In a month’s time we will commemorate Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven which occurred 40 days after His resurrection (this year that is on May 9th). There is not a lot recorded in the Gospel accounts about Jesus’ post-resurrection ministry with His disciples who He had, by now, designated apostles (sent ones). There are appearance scenes, yes, but not much about His ministry, as such. Luke and John provide the most detail but, still, not a lot really. Mark says nothing at all, Matthew records in the most detail the words of the Great Commission, that’s it.
Luke foreshadows the coming of Holy Spirit …
Luke 24:49 (NIV)
“I am going to send you what my Father has promised;
but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
And, of course, in his second volume – The Book of the Acts of the Apostles – Luke records the coming of Holy Spirit that momentous Pentecost Day when the Church was officially born. John, apart from some conversation between Jesus and His followers, concludes his narrative by saying …
John 21:25 (NIV)
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
What these other things were, we don’t know. My hunch is Jesus continued to demonstrate the power of The Kingdom of God and instruct the disciples in more detail now that their eyes had been opened to the revelation of His death and resurrection – they were capable of comprehending now …
Luke 24:45-46 (NIV)
45 Then Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, …”
The apostles were now in a state of informed perspective as to what the mission of Jesus was really about. Again, my hunch is that the Gospel writers – absolutely inspired as they were – did not have to emphasise much more about Jesus’ earthly ministry. What is clear, however, is the parting words of Jesus moments before His ascension. In Matthew there is the great conferral of His mission mandate to His Church, the core of which just then were the disciples and apostles. That mandate came with authority – the authority of our Lord who had been given ALL authority in all existence, time, space and eternity. That was Matthew’s key thing, followed by the command to “make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to do everything Jesus had shown the disciples how to do in that three-year apprenticeship with Him.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
So, Matthew, authority for the ongoing mission of Jesus now conferred on the church, and some practical instructions – going, baptizing, and teaching which are all subordinate participles to the action of the main verb in the sentence; the command to make disciples. This is God’s primary plan for the church – there is no other priority than to make disciples of Jesus and to train them to do the same.
Matthew clearly states that the church has authority for this mission. Luke emphasises that the church cannot carry out its mandate without the power to do so as well. And, no, we are not splitting hairs here. The point I make here is that for way too long the church has attempted to use authority in its mission without the power of Holy Spirit. This is a grave error and makes the mission of the church about them – not the Kingdom of God. This is foolish, of course, because the church is provisional (not eternal) whereas the Kingdom is eternal and will never end.
When the Church moves in the power of Holy Spirit as it carries out its mission to make disciples and teach them to do all that Jesus had shown those first disciples, the Kingdom of God is made manifest to those God is saving. Without Holy Spirit power, those the Church is seeking to evangelise experience the Church – big difference - and it doesn’t work. This is not how salvation comes to us – it is about the Kingdom, not the Church, and the Gospel reveals the reality of the Kingdom, just as it also reveals the nature of sin and where that all ends. It has never been any different …
Matthew 6:10 (NIV) “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Without Holy Spirit power, Great Commission authority will always be abused by humans – well-intentioned, or not - and eventually institutionalised.
Matthew and Luke are complimentary theologically. They write from different perspectives and for different settings. We have the great advantage of seeing that complementarity of the whole Gospel overarch.
The first century Church comprised of a very small band of Holy Spirit-filled believers who took their mission seriously. They did not doubt their authority in Christ, they moved in awesome Holy Spirit power and eventually brought the mighty Roman Empire to its knees. This is how they did it.
Today’s western culture in which the Church sits has “discipled” the Church into worldly ways of thinking in order to be relevant – and this is far from its mandated mission. There is a wonderful minority of exceptions, thankfully. Discipleship must function as the beating heart of the Church’s mission and ALL its subsidiary ministries. While a disciple may be distinct from an elder in the church, the elder is also a disciple, learning to do all Jesus commanded. A disciple is not just a church member, or attender, although church membership and attendance is crucial.
But I digress …
In this current season, I and the leadership team are seeking to mobilise our church into a strong and effective disciple-making community where the redemptive power of God completely transforms lives so that they move with great authority and power in the mission of Jesus – who purchased us, ransomed us, with His blood.
In the addendum to Mark’s Gospel (the extension to what we call chapter 16 later added in the written tradition) there is a wonderful and exciting mention of what occurred when those first apostles and disciples ventured forth in confident obedience to the Great Commission …
Mark 16:20 (NIV)
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it.”
Moving with utter confidence in their authority and, at the same time, doing so in Holy Spirit power saw signs and wonders that confirmed the Gospel. In the end, that’s all we have, and it is more than enough!
Acts 3:4-10 (NIV) Peter looked straight at him [the lame man], as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”
The Church needs to come right back here, reset, and venture forth relying on the authority of Jesus and the power of Holy Spirit.
That’s where we are going – and we have more than enough.
Think on these things. Get on board because signs, wonders and souls are coming.
Ps Milton