Life Project Blog

Introduction

The great Commission had been given, and the plan of Ages was being revealed… the Apostles waited in Jerusalem until they received “power from on high”. God wanted it to be clear that the Apostles had the authority to speak for Christ.

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

John 17:14-20a

            The Apostles understood that they had the authority to speak for Christ, that to lie to them was to lie to the Spirit, that to disobey them was to disobey the Spirit, and that to listen to them was to hear what the Spirit was saying.

Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Acts 5:4

…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

1Cor. 2:10-13

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

1Thess. 2:13

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

1John 4:1-6

Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

1Thess. 4:8

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

2Thess. 2:15

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:18-25

There are two basic assumptions at work here: First that the Apostles spoke with authority. Second, the Apostles were not only men who understood what Jesus wanted, but that they were faithful in doing what Jesus wanted. If we accept these assumptions, we can then also understand their message: the church and the Great Commission.  In addition, we can look at the activities of the Apostles, and see what Jesus wanted. The Apostles established local churches and nurtured their growth: Therefore, that is what Jesus wanted.

Acts and the New Covenant People

When Jesus returned to Heaven, the “last age” began. (Acts 2:17) By the Spirit, the sad events of the Tower of Babel were reversed, and all men heard the same message; the Gospel of Christ. They declared Him to be risen: Messiah…Christ.

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:37-38

Jesus had given to the Apostles the authority to set the terms of entry:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Matt. 16:19

The new church was organized by the Apostles into local assemblies that were devoted to “the Apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42) and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47)

Two Philosophies of Mission

In the book of Acts, we see two methods of mission.  They were not necessarily in conflict, both were successful, and they both fulfilled prophecy relating to the period. Both of them have huge theological implications…

1. The centripetal theology of mission was practiced first. This is an inward theology. In the early days, the Apostles, except for Paul, remained in Jerusalem, and seldom left the city. Even when Peter eventually did so, at the express instruction of the Spirit, he was called to account by the Jerusalem church for having done so. (Acts 11:1-4) Later, of course, Paul would begin the process of openly taking the good news to the Gentiles. The Apostles would go daily to the Temple to instruct the people concerning the Lord, and such prophetic passages as Isaiah 2:2, Micah 4:1 ff., and Isaiah 66:18-19 demonstrate this era. Luke, in Acts, took pains to show parallels between passages describing the glorious reign of Messiah and what was happening at the time:

Isa. 65:25	The wolf and the lamb will feed together	Acts 6:1-7
Isa. 66:12	I will extend peace to her…	Acts 9:31
Isa, 66:12	And the wealth of nations like a flowing stream	1Cor. 16:1-4
Jer. 31:19	And I will add to her numbers	Acts 2:47
Jer. 33:17	David will never fail to have…	Acts 7:56
Isa. 49:6b	I will make you a light to the Gentiles	Acts 10-11
Isa. 42:7	Free captives from prison…to release from the dungeon… darkness	Acts 5:19Acts 16:26
Isa. 42:6	To be a covenant to the people	Acts 3:25
Isa. 42:1	I will put my Spirit on him…	Acts 7:55
Isa. 42:7	To open the eyes of the blind…	Acts 9:18
Isa. 44:18	Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past…	Acts 17:34
Isa. 44:25	And remember your sin no more	Acts 3:19-21
Isa. 56:4	To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths…	Acts 8:38
Amos 9:11-12	And Gentiles that bear my name	Acts 11:26
Amos 9:11-12	I will rebuild the fallen house of David	Acts 15:14-16
Isa. 2:4	And settle disputes for many peoples	Acts 15:1-8
Isa. 2:17	Ananias heard this he fell down and dies	Acts 5:5

While there are many more examples, this should suffice to see the Apostles’ thinking. The Gentiles flowed into Jerusalem and brought their wealth with them which they laid at the Apostles’ feet, and the Word flowed out to the entire world when they returned home: Isaiah’s prophecies came true.

2. The other philosophy of mission is called centrifugal, meaning that it flowed out from the center. When Paul, on his journeys, went out to the ends of the known world and took the Gospel to the nations, this is what he was doing. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, this has become the mainstay of Christian Missions.

The Death and Resurrection of Christ

Jesus saw His death as formal covenant ratification, and that fact can be seen in the following verses:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luke 22:20

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins

. Matt. 26:28

            The words “this is the blood of the covenant” were intended to refer to a formal covenant oath taking (Exod. 24:8). God was promising in the oath remission of sins through Christ, and was signing the New Covenant in blood. As surely as Christ died on the cross, God will save to the “uttermost all that draw near to Him in Christ“ (Heb. 10:19-23). The cross was intended to show God’s goodness and mercy to Man, and to draw humanity to repentance…

But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself

John 12:32

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

Romans 2:4

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:31-32

            God did at the cross what the Old Covenant promises had not done; He broke men’s hearts and gained their allegiance… something that says quite a bit about God’s character and His love for us. The cross assured all of us of God’s love toward us:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

1Cor. 15:20

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One  see decay.

You have made ^[known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:9-11

            God had indeed kept His commitment to Christ by raising Him from the dead; the first of millions!  Paul called the resurrection a “guarantee offering” using the old sacrificial system as a frame of reference, to illustrate the fact that the resurrection of Christ confirmed all that Christ had taught and promised.

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.

Acts 17:30-31

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:25

…and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 1:4

The Great Commission

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matt. 28:18-20

            Jesus invoked authority to begin His commission. When someone invokes authority, what he is doing is communicating to his hearers that what follows is very important. If you ever read words that say something like: “I, __________  ____________, president of the United States of America…” you would know right away that the president is making an official statement placing the whole power of his office behind it.  When Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” He is letting you know that you had better listen to what He is telling you, because it is coming from the highest authority in the entire universe, and that this official statement had better be taken seriously.

In the Great Commission, Jesus was laying out terms of service: go, make disciples, baptizing, teaching to obey. These four actions are not suggestions, or something to be left to the professionals: they are direct covenant commands from God Almighty through Jesus Christ to each of us. In fact, they look an awful lot like a covenant:

Parties:                         God, and the disciples of Christ

Terms:                          Go, make disciples, baptizing, teaching to obey Christ

Promises:                     “I will be with you always”

This is not a command that will be measured by the attempt, but by the results. It isn’t enough just to go; we must MAKE DISCIPLES. More than any other single passage of scripture, the Great Commission illustrates the end of the Old Covenant.