In the Sunday School class that I teach on Sunday mornings we have been going through a book entitled "Radical" by David Platt. By the way, if you have not ready it, I highly recommend it. It has really challenged the way I view my faith and how I do ministry. Today, we focused on a chapter entitled "The Multiplying Community" based on Matthew 28:16-20.
I started by asking this question: If you could have a significant impact on the world, what sort of impact would you have? For many that answer will vary greatly but for Christians I hope that we would have a similar response: "to make an impact for Christ". That has to be top priority. People's eternities are depending on it!
The question then becomes, how do we do that? That is what this lesson is about.
Matthew 28:16-18, "16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
The first thing we see is that no matter where you are on the journey of faith, we must submit to the authority of Jesus Christ. He has a plan already and we simply need to be obedient to it. As you consider his words in vs.16-18, ask yourself this question: "Why is it so important for believers to realize their lives fall under the authority of Christ?"
Check out Matthew 28:19-20a. "19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.".
The second thing to notice is what the plan entails. GO. MAKE DISCIPLES. BAPTIZE. TEACH. I think the key command here is to make disciples because you can't make disciples without going; and you can't baptize and teach obedience without making disciples. What amazed me in studying this passage is that as I live my "Christian life", my focus is everywhere except on making disciples. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of "good" things that I am involved with. I could list them out right here, and you would be very impressed :) but what I don't do is intentionally make disciples. I am honestly just now beginning to understand what making disciples even involves (which is what I plan to discuss next week, for now we'll just focus on what I haven't been doing). Isn't that crazy? I've been following Jesus for 11 years and I'm only just now realizing what God's plan for impacting the world actually involves.
Look at the last part of Matthew 28:20, "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."
This is so important. The third thing we see is that, as believers, we enjoy the very presence of Christ. One of the girls that comes every week to my Sunday school class asked a great question a couple of weeks ago. She asked, "How can God expect people, as messed up and sinful as we are, to get the gospel to the entire world?" (or something to that effect). I did not have a good answer to that until I realize what Jesus was saying in the last part of verse 20. The answer is we can't, and on our own, he doesn't expect us to. However, he has given us something (actually someONE!) that makes all of this possible: The Very Presence of his Son, Jesus Christ. That changes everything! What once was impossible for us becomes not only possible, but guaranteed. What a relief! Success in this area does not depend on our ingenuity or our abilities! It depends on our willingness to trust the one who has promised to be with us; guiding, equipping, and empowering us, every step of the way.
In conclusion, the answer to the question about how to make an impact is this: Submit to the authority of Christ by making disciples and by taking every advantage of having the presence of Christ in our lives.
Next week: How do we make disciples?
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