money for support ministries for churches and for entities such as the three schools, Children’s homes, Shocco Springs, WMU, etc.

SBC – 50% goes to the IMB / 22.79% to NAMB/ remainder to seminaries and other various ministries

Here is a broad picture of the present use of  CP funds:

Southern states (14)

Remaining 38 states.   2/3’s of CP money goes to 1/3 population

Approximately two-thirds of our Cooperative Program dollars are spent on regions where only one-third of the population resides. The greatest percentage of mission funds remains where our own churches are concentrated.

More churches need to be planted and more missionaries need to be allocated and more dollars directed to reach the two-thirds of the American population that is lost and perishing.

Money for states and SBC

22.79% for NAMB to reach Canada and the US

$50.6 million dollars in cooperative agreements that come back to the states. Some comes back to the Southern states who need it the least!

Recommendation #1 - Cooperative agreements be discontinued.

Allow the $50.6 million to remain with the NAMB. Recommendation is to phase this out over 7 years and establish a new pattern of strategic partnership with the state conventions that will penetrate lostness. This would give the NAMB greater flexibility to plant churches and support missionaries.

If you have read the Alabama Baptist you realize this is a source of concern for some. Worried about the drastic effect it would have on the work here in Alabama. From what I have read, the amount Alabama receives is about $1 million dollars.

Total revenues for Alabama Baptist Convention in 2008 - $47,200,000

The $1 million dollars represents 2.1% of their annual revenues. The recommendation is to give them 7 years to phase this out. I believe any business person here today if asked to cut 2.1% of your budget could probably do it within a year and make the necessary adjustments. Seven years should be attainable by anyone!

It seems to me that the Northeast states with 11 times our population and has only 1/3 the number of churches we do, could have a greater use of that $1 million dollars.

Also encouraging state conventions to go with a 50/50 split sending more money to the SBC thus giving more for IMB and NAMB.

Recommendation #2 - 51% of SBC Cooperative Program go to IMB (another $2 million)

Recommendation #3 - Remove geographic limitations from the IMB and allow them to work with people groups in North America.

“Mission strategists estimate that there may be as many as 586 unreached and underserved people groups with representation within the United States. Many of these people groups are already within the reach of the IMB with personnel developing strategies based in their language and culture. We must take advantage of the expertise of both of our mission boards to make the greatest impact for the Great Commission.”

Jerry Rankin, President IMB, “Actually, what is being recommended simply removes the current prohibition in ministry assignments to the IMB working with people groups in North America. The responsibility for reaching all lost peoples in North America is that of the churches, associations, and states where they are located. But this will bring about a potential synergy of cooperation we have not had previously.”

www.pray4gcr.com – Go to website and read report for yourself

III. The “On Mission” Strategy for Individuals

1.     Repentance of and brokenness over personal sin

2.     Commit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ

3.     Love your neighbor as yourself

4.     Share your faith with others

5.     Grow in your financial stewardship