22 May 2005

Matthew 18:16-20

Christian Cheong wrote, "There is a story about a monastery in Europe perched high on a cliff several hundred feet in the air. The only way to reach the monastery was to be suspended in a basket, which was pulled to the top by several monks who pulled and tugged with all their strength. Obviously the ride up the steep cliff in that basket was terrifying.

One tourist got exceedingly nervous about halfway up as he noticed that the rope by which he was suspended was old and frayed. With a trembling voice, he asked the monk who was riding with him in the basket how often they changed the rope. The monk thought for a moment and answered brusquely, "Whenever it breaks."

What an interesting answer! Don't you think? It is probably not the answer that the tourist wanted to hear.

I often wonder how we, as Christian congregations, make decisions: "what factors determine our decisions?

I believe some of our decisions are made by one simple rule: "if it ain't broken don't fix it." Of course, we can clearly see the problem with this rule. Think about the monastery, high up on a cliff in Europe. Do we have to wait until the rope breaks to replace it? Obviously waiting to make some decisions can be very costly. And, sometimes the rule, "if it ain't broken don't fix it," can be very dangerous, if not deadly.

Another way decisions are made in the church is simply by asking, "do we have the money." Money is imtant. We live in a capitalistic society that forces us to have cash or credit, before anything is done. Some of you know that my father recently had a minor surgery on his left foot. One day I was surprised by a phone call from his doctor's office that wanted him to pay over the phone before the surgery was done. He only needed to pay a small amount, but the doctor's office could not wait for the day of the surgery to get their money. They wanted to get paid, before the services were rendered. I have to tell you I was upset with them. However, this example highlights the importance of money in our society. And, of course churches are no exception. In general, congregations need to see the cash, before making any mayor decision.

This is why I find the verses in Matthew 28 very challenging. Very few churches today are able to do what Jesus was asking the disciples to do. Let me read verses 16, 17 to you again. They read, "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted." I do not know what words or phrases move you, or get your attention, but the word mountaintop tells me something.

At this particular time, the disciples' lives were turned upside down. In the midst of uncertainty, where did they go? To the mountaintop! It is at the mountaintop where God speaks. It was at a mountaintop where God spoke to Moses and other prophets. It will be at a mountaintop where the disciples will hear a word from God. This tells me that we will do ourselves a favor if once in a while we stop what we are doing, move away from the business of life, stop hearing outside voices and go to the mountain top to hear a word from God. It is God and only God who has the answers to our deepest questions. It is God and only God who can give meaning and purpose to our lives.

The interesting thing is that the disciples who saw Jesus, worshipped him, but some doubted. Their doubt actually encourages me. It tells me that it is OK to doubt as long as I am obedient to God. I have to be willing to go to the mountaintop, with doubts and all. I might have doubts about what God is calling me to be and to do, but I must be obedient and continue my spiritual journey. I might have doubts about the work that I do, and whether or not anything that I do makes a difference, but I must be obedient and continue my spiritual journey.

Their doubt also tells me that God is not expecting people to be giants of the faith, in order to use them. You and I do not have to have all the answers, be giants of the faith, in order to be used by God. If we are willing, God will use us in spite of our limitations. I have often said, "God is not looking for perfect people, but obedient ones." Perfection comes from God, obedience comes from us.

The following verses are well known. They read, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

We do not have time to look at these verses very closely, however, I would like to highlight two important words from this passage that illustrate what Jesus was asking the disciples to do.

The first word is the Greek word for make disciples. Jesus asked the eleven men to make disciples. The Greek word here is not a noun, but a verb, as in "make". Jesus was not asking the disciples to make disciples in the sense that we teach one person a few things and move to the next person. No, what he was saying is that we should continually disciple people. We never stop disciplining people. This also means, that we do not stop learning; that we as disciples who have been discipled by others cannot stop learning as well. We must continue to learn and grow. Discipleship is a continuous journey, not a one-time event.

The second word is the Greek word for nations. Jesus asked the eleven men to make disciples of all nations. Here, the Greek word for nations can mean Gentiles as well as nations. This Greek word was used to describe a non-Jew, a non-believer, a Gentile. We are called to make disciples of all nations, of all people, regardless of who they are and what they do. We are not allowed to determine for ourselves who can or can not hear the Gospel. Gender does not matter. Ethnicity, age or economic status do not matter. Religious backgrounds are not a concern. In fact, we might even say that sexual orientation is not an issue. Jesus has called us to make disciples of all nations, of all people, regardless of who they are and what they do.

Now, I hope, you are beginning to see why the words of Jesus are very challenging. Jesus is calling all of us to make disciples. Even those of us who have doubts are called to disciple others. Jesus is calling all of us to make disciples of all the nations. We are called to share the truth we know with everyone we meet, regardless of who they are and what they do.

If you think that this is not a real challenge, think about this. Jesus did not tell them how to reach the nations. I mean, Jesus did not tell them:

* how much money they needed to have to begin their work,

* or whether or not they needed money at all,

* or what committees they needed to create,

* or what particular neighborhood they needed to focus on first,

* or what particular ethnic group to reach out to first,

* or how big their church building must be,

* or whether or not they should have a building.

Jesus simply told them, "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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." Now, don't get me wrong, we need organization. We need to plan. We need to make good use of our resources. However, we must also keep in mind what we are called to do. Whatever plans we have, however we decide to organize ourselves, must be determined by our primary mandate; which is to make disciples of all nations and teach them what we have learned from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So, what should we do with Jesus' Great Commission? Guess what, I do not know! However, I know this:

* Jesus called his disciples to go to the mountaintop and they did. Some doubted, some did not, but all of them came to hear a word from God. We must do likewise. Sometimes, we must stop what we are doing, separate ourselves from our busy life, and go to the mountaintop to meet our God.

* God was willing to use all of the eleven disciples, even those who doubted. God is not waiting for us to be giants of the faith before He can use us. He will use us in spite of our limitations. God is not looking for perfect people as much as obedient ones.

* God is calling us to make disciples of all nations; meaning continually disciple people and continually be open to be discipled.

* And, of course, to make disciples of all nations, of all people, regardless of who they are or what they do.

I believe that if we make decisions at church, based on what Jesus asks of us, then we should be OK. Jesus also said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you." I believe God is calling us to continue to do what He has asked us to do:

* Continue to preach the truth we know.

* Continue to make disciples of all nations.

* Continue to be obedient to God's voice.

* Continue to seek His Kingdom.

I think that if we do those things, we will be on the right track. We will be on our way to Be Transformed by God to Transform the World.

Let us pray.