January 2: The Great Commission-- a life changing sermon

I woke up on Sunday very excited to go to church because I knew that our pastor's son, Garrett, was going be sharing a message he had shared with the youth group several weeks back. Garrett is a senior in high school and he had asked his dad if he could share a message with the youth group that the Lord had laid on his heart. Pastor agreed. I was not there the day he had spoken, but I had heard all about it. I had heard that the message was powerful, raw, honest and convicting. I really wanted for Garrett to share the message with the whole church so that I too could hear it. Several weeks went by before I heard that he was going to share the message to the whole church on Sunday morning. It was an answer to my prayers.


It was the perfect message to start off the new year. Garrett shared about the Great Commission. The way he explained everything was so clear and it made perfect sense. It was the kind of sermon I walked away from feeling completely changed and wanting to take action. I felt the emotional, spiritual high of conviction and call to action. To be honest, I felt a lot like I did that day back in November when I was at Bible Study and the entire idea of Chieko's Change began. I wish I could share the entire sermon with you, but here are the main points:


Any time someone says their final words, they are usually very important. Jesus was no different. Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus spoke these words -- The Great Commission.

"The Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on 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." Matthew 28:18-20

We are told that we are to share the good news of Jesus, but how many of us actually do this? I know that I really struggle to do this. I try to be open and share my faith with people, but I certainly do not obey this the way I should. The Great Commission = ACTION! I had to ask myself what action am I taking? Garrett laid out four reasons why believers do not carry out the Great Commission.


1. Fear: It is scary to share the gospel with people. Not knowing all of the right answers or not knowing exactly what to say are thoughts and fears that certainly plague my mind. However, the Bible is clear about fear! In the movie "Facing the Giants" the Georgia Bulldogs coach says that the Bible talks about fear 365 times. Hmmm...how many days are there in a year? Hmmm...is this possibly an important thing that I need to recognize? YES! God does not want us to fear but rather to place our trust in Him. Hebrews 13: 5 says, "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'"


2. Laziness: Garrett explained that we are lazy. Not lazy as in we are not hard working people, but that we are lazy in our faith. If I am "too busy" to share the love of Jesus, what is it that is so important in my life to take me away from the call to action that Jesus gave us right before he died? Certainly I must not say that laundry, dishes, homework, or all my TV watching are more important than being obedient to God. Pow! I had to really examine my life. How am I spending my time? Am I reading the word of God EVERY DAY? Reading the Bible one day a week is not enough. Reading the Bible six days a week is not enough. The Bible is clear. We are supposed to read the Bible every day! Admittedly, this is something I have not done. But why? What is it that I am saying is more important? I honestly could not answer myself with an response that did not make me want to crawl under a rock and hide my face in shame. Garrett eloquently stated that we live our lives according to our priorities. (I knew that...but what difference was that making in my life?) Then the second punch...Our fruit will show this. The fruit in our lives will be evidence of how we live our lives, what our priorities really are. 2 Timothy 2:4 says, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs (daily life) -- he wants to please his commanding officer." In other words, if God is my commanding officer, I should only be concerned with that which is important to Him. Last I checked, God isn't too concerned with how clean my house is. This is certainly something I need to rectify in my life. 


3. Selfishness: There is a Christian acappella group called, "Go Fish" and they have a song called, "What Mary Didn't Know." I think the lyrics are pretty eye-opening. (I have included the link to hear the song.)


Vs. 1
She looked good in my eyes
And in everyone elses too
She had it all together
At least from others point of view
Always the one to be with
And Mary was her name
I didn't know her too well
But enough to never be the same
She knew the things to say
She knew the things to do
She knew the people to know
But Lord she never knew You
What Mary didn't know was the answer I was holdin
I didn't think she'd change so I never even tried
How was I to know?
I wish I wouldve told her
Now I'll have to live and die with what Mary didn't know
Vs. 2
She was a seeker, lookin to find
Some kind of somethin
And I remember the time
When we were talkin
Opportunity for me was prime
But I missed it, now I look back in my mind
Right on the tip of my tongue was, Jesus died for you
The words stayed right there
I never got through
Have mercy on her soul, have mercy on me
I was weak, please forgive me
Chorus
Vs. 3
The day came for Mary to stand before the throne
And as she saw the tears in her Fathers eyes
She cried,I wish I wouldve known.
I knew things to say, I knew the things to do
I knew the people to know, but God I never knew You.
Someday I'll answer for. . .
Chorus 


What I am trying to say is that I cannot be selfish and keep the gift of Jesus to myself. He paid much to high a price for me to pick and choose who we should tell (as Casting Crowns said in their song, "If We Are the Body.") Garrett shared that if we are not carrying out the Great Commission then we are being selfish. I never thought of it that way before but he is totally right. Here's the kicker with this one...By not overcoming fear and laziness, I am being selfish. John 14:6 says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Garrett said, "This isn't selfish like saying, 'No! My sandwich!'" No, this is more like not caring about the souls that are being lost for eternity. As a child, I was obsessed with a certain television star. I had posters wallpapering my room, I had a box with every clipping from every article archived. I recorded every show he was on or interview he did and I routinely wrote letters to him. Then, one day I got an autograph in the mail from him! I was elated! It's funny that I could get crazy over a celebrity. I spent so much time and money trying to get as close to him as possible though magazines or movies. But for what? How silly! If I can get this excited over another human being, why am I not even more excited about the one who created that person? Certainly, if I had met that celebrity when I was a child, I would have introduced him to everyone I possibly could. Don't I want to introduce Jesus to everyone? The truth is hard, but here it is...no. No, for the most part I have been too lazy and selfish to be "burdened" with the discomfort in sharing Jesus with others. 


4. Ignorant: Sometimes I don't share my faith in Jesus because I don't have the right words to say or know all of the answers to the questions I am afraid will be asked. Sometimes I don't know HOW to share. Now, going back to the lazy piece...if I actually spent time reading the Bible and using my time to learn and grow closer in my relationship with Jesus, then this might not be such a huge problem for me. I am 27 years old. I was raised in a Christian home with a father who was very highly educated in doctrine and theology. I attended Sunday school, youth group, summer camps, and have gone on mission trips, and even went to a private Christian college for four years. I have obtained a Bible Certificate as part of my undergraduate degree. But what do I know? Honestly, not much. Sure I could tell you about Adam and Eve, Noah, Joseph and his coat (mostly thanks to being part of the play in college), the virgin birth and so on. But what do I REALLY know about the Bible? What do I really know what the Bible says about ___________? My laziness has turned into ignorance. The Bible even has something to say about this. Hebrews 5:11-12 says, "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food." I have no excuse to be crawling instead of sprinting in my faith. I can no longer be lazy, childish, and spiritually immature. 


Garrett shared that one (if not THE) biggest problem in the American Christian Church is that we justify sin because we are scared to hold people accountable. He brought up an amazing point. "God cannot be present in sin. Therefore, if sin is in the church, where is God?" Again, there is good news though. Accountability does not bean just confronting someone about their sin. It means walking with each other.  We are to help carry each other's burdens and live in community and fellowship with one another. This is how we show love to one another. Matthew 18:15-17 tells us exactly what we are supposed to do. 

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector." 

I want to make sure that I am making myself clear. We are supposed to love one another and holding each other accountable is showing love.


The Greatest Commandment is to, "Love the Lord your God with all your hear and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37. 


The Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission go hand in hand. Both require action. In his sermon, Garrett shared Matthew 28:16-20 and Matthew 7 (the entire chapter). I enjoyed listening to him read these verses aloud as they seemed to come alive and be fresh and new. However, the truth has stayed the same for over 2000 years.


God really spoke through Garrett yesterday. The words were so clear and well spoken. Garrett was a vessel to deliver God's message. That is exactly what I want to be. I pray that the Lord will use me in a mighty way to serve and further his kingdom. There is no greater purpose in life than to know and share the love of God. With that said, I now must stop living in fear, making excuses and being lazy in my faith, or being selfish and ignorant. The time has come for me to stop and redirect my mind's attention and my heart's affection (as Pastor Bob always prays) on Jesus Christ. John 3:30 is a verse that has a deeper meaning for me now. "He must become greater; I must become less."


I praise God for giving Garrett the message and for the courage to share it. Garrett was obedient in sharing the message he believed God was telling him to share. Now, I pray that I will be obedient and faithful too. This is a call to action. A time for change...a life change.