This sermon unpacks the biblical mandate of the Great Commission and the Ascension, framing it as an active, urgent call for all believers to be witnesses for Christ. The speaker uses a detailed personal anecdote from a mission trip to Romania to illustrate the challenges and importance of reaching those different from ourselves, ultimately emphasizing that the mission is accomplished not by human ability but through the power of the Holy Spirit and a personal commitment to availability.
The Scriptural Foundation and Central Command
The sermon is grounded in two scripture readings: Matthew 28:16-20, which contains the Great Commission, and Acts 1:1-11, detailing Jesus’s final instructions and ascension. The speaker emphasizes that the Great Commission is a pivotal, non-negotiable command from Jesus, not merely a suggestion. This is illustrated by contrasting the “Ten Commandments” with the idea of “ten suggestions.” The command is to actively “go” and make disciples, a mission with the power to change the world. This active nature is compared to the Golden Rule (“Do unto others”), which demands action, unlike more passive philosophies.
The core tasks of this mission are threefold: to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach everything Jesus commanded. However, the ultimate goal is not just sharing information but facilitating transformation. A true disciple is described as someone who doesn’t just know about Jesus but actively “abides in” or “remains in” Him, undergoing a daily process of sanctification to become more like Christ. Even after receiving these instructions, the disciples revealed their lingering worldly focus by asking if Jesus would restore the kingdom to Israel, prompting Jesus to redirect their focus from unknowable timelines to the immediate task of being His witnesses.
Deconstructing the Mission: From Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth
The speaker analyzes Jesus’s command to be witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” through two lenses: distance and differences. The traditional interpretation views this as a geographical progression:
- Jerusalem: Local missions among familiar people.
- Judea: The broader, surrounding community.
- Samaria: Traveling to a different, cross-cultural place.
- The ends of the earth: Wherever God calls, no matter how far.
More significantly, the speaker suggests interpreting this command in terms of relational and cultural differences. It is easiest to share one’s faith in “Jerusalem,” with people who are like-minded, such as fellow church members. “Judea” represents a wider community that still shares a similar mindset. The true challenge lies in “Samaria”—stepping out to engage with people who are unknown, disliked, or culturally different. This is paralleled with the historical animosity the Jews held for the Samaritans, whom they considered “impure” and “unclean” due to their mixed heritage and different worship practices following the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom. This represents a call to minister even to those from whom we feel divided, like a family that has grown apart.
The “Samaria” Challenge: A Case Study in Romania
The speaker provides a powerful personal illustration of the “Samaria” principle from two mission trips to Romania with his former Baptist church in Georgia. The mission involved supporting American missionaries, David and Susan, in a country where the Christian landscape was predominantly Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox, creating a dynamic similar to that between the Jews and Samaritans. The central conflict was the societal division between the mainstream Romanian population and the marginalized Roma people, often pejoratively called “gypsies.”
The Roma, having immigrated from northern India over a thousand years ago, faced deep-seated prejudice and structural inequality, being viewed as outsiders, untrustworthy, and inferior. This was evidenced by their lack of access to healthcare, education, and housing. Before a mission day in an all-Roma village, some team members expressed negativity and fear, but they were stopped and led in prayer to realign their hearts with God’s mission for “all nations.” The day turned out to be their most successful.
The ingrained prejudice was starkly revealed when a young Romanian pastor told the speaker, “You all have helped many people this week who didn’t deserve it.” The speaker was stunned, later reflecting that none of us “deserve” grace. In another instance, a news reporter covering the mission’s program to feed Roma children asked the missionary, Susan, if the children “merit asylum,” to which she simply replied, “I don’t know how you can ever go wrong feeding.” This experience highlights the difficulty and necessity of overcoming personal and societal biases to fulfill the call to be a witness in our own “Samaria.”
The Source of Power and Personal Response
The sermon transitions to address the ‘how’ of the mission, emphasizing that believers are not expected to accomplish this great task in their own strength. The power comes from the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” The disciples themselves were ordinary men with common fears and doubts, yet they changed the world by obeying Christ’s command under the Spirit’s power.
The speaker acknowledges common barriers like feelings of inadequacy and the fear of rejection, noting his own difficulty sharing his faith locally compared to on a mission trip where the context is clear. He reassures the audience that when we feel inadequate, God is with us, and the Holy Spirit will provide the words we need. Even when facing rejection, believers must remember that the timing and results belong to God. When overwhelmed by the state of the world, it is crucial to remember that God is in control and we know the end of the story. Just as the angels redirected the disciples’ gaze from the clouds after Jesus’s ascension, telling them to focus on the “now,” believers are called to focus on their present mission with the assurance of Christ’s eventual return.
The Urgent Call to Availability
In the concluding exhortation, the speaker stresses that the Great Commission is not a historical command that ended with the original apostles; it is a continuing mandate for all disciples today. There is a profound sense of urgency, as Jesus commanded his followers to “go,” not “sit and wait.” The ultimate goal is the transformation of lives and the salvation of souls, as it is God’s will that “not one person should perish.”
The speaker offers a key insight: “Don’t talk with someone about God until you’ve talked with God about someone.” This underscores the necessity of prayer before action, ensuring that we move under God’s direction and power, not our own. Believers are merely messengers; it is Christ who saves and the Holy Spirit who transforms. Therefore, the most critical quality a Christian can offer is not talent or eloquence, but availability. God seeks those who are humble and available to be used for His purposes. The sermon culminates in a personal call to action, urging each listener to respond to God’s call as the hymn “Here I Am, Lord” proclaims: “I will go, Lord, if you lead me.” By trusting in Jesus’s promise to be with us always, believers can step out in faith to fulfill their purpose.