Jesus, the Missionary / Christ-Centered Missions, part 1
By Brother Juan and Sister Helen
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.Romans 10:14-17
Jesus was sent to share the Good News. Jesus was a Missionary.
What is a missionary? According to Google: a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country.
Again, Jesus was sent.The Father had a specific purpose for Jesus, one that was already defined as early as the book of Genesis, in the Old Testament.
God’s word is the same as who He is. God is the same as His word; you cannot have God without His word. His Word to Adam and Eve was firm: Do not eat of the Tree – so, when they violated the Word, they went against Creator, and consequently, His creation.
So, again, by His word, it was prophesied that He would send a Redeemer; As early as Genesis, Christ was prophesied.
Christ was further prophesied 700 years before His birth, through the prophet Isaiah. The Christ was spoken by the word of Isaiah.
When the angel told Mary of her role in the coming of Christ, she responded, let it be done ‘according to (Your) Word‘.
Jesus was eventually born into this world, and by the age of 30 He was baptized by John the Baptist. At His baptism, the dove descended, but more importantly, His voice was heard, the first of only three instances of God speaking in the New Testament: ‘This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased‘. Again, God spoke His Word.
Christ was tempted and responded with the Word, prior to being ‘released’ into ministry.
In ministry He went to the synagogue, and spoke the Word:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”Luke 4:18-19
He spoke the Word, and then followed that up by saying, ‘today, this Scripture (Word) has been fulfilled in your hearing‘.
Matthew spoke to the Jewish people pointing to Christ as a King.
Mark spoke, pointing to Christ as a Servant.
Luke spoke, pointing to Christ as the Son of Man.
John spoke pointing to Christ as the Son of God.
…Their words pointed to the Word.
But back to the book of Matthew. Christ spoke in the famous Sermon of the Mount, and what He had to say was really heavy (as someone who has heard Andrew Farley saying that this was a ‘killer’ Sermon that brings us to the end of ourselves, I would have to agree. This is heavy.) His Words were heavy.
Christ spoke with the power of the Holy Spirit. He spoke His Word to nature, and the winds, the waves, and the fig trees obeyed.
He spoke His Word to the Disciples, and brought enlightenment to them by way of the Parables.
In the parable of the Sower, Christ emphasized the potential of the Word, and warned His disciples to keep the Word, and to let it take root in fertile soil.
Christ spoke His Word, giving thanks, and people were fed, with leftovers.
Christ spoke the Word with authority, and people were healed.
Christ preached the Word, and demons fled.
Christ is the Living Word. He gave life to the Word. He brought Life to the Word.
By the Word of God, there was light.
By the Word of Christ, there was Life.
Christ knew His Mission – His Father’s Word. He stayed focused on the Word, no matter how threatened He got, and no matter how famous He became.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.John 1:1-14
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);Romans 10:8
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Matthew 28:16-20
We are saved by grace.
We live by the Spirit.
All by the Word of God.
Glory and honor to His Name, forever.
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