The Church and Its Missionary Thrust

Dr. Charles Stanley: God didn't just give American churches the Great Commission. He has given the Great Commission to every single church that exists. And God requires the fellowships of His people around the world to fulfill that worldwide obligation on the basis of what they are capable of doing in Christ Jesus when they recognize Almighty God as their resource.
Guest (Male): How missions-minded is your church? While it may seem to be a little less urgent of a topic than some of the needs inside the walls of your community, today's edition of In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, helps us reframe our thinking. Reaching the lost with the gospel isn't a side project, but an ongoing commission. Learn more about the church and its missionary thrust as our series continues. Let's listen to Dr. Stanley's message.
Dr. Charles Stanley: If you'll turn to one of those passages that all of us know by heart, Matthew 28, and we have been in this series on the church and today, the missionary thrust of the church. All of us know what Matthew 28:18, 19, and 20 says, which is the Great Commission that our Lord gave us for sharing the gospel around the world. He said, "As you go in your life, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you. And lo, I'll be with you always, even to the end of this age." Now, it would be difficult for us to read those passages, understanding what we know about the Bible, to think about that God calls a certain group of people to be missionaries, but He doesn't give everybody that obligation. But the truth of the scripture is that God gave to the New Testament church a commission. He didn't simply give it to 12 men or 11 men. He gave it to His whole church. And the commission was, in Mark's gospel, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." He wasn't saying pass this on to future generations. He said, "You are to go." That commission has never been revoked. It is still the obligation, the commission, the responsibility of the New Testament church today. It has never been revoked. It will never be revoked because God has chosen to evangelize the world by sending missionaries, sending out believers, whatever you want to call them, so that face-to-face, heart-to-heart, voice-to-voice, people might hear the only message ever spoken that can make a man's eternity different than that which it would have been had he not known Christ as his Savior. That is an obligation. That is a responsibility. And I want us to look at two or three things in these two passages here today. And first of all, that's this: that we have a personal commitment, a personal commitment to fulfill our responsibility as a church. God is not going to obligate me to do something He knows that He cannot do through me. Nor will He obligate a church to do something that He knows they cannot do without His help and His divine guidance and His resource. So that when He said you're to preach the gospel to the whole world, along with it came a reaffirmation that He knew the church would need. And that is, it isn't something we're to do apart from Him. It is something we are to do in Him, with Him, by Him, and through Him. So we may ask the question: What is the reach of the New Testament church? The reach of every New Testament church is the uttermost parts of the earth. That means the churches that are in Brazil or the churches that are in Korea likewise have a missionary obligation. God didn't just give American churches the Great Commission. He has given the Great Commission to every single church that exists. And God requires the fellowships of His people around the world to fulfill that worldwide obligation on the basis of what they are capable of doing in Christ Jesus when they recognize Almighty God as their resource. So that whether a church has 50 members or 10,000 members, the commission is the same, the obligation is the same, proportionate-wise to what they can do. Second thing in this passage that I think is important is this. He says here is the requirement: Not simply to send somebody a bunch of gospel tracts, not to send a bunch of books somewhere. He says, "But as you go, make disciples of all nations." What is He saying? He's saying that our responsibility is to get the truth of the message and then build up the believers in order that the Christ who indwells us and will indwell them may then work through them to multiply Himself in the life of believers. The gospel was given to be given, shared, and the life was to be given to be multiplied. Not simply adding additions to the church, but the multiplication of the life of believers. That's God's plan. And you see, once we grasp that, that God has saved you and me in order to live His life in us, in order to live His life through us, to duplicate His life in someone else's life, once we begin to understand that, we begin to see that the missionary obligation begins on my doorstep where I live. And that obligation doesn't cease until the uttermost part of the earth has been reached with the gospel. Every single Christian church in the world has the same obligation. We have a responsibility we cannot shirk and call Jesus Christ Lord and Master of our life. There's no way. Our reach is to the uttermost parts of the earth, and our responsibility is giving them the opportunity to grow up in the Lord Jesus Christ even as we have. That's why He said, "As you go, make disciples of all nations." And isn't it interesting what He said? And He said there, "And I will be with you even to the end of this age." That is the reassurance that as we reach out to the uttermost parts of the earth, as we assume the responsibility of equipping these who have trusted Christ as their Savior, He says, "I'll go with you." Now you see, when we do not share the gospel of Jesus Christ and assume a personal responsibility for the world, it appears that we believe that either He's not able to equip us, He will not keep His word to go with us, or what is our excuse? We have an obligation. The truth is, we have failed to fulfill the Great Commission. We may have several thousand missionaries in the world, but so what? So what? And you see, mission doors open one day and close the next day. So we must look afresh and anew at how we're carrying out the Lord's missionary work around the world. We said first of all here that we must assume, that we must make a commitment to assume the responsibility that is ours to evangelize the world. And God isn't asking everybody to do the same thing. He's asking each one of us to do what we can do by the grace of God, the strength of God, the resources of God. So when somebody says, "Well, you know, I just can't do that," God isn't asking you to do anything that He's not willing to do through you. The question is this: What is it that God wants us to do at this time in our life, in the life of this nation, in the life of time and eternity? What is it that God is asking of us? Well, somebody says, "I'm willing to give my money. How much do you want?" That's not it. That is the easiest thing in the world that a church can do for missions is to shell out money. We've salved our conscience for years upon years upon years by shelling out money. Friend, that's not even the issue. The issue is not money. When God gets you and me, He'll have all He needs. The problem is not money. Let me ask you this: What do you think the most intense challenge to you and me today is in the area of missions? It is not money. The first challenge, and this isn't even the most important for most of us, the first challenge is this: Am I willing to go? Am I willing to wash my hands of all that I have and all that I may think is important and say, "God, here am I, send me"? And when I see in the body of Christ men and women who are so gifted, so talented, your families are grown up and they're out, and you've got your life to live one of two or three ways. You can just live it in yourself, or you can give the rest of the years of your life to the glory of God somewhere sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ where people don't know about Him. Can you tell me a better way to retire and to die but in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ sharing His word somewhere people have never heard it? That's a whole lot better than rotting away because of apathy and complacency and nothing to do but exist. God never created Christians to exist. He created and recreated you and me to live the vibrant, resurrected, all-powerful life of Christ in someone else's life until our last dying breath. So what if you have a house and a car and everything else you want? So what? That doesn't bring satisfaction. There's no contentment in that. And if you're honest, there's not a single one who's listening, you'd have to agree there is no fulfillment and contentment in the achievement and the accomplishment of things apart from Jesus Christ living, reigning, ruling in your life. And friend, He intends for us to give our lives until He comes. Sitting around wasting away when you've got so much to give. The problem is not whether we've been commissioned or not. The problem is, are we committed? And to be committed means that I'm willing to lay my life down before something. I pledge with my honor, with my life, I am responsible, I am accountable if I say I will, I will, God. What you want to do is to get in the center of God's will. What is the will of God for your life? And you see, listen, the time has come when you don't ask that question until you are 25. You ask that question till the day Jesus Christ calls you home. And somehow, if we can grasp that, that the Christian life isn't settling down, the Christian life is getting in the middle of a stream of God and staying there, pouring out our life, giving of ourselves, whatever it costs us. And I don't believe you and I can ever afford to sink ties so deep anywhere that we say, "Well, Lord, well, if you'd have just called me two years ago, I'd have been ready." No. You and I have to live loose, brother. We've got to live loose enough that anytime God says "Now turn right," you've got to turn right. And all of our planning in our lives personally, all of our plans better leave the door wide open for God to step through and say "I want you to take a left turn two blocks up this way." And your whole life could be radically changed in a matter of minutes. You see, where we ever got the idea that the Christian life is settling down after a period of time is not to be found in this book. Brother, the apostle Paul, he was an apostle, no question about that. But Jesus Christ has called every single one of us to live the Christian life how long? Till you die, or pass from this life to the next life, which is the best way to put it. I was thinking the other day, I was reading a little book someone had passed on to me about training up your children. And the question that was asked was this: the fellow said all of us like to talk about training up our children in the way they should go, that when they are old they will not depart from it. And you know, boy, we just quote that and say, "Praise the Lord, want to train up our children right." And he asked this question: Training them up for what? Training them up for which world? This world or the world to come? Training them up for what? To make a mark in society or to obey God? Listen, mom and dad, if you and I do not train our children for Jesus Christ, we have failed to train them the way God intended them to be trained. That doesn't mean God's going to call them all to be preachers and missionaries, but it means this: that when they come into this world, before they come, I believe parents ought to commit those children to God. "Lord, here is my son or here is my daughter, whichever one it's going to be. They are yours, and I commit myself to train them for you." You see, we've got to get this whole Christian life in perspective, and the Christian life in perspective is what? One perspective, and that's the cross. I die. I must die to my family. I must die to my children, my wife, my possessions, my this, my that, my everything else because you see, on the cross, there is no such thing as "my." The cross eliminates that word from my vocabulary. There's no "my" and "mine" once you get to the cross. And you see, giving money is not what God's after. God wants you and me to give of ourselves to say, "Lord, here am I." And every once in a while somebody comes and they say, "You know, I just want my life to count for God." Well, how much do you want it to count? "Well, I want it to count up to the point of convenience," and a few other things which neither are in the category or the vocabulary of the cross life. You see, my, mine, convenience, this life doesn't know anything about that. It all boils down to my commitment. Now, what must my motive be? First of all, it must be based on a sense of obligation, a duty born out of a sense of indebtedness to the world. You remember what Paul said? He said, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ." He says it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, Jew, Greek, you name it, barbarian. He says, "I feel indebted to the world." Why do you suppose Paul felt that way? Because he had the light and the truth that had transformed his life, and he felt a sense of debt to the world. That's what Paul said. He said, "I am a debtor to the world to share the gospel." That's my first motivation. It may not be in this order, and I don't think that ought to be your first one, but it's the first one I want to mention, that is indebtedness to the world. The second one, I believe, is so evident it ought to be number one, that is my devotion to Jesus Christ. You remember what He said in John chapter 14 when He was talking to His disciples. He was sharing with them in the upper room there the most precious things before He left. He said to them, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Watch that. Listen. "If you love me," not you'll think about it, not that you'll consider it, not that it'll be a maybe. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." What is one of His commandments? "As you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit." He says that is a command. "Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth." That's a command. He says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." You see, Jesus Christ is only Lord of your life when you've been to the cross and you said, "No longer I, Christ now lives within me." And all that I had and all that I was and all that I hoped to be is all up to Him. We want to come for consideration. He says you come to the cross. That means death. It doesn't make any difference what He's requiring. We just say, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, Lord, what is it that you want me to do?" That is the only type of response when Jesus Christ is really the Lord and Master of my life. God help us not to spend our life making money and accumulating. That's not it. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that as long as that's not your purpose. If God chooses to bless you, praise the Lord. But don't let that be your purpose, your motivation, your priority. If you serve Him, some folks who serve Him, He's going to bless them that way. Some others He's not going to bless that way. Has nothing to do with God's love. Nothing to do with any of that. It's just that God chooses different ways to bless different people. But that's not the issue. The issue is not how much. The issue is what is your motivation for being alive today? What is the ultimate criteria in your life? What are you trying to accomplish? Where are you headed? If you keep living the way you're living and you live to be 65 or 75 years of age, what will you have done with your life? And I want to tell you, my friend, you don't want to end up 65 or 75 years of age creeping around life never having poured your life out into somebody else's life. That's what the Christian life is all about. Dying in order to live, dying in order that other people might live. That's what it's all about. And if that's not there, there's something missing. Listen, if Jesus Christ is Lord of my life, I have no right to tell Him what I'll do with me or my children. I gave up that right the day I went to the cross. And all I want to ask you is this: what you going to do with yourself? Are you willing to answer this simple question? "Lord, at this point in my life, how do you want me to spend or invest the rest of my life?" Now, He may not tell you that in 24 hours. Let me ask you this: Are you willing to ask Him this question: "Lord, at this point in my life, I'm willing for you to take me, change my direction, anything about my life you want to change. But Lord, how do you want me to invest the rest of my life? Whatever you say, God, I will do." That's what God's looking for: commitment based on my lordship, Christ, Lord of your life and mine. And let me give you one more quick word and bless you. Don't tell Him what you can't do, what you're not equipped to do, where you can't go, what you don't have, and what you don't know. That's not even the question. The question is, "Lord, how you want me to spend, invest the rest of my life beginning at this present point? And whatever you say, Lord, I will obey you."
Guest (Male): The responsibility of the church to take the gospel to the world is firm. As you heard today on In Touch in Dr. Stanley's message, our response as individual believers is clear: obey God and say yes to His will no matter what it requires. To learn more about how the church should function or what our role could be, log on to intouch.org. And if you want to listen to this message again, just click on Today on Radio. And if you go to the bookstore page, you can order a copy of Dr. Stanley's complete message, The Church and Its Missionary Thrust, or order the entire teaching set, just look for Uniquely a People of God. Again, you'll find these resources at intouch.org, or call or text us. The number is 1-800-INTOUCH. And write to us at In Touch, Post Office Box 7900, Atlanta, Georgia, 30357. What does it mean to be successful? A different understanding for Christians is on the way in today's moment with Charles Stanley.
Dr. Charles Stanley: Let's just think about it for a moment. It may not be exactly this way now, but there was a time when it was sort of this way. You go to high school, you go to college, you get out of college, you get yourself a job, get yourself a wife or a husband. You buy yourself a house, then you buy yourself a nice car, maybe not always in this order. Then after a while, you have some children. Then you start accumulating and things get better and better, you think. And so you think after a while, "Man, I finally arrived." What in the world is arrival in the American society? Is arrival having a house and a car and children? Is that arrival? Why are there so many homes destroyed and torn apart if that's arrival? Why is it so many people are aching and hurting and divided and destroyed on the inside if affluence and homes and children, if that's arrival? You know what arrival is? Arrival is getting in the center of God's will and getting on that track and staying there until Jesus calls you home. That is arrival.
Guest (Male): To learn more about God's will and how you can align yourself with it, visit us at intouch.org. Is there someone who needs the truth that you heard today? Share it with them and then tell us what happened. Up next on In Touch, we wrap up the series on the church with a look at the future when Christ gathers His people together for all eternity. Join us for more on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley.