Ed Stetzer

John 20

Some of the reason we do not see the movement and expanse is because we have not under-girded ourselves with the teaching of Jesus that would compel us.

  1. We are Sent- too often we think of ourselves as having arrived rather than living as something- John 20:21 Christians have a tendency to lock themselves in and have retreated and failed to present a gospel witness in culture.

Holiness is separation from sin not sinners

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Promise of peace along with sending. – we are sent on mission that leads to multiplication in mission and in life. We are all sent on mission.

When you build buildings that look like theaters it is hard not to attract show-goers. We are identifying with the mission of Jesus in this passage- John 20:21. We join Jesus in His mission.

All of God’s people are sent on mission and should lead to true biblical multiplication.

Avery Willis- by mission I mean the total redemptive purpose of God

Mission- to send. God is both sender and sent. Missionaries are set apart by God.

Mission-shift- textbook on mission issues.

Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter- Charles Spurgeon.

  1. the Father sent the Son- John 20:21
  2. the Father sends the Spirit in Jesus name
  3. Jesus comes and established His kingdom Mark 4:14
  4. The church is birthed and is to live Sent in the kingdoms wake
  5. The Son builds the church by placing people into the Kingdom Colossians 1:13
  6. So the Spirit can empower the church for the church to multiply

Too often churches are full of customers when we need co-laborers.

  1. to all peoples- multiplying to the “nations” focus

All of us are called to mission and to ministry.

Every culture in the world has a religion. Religious rituals and hierarchies to please the God. Outward forms of rituals and outsourced forms of leadership. We create idols that we can do religious rituals to. The natural order is for people to say to pastors and elders you do it and I will watch. It is the default condition of the human heart- religion.

Matthew 28:18- All authority. Go therefore- urgency and activity to this. Make disciples of them- the only command of the Great Commission. Go to all nations- when Jesus said go to all nations but did not mean go to all nations- we think of nations as countries- panta-ta-ethnic- to the nations-

There is no verse in the Bible that commands you to start new churches. But when the disciples heard the commissions they multiplied in churches.

When people get that they are sent and sent to all nations they relocate their priorities to that mission.

Linguistic thread of scripture. God has this desire so that His name will be praised in every language.  God creates languages, scatters them, calls a people in the midst of those people (Israel) centripical mission they were to go out and bring the people up to Jerusalem- God had a sign and a plan for the nations so that Gods desire was that Jerusalem would be filled with people worshipping Him, this doesn’t happen so God brings the tongues to the people and inaugurated His mission- a sign that reverses Gods mission from centripical to centrifugal so that one day they may gather before the throne, from up to out. Because God’s desire is to be praised by every person from every nation.

It is about your neighbors and the nations.

They have asked every life group to adopt an unreached people group.

  1. With a message- a multiplying message Luke 24- preach repentance and forgiveness of sins

Nobody likes the word repentance. The Bible calls this the stumbling block of the Cross.

44% that “Christians get on my nerves”.

Too many people are tripping over the stumbling block of the church before the stumbling block of the cross

The world is not filled with good people who need to come to your church but who need to come to Christ.

What are we going to multiply- newly recruited people or newly reconciled people?

How do we focus on this: the message rather than the tools.

We have to hold our Jesus firmly and our models loosely.

  1. Empowered by the Spirit- a multiplying power

You can’t get people to do this; this is a Holy Spirit thing. Acts 1:6-8. You don’t have a Jerusalem! It is not your town unless you live there. It is not an outline of overlapping mission strategies.

You shall receive power! This is what leads to multiplication! It is the Spirit’s job to empower them.  But most people just want to be customers.