We have been sent by Jesus to engage the entire world with the message of Jesus...

This week we are looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in a section of a letter in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Acts. Yesterday, we looked on as Luke brought us into a conversation that Jesus had with His disciples after He had been risen from the dead. Jesus commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit.

However, Jesus command would have also reminded the disciples about another aspect of the last conversation that Jesus had before He was arrested, which that He was going to leave them. So, as you might imagine, the disciples were confused.

Just imagine what was running through the disciples minds at this point. I mean wouldn’t you be confused. “Is Jesus leaving, or is He staying? He said He was leaving us, then He was killed, but now He is here with us after being raised from the dead. This is not what we expected". And in the midst of their confusion, the disciples ask Jesus a question, which is recorded for us in Acts 1:6:

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

Now this question, if asked in the language that we use in our culture today, would sound something like this: “Jesus, is now the time where you are going fulfill your promise to restore the Jewish people to political prominence and power as your chosen people? Is now the time when you are going to defeat the Roman Empire and reestablish the Jewish nation with you as our King, so that the Jewish people would have a kingdom like we used to in the days of King David and King Solomon?”

You see, the disciples, along with the vast majority of the Jewish people, viewed the Messiah as being a military and political leader who would rescue and restore their political fortunes. So the disciples were awaiting their marching orders; the disciples were waiting to receive their mission, so that they could be a part of reestablishing God’s kingdom. What mission would they be given? “Sure we are to wait in Jerusalem to receive the Holy Spirit; great. But what is our mission? And when is the kingdom being established?”

And, as was so often the case, the disciples were not prepared for the answer that they would receive from Jesus, which is recorded for us in verse 7:

He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

In other words, Jesus says “that is above your pay grade and that is not to be your concern. Instead of being concerned with the things that only God has the position and power to establish, I want you to concerned with what you should be concerned with, which is to follow my command and wait in Jerusalem so that you can be equipped and empowered to complete the mission that I have for you.

Jesus then gives the disciples and followers of Jesus throughout history, the mission that they were to be concerned with. And it is in what Jesus says next that we discover the timeless answer to the question “Where are we sent to?” So let’s discover that answer together in verse 8:

“and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

Here we see Luke reveal for us the reality that the disciples were not given a mission to lead a military campaign. The disciples were not given a mission to establish a new political party. Instead, the mission that the disciples were given was to be Jesus witnesses. Now, just as it is today, a witness is one who affirms and testifies about something that they have seen or heard. The disciples were to affirm and testify about what they saw and what they heard when it came to Jesus life, death, and resurrection. The disciples were to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel as the means by which all of humanity had the opportunity to receive forgiveness and experience the relationship with God that they were created for.

And this mission to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was to be a mission that was ever expanding in size and scope. The disciples were to live lives that revealed and reflected Christ as they shared the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to those in their immediate sphere of influence, which was Jerusalem. The disciples were to equip and empower followers of Jesus to live in such a way that they would develop relationships that enabled them to take the claims of Christ to those who were not in their immediate sphere of influence, which was Judea and Samaria. And the disciples were to have a passion to take the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the entire world.          

And it is here, in Jesus statement to His closest followers that we discover the timeless answer to the question “Where are we sent to?” And that timeless answer is this: We have been sent by Jesus to engage the entire world with the message of Jesus. Just as it was for Jesus closest followers, just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, we have been sent by Jesus to engage the entire world with the message of Jesus.

You see, for followers of Jesus, the mission never changes; instead the mission remains the same. Here at City Bible Church, we communicate the never changing mission that we have been given by Jesus this way: We are a “city within” a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city. As followers of Jesus, we are to live our day to day lives as missionaries that reflect a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and that reveal Jesus to those around us through our words and our actions as we love and serve those around us. Our words and our actions as individuals and in community with one another should affirm and testify to the truth of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

And this mission is not a solo mission; this mission is not a mission that is simply done in partnership with one another. This mission is a mission that is empowered by the very presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that enables us to not only live the Christian life, but to partner with Jesus as He completes His mission. And this mission to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel is to be a mission that is ever expanding in size and scope.

As followers of Jesus we are to live lives that reveal and reflect Jesus as we share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to those in our immediate sphere of influence, or our Jerusalem. As followers of Jesus, we are to equip and empower other followers of Jesus to live in such a way that they would develop relationships that enabled them to take the claims of Christ to those who are not in our immediate sphere of influence, which is our Judea and Samaria. And as followers of Jesus, we are to have a passion to help take the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the entire world.

If you do not buy the whole, Jesus Bible, church thing, this is why followers of Jesus seem to be so committed and so persistent when it comes to engaging you. This is why followers of Jesus seem to be so committed and persistent about inviting you to church, their community group or to an event involving other followers of Jesus. The reason why followers of Jesus seem to be so committed and so persistent in engaging you is because they are following the example of Jesus. And just as Jesus was sent to engage the entire world, as followers of Jesus we have been sent by Jesus to engage the entire world with the message of Jesus.

Now a natural objection that could arise at this point is “Well Dave, if that is the case, then why don’t followers of Jesus do what Jesus has commanded them to? If followers of Jesus are sent by Jesus to engage the entire world with the message of Jesus, then why do I know people who say they are Christians live lives that look nothing like Jesus and never talk about Jesus, let alone go to church or invite others to church?”

If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that is a great question to be asking. Friday, we will discover the answer to that question...