(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
Introduction: People have opportunities to speak about their faith. That they do not always take advantage of those opportunities is often because they are at a loss for words. Perhaps they need an experience like that of one particular minister.
Background: Early in Jesus' ministry, he gives his "twelve" (Matt 10:1) closest disciples a targeted assignment.
IX. The Foremost Commission1
...which is...
At this stage in the history of the messianic movement, there are only eleven apostles, too few for such a large assignment.4 There needs to be a way to expand and replenish the ranks, which God supplies through the Holy Spirit. Paul describes that provision in his first letter to the Corinthian congregation, explaining how the equipping for this particular responsibility is part of the larger corpus of spiritual gifts.5
Paul treats this same subject in his letter to the church at Ephesus, offering another list of spiritual gifts.7 (Note the clear distribution restriction: "some.")
How do apostles and evangelists compare?
As we consider what Paul says about spiritual gifts, it is important to note another way the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers, by manifesting spiritual fruit, which the apostle describes in...8
This assumption is contrary to the context of the passage, where Jesus specifically addresses the eleven, despite the fact that he had many other disciples. (Not everything Jesus spoke did he intend for all believers.11) This assumption also imposes a responsibility on believers that most are not equipped to fulfill. At school, that assumption caused frustration and guilt for many who thought their ministry was in a different area. If you do not have the gift of apostleship, Jesus' charge in Matt 28 does not apply to you. Likewise, if you do not have the gift of evangelism, you do not need to become a street preacher in Altoona.
If the Holy Spirit has not equipped you as an apostle or an evangelist, then your responsibility, your ministry, lies elsewhere, and God does not expect your focus to be communicating the gospel. In that respect, you are off the hook and can concentrate all your efforts in specific the area of your gift. Right? ...Not quite. While Jesus statement in Matt 28 is only for the apostles, it is not the only word on spreading the good news. Both Jesus and Paul advocate a subtle and non-intrusive means of communication (lifestyle evangelism), indicating how the secondary work of a believer, whatever his primary gift, should include this area as well.12 That is, you can and should be presenting the gospel in two ways...
While God has probably not called or prepared you to be an apostle or an evangelist, He has called and prepared you for something, and your responsibility is to serve Him in that capacity, whatever it may be, but you must not ignore the opportunities He brings you to tell other people about Him. This means that...
Either way, it is important that you derive the right teaching (principle) from the right text (passage). Otherwise, you will either be distracted from what God has equipped you to do, or you will be discouraged by attempting what God has not equipped you to do.
As Jesus prepares to depart this earth, he issues some final instructions to his closest followers, those who will carry on the mission he began of bringing the good news of the kingdom to the world. It is The Foremost Commission, the promotion of God, a task that involves all his followers, including you, if not in an active way then certainly in a supportive way.... How are you fulfilling your role?
Having considered The Foremost Commission, we will look next at The Foremost Comprehension, which is finally to have the perception of God, in 1 Cor 13:12.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
The preacher had all of his remaining teeth pulled to make way for new dentures. The first Sunday, he only preached ten minutes; the second Sunday, he preached twenty minutes; but the third Sunday, he preached an hour and a half. When some in the congregation asked about this, he offered the following explanation. "The first Sunday, my gums were so sore, it was uncomfortable to talk. The second Sunday, my new dentures were hurting, just not as bad. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife's dentures... and I couldn't stop talking!"If you find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to speaking about your faith, an experience like that is probably not what you need. It is important, though, to understand what God expects from you.
Background: Early in Jesus' ministry, he gives his "twelve" (Matt 10:1) closest disciples a targeted assignment.
Matt 10:5b Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'Later in Jesus' ministry, he affirms that mission, saying...
Matt 15:24 ..."I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."After his resurrection, Jesus charges those same, now "eleven," disciples (Matt 28:16), with a broader task in...
IX. The Foremost Commission1
...which is...
- The promotion of God (Matt 28:19-20)
Matt 28:19 ...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."While the task expands to include reaching non-Jews with the gospel, those responsible to perform that task remain the same, at least for the moment. These eleven disciples were also known as "apostles" (Acts 1:2), because they were the ones Jesus chose to send beyond their own community, as he also tells them in....
Acts 1:8 ...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.While Jesus had many disciples or 'students,' only some of them had the additional designation of apostle or 'sent one,' charged with the task of taking the gospel to other geographical areas and other people groups.3
At this stage in the history of the messianic movement, there are only eleven apostles, too few for such a large assignment.4 There needs to be a way to expand and replenish the ranks, which God supplies through the Holy Spirit. Paul describes that provision in his first letter to the Corinthian congregation, explaining how the equipping for this particular responsibility is part of the larger corpus of spiritual gifts.5
1 Cor 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.... 1 lb and he gives them to each one, just as he determines....28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.After listing some of the gifts, Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions, whose answers are obvious, to underscore the selective nature of these gifts, that not every gift is for every person.
1 Cor 12:29 Are all apostles? [No] Are all prophets? [No] Are all teachers? [No] Do all work miracles? [No] 30 Do all have gifts of healing? [No] Do all speak in tongues? [No]...(By the way, that last question, about tongues, belies a problem for those in the Charismatic movement, who claim that all Christians should speak in tongues. As Paul indicates here, that is not so.) We do not know how many additional believers in the first century the Holy Spirit equipped for apostolic ministry beyond the initial group. The New Testament mentions four others, including Paul,6 but there may have been more.
Paul treats this same subject in his letter to the church at Ephesus, offering another list of spiritual gifts.7 (Note the clear distribution restriction: "some.")
Eph 4:11 It was [the Spirit] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.Because Paul intended both lists to be illustrative not comprehensive, they are slightly different. The second list includes "evangelists" as well as "apostles," which indicates they are not the same spiritual gift.
How do apostles and evangelists compare?
- They have a similar responsibility.
- Communicating the gospel is the primary task of an evangelist.
- Communicating the gospel is the partial task of an apostle (along with church planting).
- They have a different territory.
- An evangelist ministers anywhere, often within his own community.
Unlike those with other gifts, for apostles and evangelists, spreading the good news is essential to their ministry, no matter where they may be.
- An apostle ministers elsewhere, usually outside his own community.
As we consider what Paul says about spiritual gifts, it is important to note another way the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers, by manifesting spiritual fruit, which the apostle describes in...8
Gal 5:22 [T]he fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23a gentleness and self-control.How do spiritual gifts and spiritual fruit compare?
- First, they have the same source.
- Both come from the Holy Spirit.
- Second, they have the same purpose.
- Both edify the believing community.
- Third, they have, however, a different distribution.
- A Christian exhibits every fruit, just not one of them.
Therefore, as you grow in your relationship with God, your maturity should be evident in these two areas:
- A Christian exhibits one (maybe more than one) gift, but not all of them.
- You must develop and deploy your spiritual gift,9 which presumes you know what that gift is, and...
- You must develop and demonstrate these spiritual fruit—all of them.
This assumption is contrary to the context of the passage, where Jesus specifically addresses the eleven, despite the fact that he had many other disciples. (Not everything Jesus spoke did he intend for all believers.11) This assumption also imposes a responsibility on believers that most are not equipped to fulfill. At school, that assumption caused frustration and guilt for many who thought their ministry was in a different area. If you do not have the gift of apostleship, Jesus' charge in Matt 28 does not apply to you. Likewise, if you do not have the gift of evangelism, you do not need to become a street preacher in Altoona.
If the Holy Spirit has not equipped you as an apostle or an evangelist, then your responsibility, your ministry, lies elsewhere, and God does not expect your focus to be communicating the gospel. In that respect, you are off the hook and can concentrate all your efforts in specific the area of your gift. Right? ...Not quite. While Jesus statement in Matt 28 is only for the apostles, it is not the only word on spreading the good news. Both Jesus and Paul advocate a subtle and non-intrusive means of communication (lifestyle evangelism), indicating how the secondary work of a believer, whatever his primary gift, should include this area as well.12 That is, you can and should be presenting the gospel in two ways...
- First, you must show that God has sovereignty over life by modeling godliness to others (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:15-16a).
- Jesus says to a large group of followers...
Matt 5:16 [L]et your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
- Paul admonishes believers at Philippi...
Phil 2:15 [B]ecome blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16a as you hold out the word of life....
You must show that God has sovereignty over life by modeling godliness to others.
- Second, you must show that God has solutions for life by answering questions from others (Col 4:5b-6; 1 Pet 3:15b).
- Paul instructs the church at Colosse...
Col 4:5b [M]ake the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
- Peter tells believers in Asia Minor...
1 Pet 3:15b Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
You must show that God has solutions for life by answering questions from others.Even if you are not an apostle or an evangelist, even if the mere thought of witnessing to others causes you to tremble and break out in a cold sweat, you still can offer an effective testimony for God in simple ways: modeling godliness and answering questions.
While God has probably not called or prepared you to be an apostle or an evangelist, He has called and prepared you for something, and your responsibility is to serve Him in that capacity, whatever it may be, but you must not ignore the opportunities He brings you to tell other people about Him. This means that...
1. Your role in communicating the gospel may be active....as it certainly is if the Holy Spirit so equips you. Alternately...
2. Your role in communicating the gospel may be supportive....as it certainly is if the Holy Spirit equips you with a different gift.
Either way, it is important that you derive the right teaching (principle) from the right text (passage). Otherwise, you will either be distracted from what God has equipped you to do, or you will be discouraged by attempting what God has not equipped you to do.
As Jesus prepares to depart this earth, he issues some final instructions to his closest followers, those who will carry on the mission he began of bringing the good news of the kingdom to the world. It is The Foremost Commission, the promotion of God, a task that involves all his followers, including you, if not in an active way then certainly in a supportive way.... How are you fulfilling your role?
Having considered The Foremost Commission, we will look next at The Foremost Comprehension, which is finally to have the perception of God, in 1 Cor 13:12.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs