Tenari Ma'afala
August 10, 2014 - W1432

We in America need to extend God’s love out to the world and think of others, not just ourselves, because there is always someone else who is going through more difficult times than we are.

 One example here during this time is Uncle Peter Mahoe who in spite of his struggle with cancer, still focuses on Jesus and devotes his life in helping others come to Christ.

Today we will be talking about the Great Commission and in itself it is one of victory. Because think about this, if the disciples of 2000 years ago had not listened to the commandment of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples of all the nations we would not be here today. Just as it says here in scripture:

 “And JESUS came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to ME in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

(Matt. 28:18-20)

 We all have specific things that we are called to do for God’s kingdom. And we need to seek Him as we are called out in this great commandment. An example is during the issue of the same sex marriage. I believe that God is testing our faithfulness in this, because if God didn’t want this bill to be passed He wouldn’t have let it pass. But we fell asleep, and depended too much in believing that the legislatures we voted in would adhere to the bible teachings, but they didn’t. They talked about love and compromised love with a fancy word called tolerance. It is my hope today that we can all ban together, not in that overpowering and mighty way but with the heart. Speak the truth with a heart that cares not with muscle and strength. As Pastor Wayne always says, “Our strength is found in our generosity and our humility”. If I offend you today, I’m sorry, but in the same way I’m not. I’m sorry if you feel offended, but I would rather offend you into heaven than to pacify you into eternal condemnation.

 When I was called upon to speak, God told me to keep it simple. It’s what I call KISS, “Keep It Simple Servant”.

 Psalm 118:8 says, “for it is better to trust God that to put your confidence in man”

 Let’s hear the truth as it says in John 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

 When I returned to the fold, this scripture touched me and turned that word truth into a totally different meaning for me. The word truth now means to me “The Raw Uncompromising Truth of the Holy Spirit”. And you know who the Holy Spirit is? It is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. One plus One plus One, equals the great ONE, the One True God. God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell among us and He speaks to us in four ways,

 1) Through His Word. “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word is God (John 1:1) and in John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us.”

 2) Through Prayer. Prayer is our line of communication with God. And if I may suggest that instead of praying for 5 minutes how about praying every 5 minutes even if it’s only for 5 seconds. For instance “thank You Jesus”, “Glory be to You, Jesus” or “where are we going today, Jesus?” It is a time to reflect on our relationship with God. But be mindful, that prayer is a two way street. You cannot just talk all the time, you have to listen too. Stand still and let God respond. That’s why we have two ears and one mouth, we have to listen twice as much as we speak.

 The significance of the Great Commission, is that when Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day, He spoke to His disciples and gave them this commandment. It is significant in the way that this was the last and most personal request He gave to them and it is the same PERSONAL instruction He gives us today and you must remember that He is the same Jesus that spoke to those disciples 2000 years ago. And Church family this is “The Great Commission” and not “The Great Suggestion!” God has commanded us to put our faith into action, for faith without works is dead. Let go, let God, let’s GO and as Pastor Wayne says, GO stands for God’s Openings. So in your family or at our jobs or in your comings and goings we look for God's openings where we can share the truths of God’s word with others.

 Third way the Holy Spirit talks to us is:

3) Through circumstances. As you go out and about, ask yourself, what circumstances do we encounter that the Holy Spirit is talking to us about so that we can reach out to others? Like with Uncle Peter, in his circumstance to face his battle with cancer, that even through those trials and tribulations, his faith is growing by leaps and bounds. There is no doubt in Uncle Peter of God’s love for Him, he always tells me even as I pray and cry for him, that God has got this in His control.

 The fourth way is:

4) Through the Church. Now we have to understand that the church is not a building, it is not an organization, but church is the living body of Christ in which WE are a part of. Even as I am a member of this New Hope Church it is not about New Hope, it is not Word Of Life or of Assembly of God, or a Calvary Chapel thing, but it is a God thing, it is of God.

 There was one thing that hurt me more when we gathered in the rotunda for that same sex issue. There we were the Christians gathering in one place and the pro same sex marriage group gathering in another. Instead we should have been mingling with them offering them water or cookies, loving them and praying with them. But, no, instead, we were standing in our groups judging them. What hurt me even more was the fact that even the churches were not of one body, as we each gathered in our own separate groups when we should have all gathered together standing shoulder to shoulder in unity as we celebrate and praise the same God together.

 So as is said in the Great Commission as we read earlier from Matthew 28:18, Jesus has been given all the authority in heaven and on the earth and on the basis of that authority He had instructed His disciples to go out and make more disciples of the world as they go out praising, baptizing and preaching God’s word. And with that same authorityJesus still commands us today to tell others the Good News of Salvation and make them disciples of God’s Kingdom.

 Then in our understanding of Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus died for our sins and for all the people of the earth so therefore GO just as Jesus did. We have to go and tell them. We have to remember our worth to God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In spite of our sinful nature we are still very valuable to them. And that it is not us who pursues God but it is God who pursues us. But it is our sins that create a wedge between us and God. But what is our worth? Jesus loves us in spite of our brokenness and our sins. But we also need to ask, how much is Jesus worth to us? If we love Jesus then we will hear and understand the significance of the Great Commission. So the same worth that Jesus loves us by when He called us into His fold, to be His child, to lay in His arms is the same worth that we have to tell the world around us that don’t know God. As disciples of God, we need to go out and baptize them because baptism is the beginning of new life with Jesus Christ and shows a submission to God to live God’s way. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ presence that will never leave us and will live within us till the end of time. As we obey we will grow in confidence because of the knowledge that Jesus is with us.

 As it is illustrated in John 14:26:

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things that I have told you.”

 So remember that Jesus never leaves us. Some people do twist things and say, because of all the things they are going through, “God has left me” but that’s not true. Jesus never leaves us but it is the choices that we make, that allows these sins to create great wedges which destroy our relationship with Jesus Christ. Repent, Return and Remain; Repent from our sinful ways and Return to the Father and through God’s Grace Remain in God’s kingdom.

 So why the urgency for the Great Commission? Because for the last few months my heart has been convicted, for no man knows the hour when Jesus will return but we better be Ready And Willing - RAW. God has shared with us the End Times and the Final Judgement to show us the urgency to tell the world of the need for their salvation because the end times are no longer near, but here. We all have family and friends who don’t know Jesus, and don’t we want them to be in Heaven with us.

 In Matthew 24:4-14 “And Jesus answered to them, ‘Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name and say that I am Christ and will deceive many and you will hear of wars an rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled for all these things must come to past, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom and there will be famine and pestilence and earthquakes in various places. All this will be the beginning of sorrows and they will deliver you up in tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for my names sake, and many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another and many false prophets will rise up and deceive many and because lawlessness will abound the love of many will grow cold but he who endures to the end shall be saved, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.’”

 In verse 6 where it talks of wars and rumors of wars, it is already happening, but we need to stay steadfast, because, remember we have the victory already. But we as disciples of Christ, still have a lot to do in regards to the Great Commission. We need to tell our family and friends of their salvation so they too can have eternal life. And in verse 14 it says that the Gospel will be preached to all the nations, so this is why I believe, that even though we are living in the end times, the end will not happen until all have heard the Good News and have come to know God.

 So here is a message for my brothers (and sisters) in Christ, as God’s Kingdom Men, we are to love our God, our wives our children and live as God calls us to live. God’s Kingdom Men believe in keeping evil out and bringing in what is good. When God calls a man to take charge and advance His kingdom, does He call your name? God is asking our men to stand up as the head of our household. God calls us to be the three “U’s” the Uncommon, what is missing in the world today is God’s love for our family, our community and the world around us. Men struggle to express love but we need to. We need to be the Unconventional where we can come together and we need to be Uncompromising. We not only need to preach Christ but we also have to walk Christ. We need to Stand Up, Step Up, and Speak Up for Jesus, our family, our church family and community at large.

 To help illustrate my point further we read in scripture “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…” (Eph. 5:23, 25)

 A wise and Christ honoring husband will not take advantage of his role in leadership and a wise and Christ honoring wife will not undermine her husband’s leadership because either approach will cause division and friction in that relationship. Biblically speaking we men should be willing to sacrifice everything for our wives and make our wife’s wellbeing a primary importance and care for our wives as we care for ourselves. No wife should have to live in fear of submitting to her husband. WE need to be protectors of our wives and children. We need to also really care for the upbringing of our children.

 “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4)

 We need to help our children grow spiritually, mentally and emotionally, not to provoke them to anger and discouragement. Parenting is not easy and frustration and anger should not be a cause for discipline. We need to treat our children as Jesus treats those He loves. This is vital for our children’s development and to their understanding of who and what Jesus Christ is like.

 As it says here in Psalm 128:1-4 “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in His ways. [That’s all of us] When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.”

 A good family life is a reward that comes from obeying God. Reading and obeying God is a good start to make your family all that it should be.

 And in closing lets read Ephesians 4:11-16 with a focus on verse 13 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ. 13)Until we all come to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into Him who is the head- Jesus Christ- From whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

 Okay now referring to verse 13, this is something our churches need to focus on. We can draw the lines in the sand ourselves, and we should because we still all fall short. Instead we should all be worshipping God together singing from the same song sheet and not be separated. It is not that one church is better than another. It is a God thing. It’s all about God. So as the body of Christ, as we come together, remember, we can accomplish much more than we can ever dream possible as a whole than we can by ourselves and then the church can truly express the “fullness of Christ”.

 1) What is the Great Commission?

 2) What can you do to spread the Gospel of God?

 3) Who do you want to reach with God’s love?

 4) What is most important to you to have a God filled family life?

 5) What does it mean to live in the “fullness of Christ”?