At Gateway Church in Austin, we continued our series called The Way.
Following Jesus is less prescriptive and more descriptive. We are given a general framework by the early disciples of how to live out the teachings of Jesus and follow his way. They are simple, but not easy, they are repeatable but grow more difficult, they allow anyone who believes to choose to follow, and all who remain faithful will grow stronger over time. We are like a tree planted by His waters, we grow strong in Him, and we become an immovable force in God’s kingdom.
Digging Deeper:
Message Video from Gateway South Austin:
Message Audio from Gateway South Austin:
Message Notes by Ricky Echeona:
As we wrap up this series on this message of “Go”, it’s important to remember this is not another series that we ‘thumbs up’ and keep on with our life. It’s a WAY of life. It’s actually the framework we are moving forward with as a church. Why? Because it was the DNA of the early church and the way of Jesus.
So we’re going to open the same way we have each week, with our anchoring Scriptures in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 2:42-47
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.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)
That’s the command; That’s the marching orders.
And here was the fruit from taking Jesus at His Word.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)
We’ve talked about Gathering – Growing – Giving. How it’s NOT a new 4-step process of how to follow Jesus, it’s actually the way of Jesus all along. And today we talk about “GO”.
In this era where American Evangelicalism has come to mean many different things, and in our current political climate it has come to ironically represent, to some, ideas and practices antithetical to the WAY of Jesus. So when we hear “Go”, for some of us there’s a spiritual or mental eye roll of sorts, like “I know, i know. I’m supposed to tell people about Jesus.”
When we hear familiar verses like ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” It can almost feel like a Jesus-Sales-Pitch. Like, what are the right configuration of words to change someone’s mind so that they can go from non-Christian to Christian.
OR we think “Go” means how can I make my church sound cool enough so that maybe, probably, hopefully, someone I know might by chance want to come and the coffee is just right, and enough people say hi, but not too much cause that’s weird, and the music is palatable, and please pastor don’t preach on tough topics today because I brought a friend, and maybe the response hits them in the heart. And if all those stars align then maybe they would say yes to Jesus!
But friends, as followers of Jesus we are not tasked with forcing an unwanted eternal subscription of Christian services on people. We are not urged to philosophically convince people into our ideology. We aren’t called to argue others into the Kingdom. And we are not commanded to simply make disciples of our church.
What we are called to do is to make DISCIPLES of Jesus. Not by policy or by force but by our FRUIT. Not to convert or manipulate, but to MULTIPLY. The life of someone SENT, is someone who is FRUITFUL and MULTIPLIES.
God’s original mandate to Adam and Eve was this- God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28 NIV)
He echoes these same words to Noah post-flood. He shares the same sentiment with Abraham for the nation that is to come through him- you will be blessed to be a blessing. Then Jesus, God in the flesh, defeats darkness and death through his life, death, resurrrection, and ascension. And before leaving tells His disciples- Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… (Matthew 28:8-20)
In other words- BE FRUITFUL and MULTIPLY.
It’s actually a recurring theme throughout the Gospels. Through the lives of the early followers of Jesus. And a theme in the life of every true follower of Jesus today. Let me give you a small sample size:
- 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -Mathew 5:16
- Let your light shine- multiply
- Others would see and Glorify God- multiply
- 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
When you really follow the life and ministry of Jesus and His disciples, you know that the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 or Mark 16:15 and Acts 1:8. This isn’t a random command that came out of nowhere. I think we read it like that sometimes like Jesus is levitating and on HIs way out He’s like “Oh by the way before I forget, tell everyone and change the world.” (LOL).
No! He had been setting up His followers over 3 years of ministry constantly teaching them to abide in the Father’s love and empowering them to give it away freely. To be fruitful and multiply.
And you might be thinking Ricky what does that mean, you’ve said it 3 times and I don’t get it?” It means this- it’s about faithfully living a life that points people to Jesus. It means Christ in you being visible to others. It’s what happens when a life rooted in Jesus starts to overflow.
- It means in your high school having eyes to see the person eating alone and sharing the compassion of Christ
- It may mean listening to the Holy Spirit when he asks you to do something crazy like strike up an intentional conversation with a neighbor or stranger, with the hopes of sharing Jesus with them.
- It may mean hearing a difficult situation over lunch from a coworker, or from a parent on the sidelines and praying right then and there
Our contexts will be a unique as we are individuals, but the command is still to Go
Perhaps the passage that has most been on my heart over say the last 6 months is Luke 10. As a Buda staff we were immersed in it for months, and our leaders here have heard me share on this passage a couple of times now.
Let me set this up really quickly, in Luke 9 Jesus sends out the 12 in similar fashion- preach the Gospel, heal the sick, drive out demons, and tell people that the Kingdom is here. So they do just that. In other words, they met physical needs and proclaimed the solution to their spiritual need for God. And in Luke 10, the 12 have now become 72 (this number though is significant and we’ll get to that in a moment). The 12 become 72, so again we are seeing FRUITFULNESS and MULTIPLICATION. People are being healed and delivered and people are becoming followers of Jesus.
Why is this significant for us? People followers of Jesus- GO! They do something with what they have been given. Followers of Jesus are those who are Fruitful and Multiply, and I want us to look at Luke 10 and see what it means to go, what it means to be fruitful and multiply.
So now Jesus gets ready to send out the 72. Let’s read it and break it down together.
Luke 10:1-24 CSB
So how do we Go? How do we produce fruit and multiply:
Luke 10:1-24
1 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and he sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.
A Fruitful Life Starts with a Praying Life
Jesus appoints and sends the seventy-two, symbolizing a mission that extends beyond Israel to the whole world (Genesis 10 lists 70–72 nations). CP’s- only share if you feel like you can move through this without getting bogged down: See, at the tower of Babel (Babylon) the nations rebel. God confuses their language and in essence says, “you don’t want me, you don’t get me. I’ll start over with one man- Abraham.” But His ultimate plan was and is the redemption and reconciliation of ALL nations!
But in order for His disciples to see it, and if you and I are ever going to see what God sees. If our hearts are going to break for what breaks His. We must be people of prayer!
The mission belongs to Jesus; as followers we are commissioned by Him, not by our own initiative. If you want to be a follower of Jesus that produces fruit and multiplies, I firmly and in conviction believe it won’t grow beyond the limits of your prayer life.
- As we pray (talking and listening to God), he shares his heart with us. Part of our reluctance to share Christ with others is that we don’t really see or feel what God feels. Through prayer, God alters our perspective to actually want what he wants — and that makes our “Go” efforts more over a natural outflow of our lives versus something forced. He’s not asking us to “make up passion” — he’s asking us to be with him through prayer and he will generate a new heart in us.
- We seriously lack the required power to do it on our own. Changing people’s hearts, dethroning systems of evil, warring against supernatural powers — we have no chance if it’s just up to us and our best efforts. Prayer pushes us to approach all of this with humility and dependency on God; it grows our faith in him to act in ways we can’t. And those are just the kind of people he wants to empower to unprecedented levels of fruitfulness because he knows they will live out his purposes in the world and not their own.
“The harvest is plentiful” shows God’s readiness to gather people; the scarcity is not in the harvest but in the workers. We live such self-centered lives that if we were to just pick our heads up out of our schedules, goals, hobbies, and wants we would see what God sees!
Listen, I love that we pray for the sick. We need to do that. Pray for your marriage- we need healthier and stronger ones. Pray for job opportunities- God wants to be present in your workplace. But imagine how things can change if we faithfully prayed for our friends and family who don’t know Christ!
- And listen to me- WHEN, not if, WHEN you pray bold prayers like that. God will put people and situations in your path to wake you up out of selfishness.
- He’ll knock on your heart and say, ‘Hey it’s time you start serving in kids, you’re too gifted to just sit here.’
- Or, “Go and offer to do yard work for that one neighbor you don’t like and start a relationship with them.”
It starts with encountering Jesus so deeply as his followers did. Remaining in Him. That’s how you live a fruitful life:
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. -John 15:4
You heard it last week you’ll hear it forever. As we Gather – Grow – Give – Go… our foundation is one of PRAYER– relationship with our Father. Living in His story!
The passage goes on to say:
3 Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t carry a money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals; don’t greet anyone along the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ 6 If a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Don’t move from house to house. 8 When you enter any town, and they welcome you, eat the things set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’
If you are going to be fruitful and multiply, realize:
You Have Everything You Need
Jesus tells them this will not be comfortable. Pack light. Stay focused. Stay on mission. What you have is all you need.
I have to be frank with you this mission is not for fans of Jesus. It is for followers of Jesus. Fans of Jesus try to convince people; Followers of Jesus live with CONVICTION . Fans of Jesus like His mission, but shun His sacrifice. Followers of Jesus say- wherever you want me to go and whatever you want me to do, the answer is yes. Fans of Jesus may even leverage Jesus to morally lord it over others. But followers of Jesus live with CONVICTION and serve others.
Fans of Jesus say, “I don’t have enough”. Followers of Jesus say “If I have Him. I have everything I need.”
Gone are the days of thinking “Well let me take them to one of our pastors”, you don’t need a degree in theology friends. You have access to the Holy Spirit inside you. You don’t know much, give people what you do have. You know one verse? Share that.
We are encouraged to find people of peace. Find common ground with others and begin to proclaim Christ with your words, deeds, and lifestyle. Care for the sick. Feed the hungry. May need to ask for help lol, but cast out demons. Meet physical and spiritual needs.
Why? Because God cares for those in need. Jesus without justice has no credibility. I once heard Heath Adamson say this back in 2016 and I’ve repeated it since multiple time-
“The Gospel without social justice is a Gospel Jesus never preached. But social justice without the Gospel is just a better brand of eternal misery.” – Heath Adamson
- Love and serve your neighbor. Be involved in wanting to transform your community, but not so you can virtue signal- so that the hope of Christ and the abundant life he offers is made real and tangible for people.
And notice Jesus addresses them as a whole, then sends them out in pairs. Don’t do this alone. Do it in community with others. It ties back into the importance of Gathering once again.
Let’s continue reading:
10 When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We are wiping off even the dust of your town that clings to our feet as a witness against you. Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades. 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Expect Acceptance and Rejection
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
This one is hard for many of us. Especially the people pleasers in the room. Not everyone will accept the message.
I worked with teenagers trying to disciple them for 10 years, I know what rejection feels like lol. But I also know the joy of seeing the transformations in hundreds of teenagers who are now adults following Christ.
It goes on to say:
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. 20 However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
To be fruitful and multiply, as you Go understand:
Your Identity is not in the Results, it is in the Risen King
Please don’t take this literally as some have. Do not walk up in here with snakes and scorpions like you’re Jesus Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. Even he found out the hard way. That is not what this verse means. Jesus is talking about demonic forces in the unseen realm. In fact, the disciples are so blown away by the fact that demons submit, to the name of Jesus by the way, that it’s the first thing they mentioned. And Jesus is so nonchalant about it- like “oh yea, that’s a part of this whole rescue mission by the way. Enjoy the authority. But don’t get caught up in that. Keep getting caught up in me.”
Nerdy nugget– when Jesus says “I watched Satan fall…” Is the imperfect tense of the greek verb here. So it really reads as “I was watching Satan fall…”. So it’s not just past, but it’s Jesus saying- as you were going out the enemy was falling. He was in retreat mode and His kingdom was falling.
Follower of Jesus. THis is what you get to be a part of- as you love, pray, proclaim, and abide in Christ. As you gather, grow, give, and Go. The kingdom of darkness falls!
“…and the gates of hell shall not prevail”
Lastly, why? Why do we Go? “Why can’t I just be a fan?” Well because you will drift into spiritual obscurity. And the truth is if You’ve really encountered God. You realize I go because He is worth it.
The passage ends with this:
21 At that time he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 22 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son desires[ to reveal him.”
23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
He is Worth it
When you step into the adventure of life in the kingdom you will be amazed at what God does. You and I are those led by the Holy Spirit, that means wherever you go the Kingdom of God is at hand!
When you and I are face-to-face with our Maker. You will see that living for Him was worth it. Gathering together to worship HIm was worth it. Growing to be more like Him was worth it. Giving what we had for Him and for others was worth it. And Going to where and to whom He sent us was worth it.
Revelation 5 paints the scene this way- 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
We go because He first came FOR us. God established his kingdom in a mountain garden- heaven touching Earth. And when our sin separated us from a holy God He did not leave us to fend for ourselves and figure it out. He lived the life we could not. He taught us how to abide with our Father. How to live in His kingdom. He willingly gave his life to be a once and for all sacrifice for our sins. And 3 days later He rose from the grave forever conquering sin, death, and darkness. And to those who received him He calls them family. And those who are his family, that is, his followers. He calls you to go and take this good news everywhere you go.
And if you are in earshot of my voice and want to receive Him maybe for the first time you can do that now with me….
Before we enter into another moment of worship, pray this out loud with me from our friends at Lectio 365:
Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to you in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen.
