THE CENTERPIECE

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… (Matthew 28:19)

Smart phones are fun but they can also be very distracting. Once you open it, your eyes are flooded with endless apps that lure you away from your original purpose. If you’re not careful, an hour later, you could be asking “now what was I going to use my phone for?” (Angry Birds, anyone?) The very same thing can happen in our walk with Jesus. We get so involved in all the good things that we miss one of our main purposes in life. There are four verbs in The Great Commission: "Go", "Make", "Baptize", and "Teach". Only one of those verbs is primary; the others simply help the one. The word "make" is actually one word in the Greek: make-disciples. It’s the center of action for the going, baptizing, and teaching. Jesus focused all His authority and our attention on one single activity in His Great Commission: make disciples. And since this was so important to Jesus, we're going to spend some time unpacking the centerpiece of His last command.

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ARE YOU PLUGGED IN?

"Go make disciples of all nations..."

(Matthew 28:19)

As I sit here typing at my keyboard, I realize that it doesn’t matter how excited I am, no words will appear on the page unless my computer is plugged in (even if I have had three cups of coffee). I could type really fast or type really hard – no electricity, no words. I could have the most brilliant and poetic prose, unless I've pushed the “on” button, the best I can do is make a bunch of annoying clicking noises. But once I have power, words miraculously begin to show up on the page. The same is true of our going. It’s interesting that after Jesus commanded His disciples to go, He commanded them to wait (Acts 1.4). They were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. And then as they went, they went in power (Acts 1.8).The Holy Spirit has been given to all believers (Rom 8.9) and it is our privilege and responsibility to tap into His power for the sake of making disciples (1Thes 1.5, Gal 5.16).

So how does one "plug-in" to the Holy Spirit for making disciples?

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. Remember to pray for our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who serve our Nation and may be for from home during this holiday.

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GO!

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…
(Matthew 28:19)

The race official stands at the starting line and raises a pistol in the air. “On your mark, get set…” As he pulls the trigger everyone knows what to do and how to do it. There's only one compelling option, GO! But you know, I’ve heard a hundred messages where it is correctly pointed out the this word “go” in verse 19 in the Greek can mean, “As you are going.” It's true that it can be translated that way. But after Jesus’ huge pronouncement of having all authority in the universe, do you think one should take this as, “Oh, by the way, as you meander through life, if you get a chance, make a few disciples?” By no means! There's a sense of regal empowerment that shocks men and women into action. It’s like flipping the switch on a big generator. Suddenly there’s a million volts of electricity coursing through the cable looking for something to charge full of energy. That’s how we should feel when we hear Jesus say “Go!”

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THE MASTER SWITCH

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…
(Matthew 28:19)

Every house has a circuit breaker panel where the central electrical line distributes the power to the rest of the home through a series of switches. The most important switch is the master switch. It is the one switch in which all the power passes to all the other switches. The word “therefore” is the master switch in the great commission. As soon as Jesus says “therefore,” He flipped the master switch that allows “all authority in heaven and earth” to flow into every believer to ”make disciples of all the nations.” The Master Switch is in the on position and the power is flowing. But interestingly enough, it takes more than just the master switch being on to bring electricity to the rest of the house. Each individual circuit has a switch that must be turned on in order for power to flow to other parts of the house. So here’s the question; the Master Switch is on, are you?

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ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)

Everybody wants to go to heaven (well, almost everybody). But if you look carefully at the Scriptures, you'll notice that God is always trying to bring a little bit of heaven to earth (Mat 6.10, 9.6, 18.19, 23.9). We always think of the “hereafter”. But God is trying to get us to live in Him in the “here and now.” This is especially true when it comes to bringing His creation under submission to His greatest act of love -- Jesus, His Son. Jesus is the big connection between heaven and earth. God became man, the incarnation (John 1.14) . And He commands us to become His disciples, to follow Him, to become like Him and help others do the same. He dwells in every one of His disciples. And for every disciple that is made on the planet, the earth intrinsically becomes a little more like heaven. So why wait to get to heaven? Let‘s get this party started now! Make disciples!

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THE DIVINE ALIGN

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)

THE DIVINE ALIGN

I’ve had leadership roles in my life where I had a lot of authority. But I was never under the delusion that my authority had no constraints. Not so with Jesus’ authority. It had no limitations, no restrictions, absolutely no boundaries. It is completely and unequivocally limitless. How could such authority be given?! Because the Father and the Son were completely aligned in thought, word and deed (Jn 5.19-20, 14.10). And when Jesus used all that authority for making disciples, it wasn’t just a good idea. His command is in perfect sync with what the Father wants. God has ordained that making disciples of Jesus is the primary plan and the only plan to redeem man. In fact, that was their plan from the beginning of time (Rom 8.29). Now with all that power poised behind a single command, it kind of makes you want to sit up and listen, doesn’t it?

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THE GREATEST POWER PLAY IN HISTORY

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)

THE GREATEST POWER PLAY IN HISTORY

What would you do if you had absolute power and authority to do anything you wanted? Okay, now that you have those less-noble ideas out of the way, think of some things that would change the whole planet for the better. Maybe something like ending hunger or sickness. Or how about eliminating all crime or war? That would have put me out of a job for 29 years -- but hey, I'd flip burgers for world peace! You know, as noble as those may be, Jesus didn’t do any of them. We ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” Well, here’s a clear illustration of what He did do, and there’s no guesswork about it. Having all power and authority in the universe, He turned to 11 ordinary men and said, “Go and help people live their lives like Me. Teach them how to be just like Me. Go and make disciples of Me.” Perhaps if we did a better job of making disciples, those other menacing problems would sort themselves out.

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11 LOSERS

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)

11 LOSERS

It was the most epic failure in all of history. Twelve of His closest companions, those He had loved to death, abandoned their Messiah. Judas went as far as betrayal. The others forsook and denied Him. Do you remember what it felt like the first time your best friend betrayed you? The confusion and the sting may have lasted days, weeks, and maybe years. It’s hard to even look such a person in the eyes without absolute disgust. I would have voted the whole team off the island. But not Jesus. Not only had He predicted this great crime, He completely and unconditionally forgave all but he “son of perdition”. But forgiveness is only one third of His grace. Through His death and resurrection, He imputes the righteousness of God on them (2 Cor 5.21). And then He gives them the greatest venture ever undertaken by man: to win the world to Him by making disciples.

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DOWN TO EARTH

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)

DOWN TO EARTH

I was talking to an Army Colonel the other day and it was like a breath of fresh air. He wasn’t trying to impress me or be overbearing. He had nothing to prove and was…well…humble. Don’t you just love it when you meet a leader that’s real? You respect them even more for their ability to relate to you on your level, even though you know they're in positions of great authority. They're “down to earth”. Jesus not only came down to earth, He was down to earth. He is God with skin on. When he “came up and spoke” to the disciples, there was no motorcade, no fanfare, and no hoopla. Oh, He could have had a bazillion angels announce His arrival, but instead He simply walked up to them. This is incarnational leadership at its best. As we practice the Great Commission, we lead. And as we lead, we would do well to practice the same humility as Jesus (Phil 2.5-8).

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WHO SAID SO?

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)

WHO SAID SO?

When I was a kid, young messengers were always challenged with "Who said so?" We wanted to verify whether the message came from an adult with authority or just a whim of a younger brother. If it was an adult (especially Dad), then there was a 99% chance that the message was going to be obeyed (or at least considered). If it was a little brother, fat chance! One of the reasons the Great Commission is so great is because of "Who said so" -- Jesus! The One who purchased our souls with His blood. The One who loved us to death. The One who had just conquered death! This same Jesus is the One who now has all authority in heaven and earth. The One who will judge the nations. The King of kings and Lord of lords. That's Who said so! Are you listening yet?

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18

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18)

18

Some numbers are more important to me than others. Like the number of seats in an airplane verses the number of functioning engines. Or how many loaves of bread I was supposed to pick up verses the number of my kids I should have when I leave the grocery store. The number 18 is pretty important to me. I've often heard the Great Commission (GC) preached or quoted without verse 18. Every fiber in my being wants to stand and shout, "What about verse 18!" Quoting the GC without verse 18 is kind of like trying to start a car with no engine: it just doesn't have any power. Verse 18 is the 'Who' and the 'Why' of the Great Commission. It's essentially what makes the Great Commission so great.

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Revival for America?

Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand...Some of you know that the LORD has been waking me up for months now at 3:30am to pray. On Sept 13th the LORD brought Jeremiah 33 to mind. In October I was waking up at 3:30 every night for several nights in a row. I was led to Jeremiah 33 over and over again throughout the month of October. This morning, November 1st, at 3:30am the LORD got me out of bed (in a very persistent manner) and brought me back to Jeremiah 33. Yesterday I was listening to a message by Michael Frost talking about how to advance the Gospel in a post-Christian Context. It falls in line with Jer 33. I believe God is promising revival for America. I don’t know when but I know I'm supposed to pray. I feel a little crazy but I'm also am reminded of Ezek 33.1-6.

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