The Ultimate Missionary
On the famous day of July 20th, 1969, Apollo 1, under the leadership of Neil Armstrong accomplished the first successful mission where a human being actually stepped foot on our moon. This changed history as we know it. We can probably think of many other famous missions in the history of the world. D-Day—that massive mission of Allied troops which landed on the Normandy Coast in 1944 which signaled the eventual end of World War II. Or we think of the mission of Lewis and Clark who led the first expedition to the Pacific Coast in the early 1800’s. Or that famous mission in 1492 when Columbus discovered a whole new world in the Western Hemisphere.
Most of us resonate with a mission. We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We want the excitement and challenge of a mission. We like to watch our favorite sports team carry out a mission to win the championship. For 2011, you probably have a carefully defined mission for your life, church, and ministry.
But the greatest mission ever accomplished was the mission of Jesus Christ to come and seek and save the lost. There is a key verb that shows up all throughout the New Testament called “apostello” where we get our word “apostle”. It means to be sent on a mission. In the ancient culture in which Jesus lived, there were envoys or ambassadors who would be sent by a king or dignitary to deliver a message in the name, power, and authority of that ruler.
In the New Testament, the word means to be sent on a mission with divine authorization. In other words, God Himself does the sending. God Himself sets the agenda of the mission. God sends people to accomplish His mission. As a result, Jesus is the consummate sent one. He is the consummate one who was “apostello” to the earth. As a matter of fact, Jesus is called an apostle or the sent one (Hebrews 3:1).
Interestingly, in the Gospel of John alone, over 40 times John tells us that Jesus was sent on a mission by the Father. Time and space do not permit me to expound on each of these but I want to draw your attention to some key texts in John’s Gospel. If one reads John 4:34, 6:38-40, 8:28-30, 12:49-50, and most of Chapter 17, it becomes crystal clear that Jesus was sent by the Father on a mission to accomplish God’s work, bring the Father glory, speak on the authority of the Father, and ultimately to die on the cross for our sins, be buried, and on the third day rise again according to the Scriptures.
In essence, we can say that Jesus was the ultimate “missionary”. When you think about a missionary, what does a missionary do? A missionary leaves his or her home and goes to another country or culture and learns the language, adopts the customs, integrates into the life of the people, eats the food, makes relationships and tries to be salt and light so that lost people can believe in Jesus.
What did Jesus do? He left His home in heaven and came to earth as a man—fully God and fully man and lived in a specific culture. He lived with Mary and Joseph and was a carpenter. He went from the culture of heaven to the culture of earth as a missionary. We see the beauty of the incarnation in John 1:14 which states, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” He lived 33 years on earth and when He was hanging there on the cross, He cried out “It is Finished!” and then He was buried, and rose again, and now He has ascended back up into heaven and He is at the right hand of the Father as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is seated because He has accomplished His mission.
But is the mission of God complete? Just because Jesus has accomplished His mission through finished work of the cross, does it mean that the ultimate mission of God is over? Can we say “Mission Accomplished”? For Jesus it was accomplished, but for His followers, we still have marching orders. Right after Jesus accomplished His mission and went back up to heaven to be with His Father, he told us on 5 occasions what our mission is to be as His followers. We are very familiar with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 in where Jesus commands us to make disciples (not decisions, I may remind you) of all nations. Secondly, in Mark 16:15 He commands us to preach the gospel to all creation. Thirdly, in Luke 24:46-49, Jesus sovereignly charges us to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins to all nations.
The fourth instance we receive this command from Jesus in John. Let us hear the words of our risen Savior in John 17:18 where He says, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” And again in John 20:21, Jesus echoes this command with: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Finally, in Acts 1:8 Jesus calls us to be witnesses to all the nations.
Just as Jesus was sent by His Father on a mission, He looks His followers right in the eyes and tells us that we have been sent into the world to accomplish a mission. This leaves us with a very interesting question which I think sometimes we often neglect, overlook, or actually disobey. What exactly are we sent to do? Are we sent to build bigger buildings? Are we sent to advance our agendas as pastors and leaders? Are we sent to propagate programs? Are we sent to do random acts of kindness? Are we sent to try and build a kingdom in where we want more and more people to fill our churches because we are obsessed with sheer numbers?
It’s very clear. We have been sent to do what Jesus told us to do. Preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. If we are not proclaiming the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the call to repent and trust in Him alone we are not being obedient to the mission. If we are content with making “converts” or “decisions” instead of actually making disciples, then we are not being obedient to the mission. If our strategy for disciple-making does not include a global focus where we go to all nations (especially unreached people groups), then we are not being obedient the mission.
Colorado Baptists, may we fully recognize that our sovereign Savior has sent us on a mission and may we be obedient to Him in preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations for His glory alone!
Story by Sean Cole, Pastor
Emmanuel Baptist Church
