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NewComm10-01-013 |
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Commissioned What
Jesus Wants You to Know as You Go Marvin
J. Newell ChurchSmart
Resources, 2010, 182 pp. ISBN 978-1-889638-89-8 |
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Marv Newell is Executive director of CrossGlobal
Link (formerly IFMA) and adjunct professor of Intercultural Studies at Moody
Theological Seminary. This is a fresh
look at the five Great Commission passages, exploring their pattern,
instructions and implications. The
last half of the book deals with core issues, common questions, leadership
principles and the remaining task.
Someone has said that we have taken the basics for granted for so long
that we don’t remember the basics anymore.
We are ripe for a good dose of Great Commission basics. Definition of the Great Commission: “The task
given by Jesus to the Church through the disciples that authorizes it to
carry the gospel everywhere so that all peoples might have opportunity to
believe on Christ as their Savior and become life-long followers of him.”
(16) All five of the Great Commission
passages have this intent at their core.
These passages function as the hinge between the
four Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. They are the “go” command to the
church. (17) Chapter 1. Parting Words –
Pressing Matters “Final words of a departing loved one are always
taken seriously.” “But his final days with them were bookended with
instruction about the upcoming worldwide mission they were to
inaugurate. He first told them about
it on the evening of Resurrection Day.
He last instructed them in it 40 days later, just moments before
victoriously ascending into heaven.” (21)
The final chapter of each Gospel and the first
chapter of Acts record Jesus’ final discourses to the disciples. The following passages have come to be
known as the “Great Commission” mission statements: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke
24:44-49; John 20:21; and Acts 1:8.
“Jesus gave these mission statements to his disciples on five
different occasions, in five different addresses, at five different
geographical settings, with five different emphases.” (23) In chronological order they would be John
20:21 (immediately after the resurrection); Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:18-20:
Luke 24:44-49; and Acts 1:8 (40 days after the resurrection, immediately
before his ascension). These passages contain all the essential
ingredients for successful mission.
“Without question these five mission statements of Jesus make up the
missional Magna Carta of the Church, from its inception, for today, and into
the future.” (28) Chapter 2. The Model for Mission “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am
sending you.” John 20:21 Whenever God had an important task to accomplish,
he sent someone to do it. “As part of
that process to transmit the good news of redemption throughout the world,
Jesus sent out the disciples by way of his Great Commission statements. His people have been on mission ever
since. The living God is indeed a missionary
God!” (29) “The term mission presupposes four necessary
components. Every mission entails 1) a
sender, 2) the one sent, 3) those to whom one is sent, and 4) an assignment.”
(29-30) His first meeting with them
after the resurrection was a teachable moment for the bewildered disciples. Here he mentioned the bare essence of their
new assignment: they were being sent.
(John 20:21). In the Old
Testament Israel “functioned primarily as a magnet, drawing the nations to
the light of God through their life experience with him.” (32) Now the process changes. The disciples are to fan out across the
world in an outward mission. Jesus is propelling them forth. They are to manifest his life and character
as they bear witness and minister. Chapter 3. The Magnitude of the
Mission “Go ye
into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mk 16:15) Eight days later Jesus became more specific about
the magnitude of the task and the goal of their mission. “All” is a vast inclusiveness, the entire
earth, every part of the globe, every person.
This is both geographically global and individually specific. Further, not only mankind but all creation was
affected by the fall and it too is in need of redemption. Creation is positively affected as men are
redeemed and their worldview changes.
They become responsible stewards and so creation gets included in
redemption as the positive effects of human redemption spill over into the
created order. (41) The redemption of mankind, not creation renewal,
is the core teaching. “Evangelization
was the goal, not beautification. …
However, although eco-justice is not a part of the church’s mission by
command, it is a natural by-product of the church’s mission by application.”
(42) The command is strongly evangelistic. “The world will never be won through the silent
presence of believers…. Along with a winsome presence must be a vocalization
of the message.” (43) “Unquestionably
the overall goal and highest stated priority of Jesus is World
Evangelization…. Whatever plans,
programs, or activities missions engage, all are to be measured against this
priority.” (43) “Evangelism should
always be considered the lifeblood of the missionary movement. The mission of the church has evangelism as
its highest priority. Every other
activity falls beneath this ultimate goal.” (44) Chapter 4. The Methodology for
Mission “18And Jesus
came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." “His absolute all-inclusive authority was the
underpinning for their engagement in world evangelization. The right for them to go on mission
anywhere, enter any country, encounter any culture or witness in any
community to persuade any person to believe on him was a God-given right
based on his authority.” (53) “No
church anywhere can claim exemption from it….
[It] is irrevocable and unstoppable.”
(54) Make disciples is the centerpiece of Jesus’
command. “Producing authentic,
lifelong followers of Jesus is the goal of making disciples.” (56) [I wonder if it makes any difference that
in the Greek, disciple is the verb and nations is the object, disciple all
the nations? Dlm] “The first step in making disciples is to go to
where there are people who are not Christ followers. … This is the third time
the disciples heard they were to go somewhere. It shows the duty of believers to take the
gospel from where it is known and believed to where it is not known or
believed.” (57-8) “Teaching has a
final goal – obedience. … It takes growth experiences in community with other
believers for this to be most effective.
This is why believers are congregated into churches (and why some have
labeled this passage the ‘church planting’ commission).” (59) All nations or “all the nations” (panta ta ethne) includes all ethnic
groups or people groups. Joshua
Project estimates 16,000 people groups.
Of these 9,653 are considered “unreached,” having “no viable
indigenous church planting movement with sufficient strength, resources, and
commitment to sustain and ensure the continuous multiplication of churches.”
(61) Chapter 5. The Message of the
Mission 44Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law
of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45Then he opened their minds
to understand the Scriptures, 46and
said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on
the third day rise from the dead, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be
proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these
things. In Luke, Jesus clarified the message they were to
proclaim to the nations. He gives the
essence of the gospel in four vital statements [Jesus is the promised
Messiah. He suffered death and was raised
to life. One must respond by
repentance. Forgiveness of sin is the
benefit.] which explain three vital truths [Sin is man’s predicament. The redemptive work of Jesus is the only
cure. Repentance is necessary to be
forgiven.]. This message is rooted in the Old Testament. Forgiveness of sins is the very heart of
the Christian message. No other
religion can offer this promise of full pardon. It extends to all nations. And the disciples were to wait for the
empowering of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 6. The Means of Mission “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth." This is the final instruction, immediately prior
to his ascension, which includes the means of empowerment, the strategic
plan, and human instrumentality. The
Holy Spirit is the divine Empowerer of missions. “Christian missions are no human
undertaking, but a supernatural and divine enterprise for which God has
provided supernatural power and leadership.” (78, quoting Robert Glover) “We easily mislead ourselves into thinking
that human achievement can bring about spiritual results. …[But] spiritual
work takes spiritual power to achieve spiritual ends. … The mission endeavor…becomes purely
human achievement and humanistic when based on self-sufficiency. …
Technologies do assist in the task, but they can never replace the place and
power of the Holy Spirit in world evangelization.” (78-9) The empowerment of the Holy Spirit is a
dominant theme in the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 serves as a table of contents for the
activities of the book. The gospel was preached to the Jews of Jerusalem and
Judea, the mixed-Jews of Samaria and to the Gentiles everywhere else. (81)
The text of Acts 1:8 uses ‘and,’ ‘and,’ ‘and,’ showing that there is to be
simultaneous witness in all areas as opposed to finishing one area before
proceeding to the next. Jerusalem,
Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth include ethnicity, geography,
language, and culture. Part 2. Chapter 7. The Great Commission
Diamond Four essential elements make up the core of the
Great Commission:
Chapter 8. Common Questions
About the Great Commission Q. Where
do holistic ministries fit? The Cultural
Mandate (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15; 9:1-3) calls for the improvement of
culture and the care of creation to provide a wholesome society. It was given to all mankind as members of
the human race. The Evangelistic
Mandate (5 Great Commission passages) calls for “the spiritual liberation
and restoration of man back into fellowship with God through repentance and
forgiveness of sin. This mandate was
given to believers as members of the body of Christ.” (113) Are these co-equal or is one paramount? The Great Commission passages reveal that
“holistic ministries are implicit, not explicit … whereas evangelistic
endeavors are clearly explicit. We
evangelize because we are commanded to do so by Christ – this the unequivocal
mandate to believers. As such it is
the primary missional task of the Church.
On the other hand, we engage in education, compassion ministries,
creation care and a host of other holistic works because our new life in
Christ compels us. Since we have
become new creatures (2 Cor. 5:18-20), we desire that everything else in
creation experience newness as well.
Therefore engagement in morally right efforts like human justice and
eco-justice, etc., while not a part of the church’s core mission per se,
become a natural by-product of or ancillary to that mission.” (115) Q. Is the
“Nazareth Manifesto” really at the heart of God’s mission? “The one passage that most often stands out as
the substitute for the Great Commission is what Jesus said about himself in
Luke 4:18-19. … The Luke passage … is declared to be Jesus’ personal mission
statement. Therefore, the reasoning
is, if it is his mission statement then it should be ours as well.” If it was his agenda, it should be ours. (119) This quotation of Isaiah 61 describes the
fulfilling of a Messianic prophecy which can only be applied to Jesus. It includes miraculous elements that only
God can perform. It is a statement of
fact, not a command. It includes no
instructions to obey. “To downgrade
the obvious and clear-cut five Great Commission passages, and substitute them
with one non-related, limited application passage is a classical
hermeneutical mistake. The danger is
that it leads one off track.”
(120) Chapter 9. The Why of the Great
Commission John 3:16 encapsulates the heart of it. “The message of John 3:16 is the reason for
the Great commission.” (126) Although
all believers have a sentimental belief in John 3:16, many are confused or
uncertain about what it teaches. “Rather
than affirming the exclusive message of the Cross for man’s salvation, most
Christians today would prefer to believe that somehow, in some way, some
people, somewhere, by some other means can be saved and make it to heaven
following an alternate route outside of conscious belief in the finished
world of Christ.” (127) But Peter had
heard Jesus say, ‘No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6)
and he reiterates, ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12). Chapter 10. Leadership Principles
from the Great Commission Chapter 11. The Remaining Task “Although remarkable progress has been made on
some fronts, the vast majority of the world’s peoples remain unevangelized.”
(151) This chapter provides statistics and presents categories of those still
needing the gospel. Chapter 12. The Great
Commission and You “Today, the Church has all the resources at its
disposal to finish the task. … However, the one thing most lacking, the thing
in which believers today seem most deficient, is the will to act. We cannot
do it if we will not!” (162) |
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recommendations are welcome.