[0:00] your word that we be people that, Lord, by the help of your Holy Spirit, we can be doers of what you ask for us, Lord.
[0:14] As we speak of the Great Commission today, let us be a church, Lord, that is committed to reaching those in the word, in evangelism, with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[0:31] We pray for all of this in the precious name of our Savior, Christ. Amen. So we have been talking one more time about the subject of biblical discipleship.
[0:48] Discipleship, today's week number six. After today, one more week to go. It's a total of seven weeks in this subject.
[0:59] So next week is going to be the final Sunday, discussing about this. And we have been seeing all these weeks how discipleship, right, is the process of learning the teachings of Jesus, following that example, imitating Christ.
[1:22] And we live that in our life. We grow in that in our life. And we encourage others, help others, assist others, invest in others in the same purpose.
[1:39] And we also have seen that discipleship involves the process of making other disciples. We are disciples of Christ, and we also make, we replicate, right, we replicate Christ, the kingdom of God.
[1:59] We advance the kingdom of God as we participate, as God uses us, right, in the process of making other disciples. And this is going to be this last part, making disciples is going to be the main focus of the sermon of today.
[2:19] We have seen that the purpose of discipleship is Christlikeness, growing into being conformed into the image of Christ, as we see in the book of Romans, chapter 8, 29.
[2:35] We talk about Christlikeness, right? First, we spend a few weeks in exploring spiritual disciplines in the ways that Christ practiced them.
[2:49] And we imitate Christ in practicing those spiritual disciplines, too. We talk about prayer, right? He was a man of prayer. And we expect his disciples to be people of prayer, too.
[3:02] We spend a whole Sunday talking about that. We then talk about imitating Christ in his love for the word, in his love for scripture, in Bible intake.
[3:15] And we spend a whole Sunday seeing, right, how our Lord was a man that was devoted, loved scripture. He studied, memorized, meditated on that.
[3:27] And it was actually the sword that he used against temptations against Satan and scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and many who opposed his ministry.
[3:38] And we know that we do all of that not relying in our own strength, but in Christ.
[3:50] Because he has granted us, he has already done it. He has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.
[4:04] And the same thing with the spiritual discipline of fasting, right? Christ fasts. And the congregation was challenged two weeks ago to fast and pray one day per week for three weeks.
[4:21] So, we talk about fasting and praying for salvation for non-Christian families of our church members, spouses, children, and others. Asking God to help us into growing into our Christ-likeness.
[4:36] Victory over specific sins we might be struggling with. For strength in temptations and trials. So, if you have been doing that, just one more week to go.
[4:47] This last week. And most recently, last week, we moved toward another aspect of biblical discipleship, which is Christ-likeness in spirit-dependent obedience.
[5:01] And we were reminded last week of the fact that disciples of Christ imitate him in the pursuit of obedience.
[5:11] As we abide in Christ. As we abide in Christ. Then we are able to bear fruit because of abiding in Christ.
[5:24] We talk about John 15, right? Just two verses. 8-10. By this my Father is glorified. I'm just going to remind two verses. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
[5:41] Christ is glorified. And God the Father is glorified by the disciples of Christ being bearing of fruit for his glory. And verse 10.
[5:52] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my Father's commandments and I abide in his love.
[6:05] Today, we are going to another aspect of imitating Christ. Another aspect of discipleship. Christ-likeness in reaching the lost in evangelism.
[6:18] Christ-likeness in reaching the lost in evangelism. And there was a survey done to 1,600 Christians.
[6:34] 1,600 Christians. And they were asked the following questions. They were asked, how important is it that you share your faith with others?
[6:47] How often do you talk about spiritual matters with people that might not share your belief? 1,600 Protestant Christians.
[7:03] And only between 4 to 17% of them. This was depending on the age. 4 to 17% of them share the gospel regularly with unbelievers.
[7:22] Majority did not. Of the ones who didn't. Among the reasons for not doing it. Of those 1,600 people that declared as professed Christian.
[7:36] They mentioned many reasons why they did not share the gospel with the lost. With the unbelievers. Many saints' fear kept them from sharing the gospel.
[7:50] Including fear of rejections by others for sharing their faith. And fear of hostility for sharing their faith. Others said they didn't have many opportunities to share the gospel.
[8:08] Others said they didn't feel equipped to share the gospel. Some said the reason was because most people were not interested in their faith.
[8:24] Some said they were too busy. Some said they were too shy. Some said they couldn't find an appropriate time to share their faith.
[8:38] Some said they didn't find it easy to bring it up faith. Some said they didn't want to come across a pushy for sharing their faith. And some said they didn't want to offend others by sharing their faith.
[8:53] So as you can see. The majority of those 1,600 Christians that were asked these questions.
[9:07] Have their reasons for not doing it. Sadly. The Great Commission have been greatly neglected by many Christians in our times.
[9:23] According to many studies. And this is an unfortunate reality for many in the church of today that needs to change. We're talking not about this church.
[9:35] But we're talking about the global church of Christ. I think that if most of us who are professed followers of Christ.
[9:49] Practice the Great Commission in the way Christ tells us. That is going to be of great benefit for the church. And brothers and sisters.
[10:01] A couple of questions for us to reflect today. As we discuss about this topic. When was the last time that you shared the good news of the gospel of Christ.
[10:13] With a lost soul. With somebody that is not a Christian. If you have done. If you have not done it in a while.
[10:25] Has any of these excuses that we read before from other brothers. Has applied to you too. Has any of us.
[10:38] Not been doing it because of. Being afraid or. Any of the. All the ones that they mentioned there. Before we go any further.
[10:51] It is important to. Make sure that we are clear. In the essentials. In the essentials. Of what evangelism is.
[11:02] And what it implies. The most important part. In evangelism. Is understanding the gospel.
[11:12] Again this is just basic. Essential things. What. Is it that we are going to tell unbelievers. When we talk to them. We need to be clear in that. In order to.
[11:26] Do it in a biblical way. I found that. Our brother Mark Denver. Writing of many books.
[11:37] He made one of the best. The best summaries I have read. So far. Regarding the essentials of evangelism. That. All of us as Christians. Needs to. Know.
[11:48] When doing. When preaching the gospel. To unbelievers. Again. What. What do we tell them. In few minutes.
[11:59] That we might have. An opportunity. To talk to people. About Christ. Denver points out. If we are not getting the. Gospel right. If we are not getting the.
[12:09] Evangel right. According to the word. Then what we're doing. It can be called evangelism. So what are the essentials. Of evangelism.
[12:20] He points out. Denver says. We can. Sum them up. In four words. God. Man.
[12:31] Christ. Response. God. Man. Christ. Response. God. God.
[12:41] God. The first word is God. God is our holy creator. And righteous judge. He created us. To glorify him. And to enjoy him forever. God is holy.
[12:55] The second word is man. Mankind. When we talk about man. We're also talking about women. Right. Mankind. Has rebelled against God.
[13:06] By sinning against. Sinning against his holy character. And law. We have all participated. In this sinful rebellion. And in Adam. As our representative head.
[13:18] And also in our own individual actions. We have. Inherited sins from Adam. And we also individually. Have sinned against our. Holy God.
[13:28] As a result. We have. Alienated ourselves. From God. And have exposed. Ourselves. To his righteous wrath. Which will vanish.
[13:40] Us eternally. To hell. If we are not forgiven. The third word. He mentioned. Is Christ. When we talk about evangelism. Right. God.
[13:51] We think about. What God is. Man. What man is. Christ. But God. Sent Jesus Christ. Fully God. And fully man. To die the death.
[14:01] That we deserve. For our sins. The righteous. For the unrighteous. So that God. May both. Punish our sin. In Christ. And forgive it. In us. Because of the holy God.
[14:16] Because. Of a. Sinful man. God. Sent Christ. And the fourth word.
[14:26] Is response. Right. The only saving response. To this good news. Is repentance. And belief. We must repent.
[14:38] Of our sins. Turn from them. And to God. And believe in Jesus Christ. For forgiveness. Of our sins. And reconciliation. To God. That.
[14:50] Really. Summarizes. The gospel. That really. Summarizes. Evangelism. Evangelism. There is no evangelism.
[15:00] Without evangelism. Without evangel. Without the gospel. And when we talk about unbelievers. It's good. It's good to talk about. Or to remind the things in our mind. God.
[15:12] Man. Christ. Christ. And connect those things. With the word of God. And then we have a lot to tell. And we. And we. Reach the unbelievers.
[15:24] With the biblical gospel. It's not evangelism. Without the evangel. It's not evangelism. Without the gospel. Luke. Luke. 3. 8-9. Says.
[15:35] Bear fruits. In keeping with. Repentance. Even now. The axe is laid. To the root of the trees. Every tree. Therefore. That does not bear. Good fruit.
[15:45] Is cut down. And thrown into the fire. John. 20. 31. But these are written. So that you may believe. That Jesus is the Christ. The son of God.
[15:55] And that by believing. You may have. Life. In his name. So after having this. Reminder.
[16:06] Right. Of. What is the gospel. Because that's what we're going to tell people. When we evangelize them. That's what we're going to tell people. That are lost in their sins.
[16:17] That are lost in the word. When we talk about. Christ. And now. Let's go to two points.
[16:28] First. Christ. Christ came for. An evangelistic mission. Jesus Christ. Came to this world. For an evangelistic mission.
[16:40] To save many lost. And make disciples of them. And number two. Second. The same mission was given to us. Mission of discipleship.
[16:50] Imitating Christ. Imitating Christ. In this. In his love for the lost. And in sharing of his gospel. Let's go to point number one.
[17:02] Christ came for an evangelistic mission. Christ came to save the lost. Christ. Christ came.
[17:12] To save. Lost people. Luke 19. 9 to 10. And Jesus said to him. Today salvation has come to this house.
[17:25] For the son of man. Comes to seek. And to save the lost. Jesus Christ. Christ came to this world. For an evangelistic mission.
[17:36] He came to rescue us. To save us. His work. His purpose. Was evangelistic in nature. Among others.
[17:48] Christ came to save sinners. Mark 2. 13. He went out again. Beside the sea.
[17:58] And all the crowd. Was coming to him. And he was teaching them. And as he passed by. He saw. Levi. The son of Alphaeus. Sitting. At the tax books.
[18:10] And he said to him. Follow me. And he rose. And followed him. And as he reclined. At table in his house. Many tax collectors. And sinners.
[18:20] Were reclining. With Jesus. And his disciples. For these. For there were many. Who followed him. And the scribes. Of the Pharisees. When they saw.
[18:31] That he was eating. With sinners. And tax collectors. Said to the disciples. Why does he eat. With tax collectors. And sinners. And Jesus.
[18:41] He said to them. Those. Who are well. Have no need. Of a physician. But those. Who are sick. I came.
[18:53] Not to call the righteous. But sinners. Christ. Came to this world. With an evangelistic purpose. To save lost people. He came.
[19:04] To rescue sinners. That's why he said. To eat. With sinners. The righteous. Were over there. In other side. Judging Christ. He came.
[19:14] To rescue sinners. For sinners. And. All. All. Are sinners. There is none. Righteous. Even those.
[19:26] Who thought. Of themselves. To be righteous. Those Pharisees. Those scribes. They were no righteous. They were sinners. He.
[19:37] He came. For sinners. Those who are well. Have no need. Of a physician. But those. Who are sick.
[19:48] And this reality. Brothers and sisters. Is clearly stated. In the gospel. Christ came. To proclaim. Good news. Of salvation. In him. We see that. In Luke 4.
[19:59] 16. 21. Again. And he came. To Nazareth. Where he had been. Brought up. And as was his custom. He went to the synagogue. On the Sabbath day.
[20:10] And he stood up. To read. And the scroll. Of the prophet Isaiah. Was given to him. He unrolled. The scroll. And found the place. Where it was written. The spirit of the Lord.
[20:21] Is upon me. Because he has anointed me. To proclaim. Good news. To the poor. He has sent me. To proclaim. Liberty. To the captives. And recovering.
[20:32] Of sight. To the blind. To set all. To set at liberty. Those who are oppressed. To proclaim. The year. Of the Lord's favor. And he wrote.
[20:45] All the scroll. And gave it back. To the attendant. And sat down. And the eyes. Of all. In the synagogue. Were fixed. On him. On Christ. And he began.
[20:56] To say to them. Today. This scripture. Has been fulfilled. In your hearing. Christ. Came. To proclaim. Good news.
[21:07] Christ. Came. To proclaim. The gospel. Christ. Came. To this world. With a. With an evangelistic. Mission. And all of these verses.
[21:20] In the scriptures. Tell us about. That evangelistic nature. Of the coming of Christ. To this world. There is no salvation. For sinners. Apart. From the missionary work.
[21:31] Of our Lord. Jesus Christ. For us. The apostle. Paul. Understood. Understood. This. Pretty well. Right. He did.
[21:43] And that's why. In first. Timothy. One. Twelve. Fifteen. He says. I thank him. Who has given me. Strength. Christ. Jesus. Our Lord. Because he judged me. Faithfully. Appointing me.
[21:54] To his service. Though. Formally. I was a blasphemer. He says. A persecutor. An insolent. Opponent. But I received mercy. Because I had acted.
[22:06] Ignorantly. In unbelief. And the grace of our Lord. Overflowed. For me. With the faith. And love. That are in Christ. Jesus. The same.
[22:16] Is trustworthy. And deserving. Of full acceptance. That Christ Jesus. Came into the world. To save sinners. Of whom. I am the foremost. That's Paul talking.
[22:29] I am the worst sinners. Right? That's what he says. He recognized. That he was a sinner. And he saw in Christ.
[22:40] His mission. Of coming to save him personally. Christ came to save you personally too. Christ came to save me personally.
[22:51] He came with an evangelistic mission. To save sinners. And he also came to save many that are in the world. That are still lost.
[23:03] But are going to come to him. Through the preaching of the gospel. Through the word of God. Christ came with an evangelistic mission.
[23:13] And as he came with that evangelistic mission. Our Lord Jesus Christ also expected his disciples to continue proclaiming the good news.
[23:25] So that those who are spiritually blind can see the truth. As the Holy Spirit convinced them through the preaching of the gospel. Christ came with an evangelistic mission.
[23:38] And when Christ left this world. As he ascended into heaven. And he disappeared in the clouds. As the disciples were seeing him. He clearly left that same mission.
[23:51] For his followers to continue. That mission did not end with Christ. That mission continues with us. He told the people that he was the way.
[24:04] That he's the good news that was prophesied in Isaiah. And we told them. And we point them to Christ. And the good news that can save them from their lost situation.
[24:17] With this we go now to point number two. Right? And this is the point number two. The same mission is given to us. Mission of discipleship.
[24:30] Imitating Christ in his love for the lost in evangelism. We have seen that Christ came for an evangelistic mission to save the lost.
[24:46] And in the same way Christ's disciples. You and me brothers and sisters. Us. We have the mission of proclaiming salvation to the lost in Christ.
[25:00] We have the mission of proclaiming the gospel of Christ. We as disciples of Christ. Have a great commission. Given by our master.
[25:11] It's a great commission. Given by Christ. Matthew 28, 19, 20. That great commission is for us.
[25:22] For all of us. For us who follow Jesus. For us that are disciples of Jesus Christ too. As.
[25:39] When our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. Right on the church was established in the book of Acts. We can see how in the book of Acts. The early church embraced.
[25:51] That great commission. Excuse me. They embraced it. They embraced the great commission of reaching the lost. Because. These early Christians in Acts.
[26:03] And not only. The first. Couple of centuries after Christ left. These early Christians knew that. As disciples of Christ.
[26:14] They needed to talk to the lost about the gospel. For salvation of people's souls. And it is because of the acceptance of that responsibility. They accepted.
[26:25] They accepted. That responsibility. It's a responsibility that we have. That they have. That the church throughout history have. And that we as the contemporary church continue to have.
[26:39] Right? The acceptance of that responsibility by Christians. In the early church. Was a very important factor. In the great outreach and expansion of the early church.
[26:50] Edward Gibbon wrote. That in the early church. It became. It became the most sacred duty.
[27:02] Of a new convert. To diffuse among his friends. And relations. The inestimable blessings. Which he had received. So those who received.
[27:15] The blessing of salvation in Christ. They. Took it. As a duty for them. To share the same truth. With their friends. And with their.
[27:27] With the. With the people that they know. That didn't know Christ. They took it to heart. They knew that another important aspect. Of their purpose on earth. Was working.
[27:38] For the advancement of the kingdom of God. Through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By all Christ believers. They preached the gospel to people around them. A task.
[27:50] That was not always easy to do. Actually it was very difficult many times. Most of the time it was pretty difficult. They gave their life. They. Suffered for.
[28:01] Sharing Christ. They were beaten. Like we see. Right the apostle. Peter. And John. And after being beaten.
[28:13] They were glad. And they were happy. And they were joyful. To be. Suffering. For Christ. So it was not easy.
[28:24] But regardless of hardships. And opposition. They were faithful in fulfilling. What they were instructed to do. They knew that they were divinely called.
[28:35] And divinely sent. As. Great Allison says. Divinely called. And divinely sent. And they took that responsibility to heart.
[28:47] And they act. According to that responsibility. Adolf Harnack. A church historian. He pointed out that. The most numerous.
[28:58] And successful missionaries. Of the Christian religion. Were not the regular teachers. But Christians themselves. In virtue of their loyalty.
[29:08] And courage. It was characteristic. Of this religion. That everyone. Who seriously confessed. The faith. Proof of service. To its proclamation.
[29:20] We cannot hesitate. To believe. That the great mission. Of Christianity. Was accomplished. By means. Of informal missionaries. We do not.
[29:32] We do not have to be. Formal missionaries. We don't have to be. All of us. As a field. In our. Wherever God has placed us. There are people.
[29:43] Who need. To listen. The gospel. We have a mission. In front of us. In our neighborhood. In our workplaces. In our schools. In our homes.
[29:54] With our friends. There is. Missions. Everywhere. For everyone. No matter where we are. Informal missionaries. These are the people that.
[30:06] Has. Done more. In the advancement. Of the kingdom. That those formal missionaries. Right. Formal are necessary. But. We don't need the title.
[30:17] We all are missionaries. That's the point. We all have the same. Mission. Great commission. Just before.
[30:27] His ascension. Right. Jesus. Instructed them. To make disciples. In the great commission. Go. Therefore. And make disciples. To all nations. Baptizing them.
[30:38] In the name of the father. And of the son. And the holy spirit. Teaching them. To observe. All that I have commanded you. And behold. I am with you. Always. To the end of the age.
[30:49] All that are in Christ. Have the command. To preach the gospel. Reaching the lost. With his message. And the holy spirit. Uses the preaching. Of the gospel. To convict his.
[31:01] To bring conviction. Right. Conviction. To those that are. His chosen people. Conviction of sins. The holy spirit. Bring them into repentance. Into becoming disciples of Christ.
[31:15] What a privilege. You and me. Have. The privilege. Of being. Tools of God. To reach people. That are lost. In this world.
[31:26] Our. Message. Our. Our. Communicating. Of the gospel. Is used by the holy spirit. To transform. The hearts. Of people. That need Christ. I find that.
[31:38] To be a great privilege. Brothers and sisters. Brothers. It is the holy spirit. Who uses what you do.
[31:50] He. He. And. And. Through that. We continue to replicate. As we embrace. The great commission. Right. We disciples. Make more disciples.
[32:02] As we embrace. The great commission. As we share. The good news. Like Christ. Because. We are just imitating Christ. That is all. Right. The whole series. Is about. The imitator of Christ.
[32:13] Christ likeness. We are just copying Jesus. We continue. The mission. That he has started. He came. Because he loved the world. And he lived. In this world. Disciples.
[32:24] That are also supposed. To love the world. And continue the mission. With the same passion. That he did. All.
[32:34] Nations. Jesus tells them. Go to all nations. As salvation. Is not only. Through the Israel. To the Israelites. But it includes. The Gentiles.
[32:45] Jesus ministry. In Israel. Was the beginning point. Of a universal offer. Of salvation. To all people. On the earth. And because of that.
[32:55] Jesus instructs. His followers. That disciples. Might be. He tells them. Right. Make disciples. Baptize them too. In the name of the Father.
[33:07] And the Son. And the Holy Spirit. An act. That associates. Every believer. With the triune God. All believers. Who have received. The gift of salvation. By grace.
[33:18] Are baptized. After repentance. And confession. Of faith in Christ. And this is. An hour sign. Right. Of we being. Dead.
[33:29] Buried. And resurrected. With Christ. This is an hour sign. Of. What Christ did. In our life. He cleanses us. With his blood. As we go.
[33:40] And come out. Right. This is an hour sign. Of the cleaning. Of our sins. Through the blood. Of Jesus Christ. So those. That are disciples. Of Christ. Wants to be baptized too.
[33:51] Because. That is a sign. Of something. That Christ. Internally did. In our hearts. In our souls. In our life. Romans 6. 3 to 5. Do you not know.
[34:03] That all. Of us. Who have been. Baptized into Christ. Jesus. Were baptized. Into his death. We were buried. Therefore. With him. By baptism. Into death.
[34:14] In order that. Just as Christ. Was raised from the dead. By the glory of the father. We too might. Walk. In newness of life. For if we have been. United. With him.
[34:24] In a death. Like this. If we have been. United. With Christ. In a death. Like this. We shall certainly. Be united. With him. In a resurrection. Like this. Excuse me.
[34:38] So baptism. Is a sign. Of all of that. Cleansing. Of. And remission. Of sin. Right. Being dead. Buried. With Christ. Jesus Christ.
[34:50] God. In reign. baptism communicates that we have been united to jesus christ it shows that we have been cleansed from sin regenerated by the holy spirit and buried and raised again with jesus christ just to mention few of its significations god promises that all who have faith in his son jesus christ god promises that all who have faith in his son jesus christ will participate in all of the promise all of the benefits that christ has secured baptism is not a sign of one's faith it is a sign of the faithfulness of god to give all of his son to all who believe so a disciple is baptized right and that signifies a work of god in our life and in the next portion of this passage passage jesus speaks of teaching to his followers teaching them to observe all that i have commanded you right this is part of making disciples it is clear here that jesus expects his disciples to obey his teachings and to teach others to obey as well craig blumber commends teaching obedience to all of jesus commands forms the heart of disciple making evangelism must not be must be holistic if new converts are not faithfully and lovingly nurtured in the whole counsel of god's revelation then the church has disobeyed one other the other part making disciples brothers and sisters growing into the likeness of jesus is a holy spirit dependent process that should continue throughout one's life so making disciples involved baptizing them teaching them this is the first the first step is that decision right that that confession of repentance repentance and confession of sins but then after that the the second part proves a perennial incomplete a lifelong task this lifelong mission is of crucial importance for each local church it is the particular responsibility of the church to hand on that teaching and to see to it that new disciples make it their way of life in other words we is a lifelong task growing into obeying the teachings of christ we grow and grow and grow and grow it's a lifelong task we don't stop growing into being like christ until one day that we're going to be glorified and not be able to and be able and not be able to sing anymore christ-centered preaching for the purpose of growing into being like him in obedience and encouraging other disciples to grow is key in our discipleship journey there was a brother from one of the reformers old rich swingley he once proclaimed you are god tools he wills to wear you out by use not by edilness oh happy man whom he calls to his work and indeed god is willing to use his disciples as tools in this corrupted world to bring the message of the gospel to others and make more disciples and through all save those that he has predestined by his sovereign and perfect will it is through it is through the proclamation of the gospel that humanity knows the seriousness of their sinful state
[38:54] and their hopelessness apart from christ a puritan thomas watson he also affirms the same he says that those that are of god it strives to be an instrument for making others godly that's pretty interesting those that are of christ strive to be an instrument for making others godly and consequently they make an intentional effort for the conversion of souls souls he who love his captain will persuade others to come under his banner thomas watson says as christians grow into being like christ their love for god and their love for others also grows so we we we we do not grow only in loving god but we also grow in loving others and that love for others also implies loving those that are in the world loving the lost because we don't know which one of them will be our brothers in one year or one month or six months or two years that's going to be part of our body as we grow into being like christ as we grow into loving god we also grow into loving others and this ignites in us a desire to make more disciples preaching the gospel in evangelism god instead of saying christ
[40:36] We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light.
[40:52] We are a chosen race, but we are a chosen race to proclaim Christ. We were not chosen to be idle.
[41:05] We were chosen to work for Christ. We were chosen to work for Christ. And part of that work is stated in the Great Commission.
[41:18] We are the instruments, the tools, right, used by God to reach the lost with the message of the gospel. And that message used by the Holy Spirit to commit them of sin, as we have told.
[41:35] Again, brothers and sisters, all believers are called to this mission, learning about Christ and teaching others about him. Every believer is expected to lovingly, intentionally, and diligently make more disciples.
[41:48] It is a task given to all. As Jonathan Dodson says, Jesus calls each of us into making disciples. This isn't a mission we stumble into.
[41:59] It requires intentionality. All the Christians are sent to make disciples. And do you know that throughout the years, many has falsely accused Reformed churches because of their soteriological theology.
[42:24] Many Reformed churches have been accused of neglecting the task of evangelism. Something that is false, right?
[42:34] We see how those Reformers and Puritans were people of evangelism. But for some reason, many has accused the Reformed churches of neglecting it.
[42:48] And there's a brother called James Boyce who he narrates an interaction between a professor of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and R.C. Sproul in his book.
[43:04] And I find that very interesting regarding, you know, the professor was talking to a Reformed students thinking about the same accusation that Reformed churches has been subject to.
[43:23] And he says, the professor had been given a lecture on predestination. And then as was his custom, he began to ask questions to the students.
[43:37] The professor, Dr. Herzner is his name. And he began to ask questions to the students.
[43:50] Sproul was one of his students. He was like in a semicircle. And R.C. Sproul was in the other end. And he started asking questions with, you know, one after another.
[44:04] And the question that he asked, he says, Gerners began at the other end. He asked, now, if predestination is true, why should we be involved in evangelism?
[44:15] If predestination is true, why should we be involved in evangelism? Of course predestination is true, right? Of course.
[44:27] The first student looked back at the professor and said, I don't know. Gerners moved on to the next student who replied, it beats me.
[44:38] Like, he didn't understand. He didn't understand. The next seminarian answered, the next student answered, I am glad you raised that question. I have always wondered about it myself, Dr. Gernersner.
[44:53] Sproul was scared to death. That's what the book says. It's true, he was scared. Like, he was thinking how to answer to that professor as, what comes to every student, right?
[45:10] And he was asking to himself, if predestination is true, why should we evangelize? If predestination is true, why should we evangelize?
[45:23] Sproul was scared to death. Finally, Gernersner came to him and asked, well, Mr. Sproul, suppose you tell us if predestination is true, why should we be involved in evangelism?
[45:38] R.C. Sproul says that he has slid down in his seat and began to apologize. Well, Dr. Gernersner, I know this isn't what you're looking for, and I know that you must be seeking some profound intellectual response, which I am not prepared to give.
[46:01] But just in passing, one small point that I think we ought to notice here is that God commands us to evangelize. Do you think that's a small point?
[46:15] God commands us to evangelize. Is there a more profound intellectual answer to explain why, if God predestined us, we need to evangelize?
[46:25] Look at the professor's answers. Professor Gernersner laughed and said, yes, Mr. Sproul, God does command us to be involved in evangelism.
[46:35] And of course, what could be more insignificant than the fact that the Lord of glory, the Savior of your soul, the Lord God omnipotent, has commanded you to be involved in evangelism?
[46:49] There was a little bit of sarcasm in there, right? What can be more insignificant? We don't need anything else to be people of doers of the Great Commission.
[47:01] God has commanded it to us. We don't need to explain. There is a lot of mysteries in theology, right? Like the sovereign election of God and the responsibility of men.
[47:16] This is another one. The predestination of God to those he has chosen and the responsibility of those disciples to preach the gospel to the unsaved.
[47:29] Both things are true. We are called to do what we are called to do. We were commanded to do doers of the Great Commission. And we do because Christ commanded it to us.
[47:42] So, brothers and sisters, the fact that God commanded Christians to evangelize should be the main motivator for believers to add upon it. Furthermore, believers that have the fruit of the spirit of love will feel the urge to bring the message of the gospel to the lost.
[48:03] We will feel the necessity to do it. Final points of application and conclusion, brothers and sisters. It is obvious. What is the application?
[48:14] We need to do it, right? That's the application. What other application? I want to encourage you to act accordingly as instructed by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Great Commission.
[48:26] That's what I encourage you to do. Be a disciple of Christ who shares his gospel with people who desperately miss it. You don't know who will respond to his message.
[48:37] It's not of us to know. It depends on our God, right? It depends on our Lord. But our task is to preach about Christ as much as we can to the unbelievers that we have the opportunity to.
[48:49] As I said, it's a great privilege. It is a great privilege. It is a privilege to be tools for God to save others. Romans 10.
[49:00] Romans 10. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?
[49:11] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? Brothers and sisters, you and me are sent, right?
[49:23] All of us are sent. Wherever God has placed you, as I said in the beginning. Wherever God has placed you, you are sent there. You are the light.
[49:36] Wherever God has placed you, you are sent there. And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news.
[49:49] And in verse 17. So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. So let's be people who preach the good news.
[50:01] Let's also be people who pray for the lost, as we see in 1 Timothy 2. Right? We saw that in our Wednesday prayer meeting this week. Pray for all the people.
[50:12] Because God desires all people to be safe and to come to the knowledge of the truth in 1 Timothy 2.4. I want to challenge you today.
[50:24] I want to challenge you today. I want to challenge you one more time. Would you join me in the goal of reaching one lost person this week?
[50:37] Just one. You can do it with as much people as you want, but at least one people that doesn't know Christ. Would you reach that person?
[50:51] I would suggest thinking about an unbeliever you know who needs the gospel. Think about that person today. Then start praying this whole week for that person.
[51:02] And at the same time, look for an opportunity this week with that person to share the gospel. Invite that person to church and tell them that you are going to continue to pray for that person.
[51:16] Would you take that challenge? Preach the gospel of Christ and let God do the rest. Reach one lost soul. Pray and proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to that person.
[51:31] I hope many of you do. I will. This is not for us to be inactive.
[51:43] It's for us to start doing more in order that the kingdom of God advance. For the advancement of the kingdom of God. Let's pray.
[51:54] Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for what we discussed today about imitating Christ. Just now, as we think of the Great Commission, Lord, how sad it is to read many surveys of many other churches in which a Great Commission has been greatly neglected by the contemporary Christians in our times.
[52:23] We ask that we at Great Fellowship Church be a church that be committed, Lord, to be people who share the good news of the gospel with the lost, with our friends, with wherever we are, that we know that we are sent by you in wherever you have placed us.
[52:40] Help us, Lord, to be people that tell the lost of Christ and let us also do it in a biblical way, thinking that we need to know the gospel in order to explain the gospel.
[52:54] Because without the gospel, there is no evangelism. We thank you, Lord, for your word. And help us to be people that are doers of the word and not only hearers. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray.
[53:05] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.