The Gospel: How the Gospel Changes Our Calling
September 20, 2020
Over the past six months it has been a unique time to be Christian in our culture. One of the more frustrating things for all of us has been the denial of our right to worship freely due to the Pandemic restrictions placed upon us by our government. But what if I were to tell you that these restrictions might actually be a blessing in disguise. Let me give you an illustration of what I’m getting at. When China began cracking down on Christianity with the rise of Communism in the late 40’s and early 50’s, outlawing worship gatherings and imprisoning pastors – rather than stop the spread of the gospel – this persecution of the Church actually did the opposite – the church in China grew exponentially. Before 1949 there were 4 million Christians in China. Today it is estimated that there are over 67 million Christians there and Christianity is the fastest growing religion in China growing at a rate of 7% a year. Why is that? Why did Christianity explode in China and continues to grow even under persecution today? The answer has to do with how the gospel changes your calling in life once you become a follower of Jesus. You see, our main calling as Christ followers is not to go to Church, but to go and make disciples of everyone who needs the gospel.
If you listened in last week, we looked at why everyone needs the gospel. We saw the damaging effects of sin on everyone of us. We saw how sin darkens our understanding of God so that we cannot understand God and will not seek God. We saw how sin deceives us so that we are led astray by the lies of the evil one. We saw how sin hardens our heart to God and causes us to rebel against His authority. We saw how sin distorts our desires so that we become enslaved by our passions and desires. And we saw that once we are enslaved in this way, we become so absorbed with living for self that sin eventually damages our relationships. That’ why everyone needs the gospel.
For only through the gospel of Jesus Christ are we awakened to the love and kindness of God. Only through the gospel of Jesus Christ are we delivered from slavery to sin, washed clean and made new through the power of the Holy Spirit. Only through the gospel of Jesus Christ does God give us a new heart and a new life with Him, where we are now declared innocent of all sin, can stand totally accepted in His presence and rest in the secure hope of eternity with Him. You see, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God gives us everything we’ve ever longed for, but could not get for ourself. That’s why everyone needs the gospel. But in order for everyone to hear this good news Jesus gave each of us a singular calling. And the calling Jesus gave us is to go and make disciples of everyone who needs the gospel!
And our calling is spelled out in detail in Matthew 28:18-20. So if you brought your Bible, let me encourage you to find this passage, where Jesus gave us our calling to make disciples of everyone who needs the gospel. If you’ve found Matthew 28:18-20, follow along as I read. Jesus says, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.” Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The first thing we see about our calling is this: Our Calling Begins Under the Authority of Jesus Jesus doesn’t introduce our calling with a command; He starts with a claim, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.”
Have you ever thought much about Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth? We live in a day where people throw their power and authority around to get what they want. Some use their power to take advantage of the vulnerable. Some use their power to wage war and strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. Some use their power to tell you how they want to spend your money. In fact, there are all kinds of power brokers in our world today. But there is only one person who has ALL AUTHORITY in heaven and earth, and His name is Jesus.
When Jesus spoke these words, they came in fulfillment of what was spoken of him by Daniel: “He was given authority to rule, 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.” Daniel 7:14
Jesus authority is the basis for our calling. His authority over heaven and earth means that Jesus is not just your personal Savior and Lord. He is now the Ultimate Authority in the Universe! One day every knee is going to bow, and every tongue will confess, “Jesus is Lord” – THAT’S A GUARANTEE. Do you see what Jesus was saying to these Jewish men, who thought God only cared about their nation? Jesus was saying that He is Sovereign over every nation, every tribe and tongue – every single person who lived then and every person who draws breath today. Jesus has authority over every piece of real estate on this planet. He has authority over disease and demons, He has authority over sin and death. Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. There is no one greater, no one higher, no one more powerful than Jesus! And we must feel the weight of his authority over our lives before we ever hear one word of His calling to us.
For once you feel the weight of His authority over all creation, then you’ll have no problem letting Jesus calls the shots in your life. It will no longer be difficult to obey Him. His authority over your life will compel you to obey Him no matter what He asks of you.
So this is where our calling begins. It begins with believing that Jesus is Lord. Believing that He is worthy to be trusted with calling the shots in your life. Trusting in Him so that when He commands you to go and make disciples of everyone who needs the gospel, you will want to obey him, and you will obey Him, simply because Jesus is worthy to be obeyed. Our Calling Begins By Living Under the Authority of Jesus.
But now, let’s look more specifically at our calling: Our Calling is to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
So before we look at HOW He calls us to make disciples, we need to know what exactly makes someone a disciple of Jesus? What is a disciple? A disciple is someone who not only believes in Jesus but lives as a follower of Jesus in order to learn how to live and love like Jesus.
First of all, after trusting in Jesus for salvation, a disciple is identified as someone who obeys Jesus by being baptized into the family of God: baptized into the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Something very cool takes place at your baptism. The moment you’re baptized into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, you declare that you belong to a whole new family! You announce to the world that God is your Father and you’re His child. You declare that Christ is your brother and you share a new life in Him. And you tell the world that the Holy Spirit now lives in you and is leading you.
That’s why the first step of obedience as a disciple is to be baptized in the name of the Father, and Son and of the Holy Spirit. For when you are baptized you are telling the world that you’re his disciple and you are embracing His mission to make disciples of everyone who needs the gospel. Your baptism sets you apart as one who now intends to live a new life as a follower of Jesus – learning from Jesus how to live and love like Jesus. And one of the main ways we can love like Jesus is by making disciples of Jesus. Now there is so much more that can be said about being a disciple. But now let’s look at what Jesus says here about HOW we are to make disciples.
And the first thing he says is this: We make disciples by living with gospel intentionality That’s why Jesus said “go” Literally, this word “go” carries the meaning of “as you are going” or “on your way” So Jesus is telling us that we are to make disciples as we go about the way of our everyday life. To live out the implications of the gospel similar to the way Jesus did when he lived among us.
Jesus was very intentional about living among those who needed the gospel. He went to their parties, ate meals in their homes, and served them in the midst of everyday life. Jesus valued every single person he encountered and so must we. Jesus intentionally made disciples. Let that sink in.
Jesus modeled for us what He calls us to do. And part of becoming more like Jesus is to follow his example: to intentionally make friendships with people, to invest in people so that they might become followers of Jesus.
So here’s the thing: Intentionality is about having and following a plan; its knowing where to take people and how to help them get there. That’s what we see in Jesus. Jesus lived every day with gospel intentionality. Wherever Jesus went, He valued people, befriended people, learned their stories, shared his life with them, and ministered to them in the course of everyday life.
We can do this too. Wherever we go and whatever we do here at the Ranch, there are people all around us. We can initiate friendships, we can learn their stories, we can share our table with them, we can share our lives with them, and eventually we can share Jesus with them. But it begins with being intentional about how we are living our lives. Not just drifting through retirement. Not just living for ourselves. But living to make a gospel difference in the life of people who need the gospel. Remember, everyone needs the gospel!
So let me ask you, are you living with gospel intentionality? Do you see the people around you as people Jesus wants you to love? Maybe you haven’t been. That’s ok. You can start today. You can make disciples by living with gospel intentionality with your pickle ball partner, a golfing friend, a neighbor, or whoever Jesus puts on your heart. This is where we start making disciples – by going to whoever needs the gospel.
Next, we make disciples by sharing the gospel of Jesus If you’ve experienced the saving power of the gospel: if Jesus has saved you from God’s wrath; wiped away your guilt and shame; made you clean and declared you innocent. If Jesus has given you a new life with him: a life of peace, joy, hope and love; if Jesus has set you free from the power of sin… then you have a story to tell. And that story is full of good news. So then, if the gospel is good news to you – it will communicate as good news for others. For no one comes to faith in Jesus without first hearing the good news about Jesus.
Your see, your ability to make disciples is not dependent on personality, position, knowledge, education, age, ethnicity, background, or season of life. Your disciple making ability basically boils down to sharing what Jesus has done in your life. Simply put, you can’t give someone something you don’t have. We make disciples by sharing the good news about all that God gives us in Jesus. That’s why I’m preaching this series on the Gospel. For once we become a gospel saturated people, sharing the gospel will become natural to us. And yet for most of us, it’s not just that natural. But the more we are shaped and changed by the gospel, the more natural it will be to share the good news of Jesus. And one way Jesus made it possible for us to share that good news is by what we see next.
And what is that? We make disciples by showing our obedience to Jesus Now I spoke about baptism earlier. But have you ever wondered why Jesus places such a premium on believers obeying Jesus and being baptized? As I said earlier, when we show our obedience through baptism, we not only profess our faith in Jesus, but we are declaring that Jesus has changed us by giving us a new life with Him.
This is why Jesus gave us this ordinance of baptism. I can preach for days about Jesus. But whenever a new believer surrenders to the waters of baptism, they testify to the power of Jesus Christ to change their lives. For your public obedience says something powerful. It says that if Jesus can give new life, if Jesus can change your life, then perhaps Jesus really did rise from the grave and is alive today. Your public declaration of faith through baptism can give others hope. So then, Jesus can use your obedience to open the eyes of your neighbors and friends and show them there is another way to live.
In fact, whenever any one obeys Jesus in anything, we show the world the power of Jesus. You see, people can argue with you about whether God is real, but they can’t argue with the evidence of your changed life. And that’s what happens when anyone obeys Jesus in the waters of baptism. The world sees that Jesus is real and living in you. That’s why Jesus gave us baptism. We make disciples by showing our obedience to Jesus.
So let me ask you today? Have you obeyed Jesus by submitting to the waters of baptism? What an opportunity you have to help make disciples of Jesus.
Ok, let me press on. There’s two other ways we make disciples of Jesus. Next, we make disciples by teaching the Word of Christ Pastors are not the only ones entrusted to teach God’s Word. In Colossians 3:16, the Apostle Paul tells us that that we are to: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. That’s a command for all of us. God expects us to teach one another about Jesus. That’s why we have Journey Groups. Journey groups are designed for you to learn how to follow Jesus with others. As we dig into the life of Christ together, the Spirit teaches us, and we get to share with one another what Jesus is teaching us. In this way, we encourage one another, build up one another, and help one another learn to live and love like Jesus. We make disciples by teaching the Word.
And finally, We make disciples by trusting in the presence of Jesus Christ What I love about pursuing our calling to make disciples is that Jesus saves the good news about being a disciple maker to the end. Listen to his promise to us: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” When Jesus calls you to make disciples, he doesn’t intend for you to do this alone. He intends to be with you, to partner with you, to help you. That’s why Jesus made this promise here and the promise found in John 14:16, where Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” The good news is that we cannot make a disciple of Jesus without the help of the Holy Spirit. Only through the power and presence of the indwelling Spirit does God use us to impact another. We’re simply partnering with him in the process. And that’s good news. For when Jesus is with us, He will help us succeed.
So that’s it. This is the main thing Jesus wants us to do with our lives as His followers. Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of everyone who needs the gospel. This is our calling. This is our mission. That’s why Rock Springs Church vision is to be “People helping people become friends, family and followers of Jesus.” It’s all here in Jesus command to us.
This is why I said earlier, that maybe our not being able to gather in the ballroom for worship is a blessing in disguise – because as great as it is to come together and worship Jesus, what matters more to Jesus is that we go and make disciples of people who will one day worship Him.
So is Jesus’ authority real in your life? Do you want to obey Him no matter what He asks of you? If so, then this is how the gospel changes your calling. The gospel changes you so that now you not only see that everyone needs the gospel, but that Jesus has called you to join Him to make disciples of everyone who needs Jesus.
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