A radical commitment to missions is optional

Foreign to the pages of the New Testament is a commitment to Jesus Christ that is divorced from a commitment to his global cause.

When most people read the final words of the resurrected Jesus before he ascends to heaven in Acts 1:8, they understand his words to be a command. Jesus says, "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.”

At first it seems like Jesus is commanding his followers to be witnesses. But when you look closer, you’ll see that Jesus is actually making a prediction, not giving a command. Jesus is telling them what will happen in the future when the Holy Spirit comes on them. They will be his witnesses everywhere, to the ends of the earth.

This is a description of all followers of Jesus Christ who receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. They will be his witnesses, beginning with where they are and extending to the whole world. And Jesus is not presenting this as an option but a reality. It’s what all followers of Jesus do, they are a part of God’s global mission as witnesses to the end of the earth.

Think about the normal answers you get when you ask someone who professes to be a follower of Jesus today, “What is your commitment to world missions, to the global cause of Jesus Christ?” Normally, professing Christians will say “Of course I’m committed to Jesus cause and mission.”

But if you learn more about them, you often find that’s not true. How do you know? It’s usually not difficult to measure a person’s commitment to anything. Just find out how much of their money, time, talents, and other resources they invest in it.

What happens when you ask that same person, who is not really committed to world missions, about their personal commitment to Jesus Christ? They normally say something like, “Of course I’m committed to Jesus Christ, with all my heart!”

I want you to be gripped with the contradiction between someone who says they are very committed to Jesus Christ but they are not committed to his global cause. That’s absurd. That’s like saying, “I’m committed to my country but I’m just not committed to helping my country win the war they are now fighting.” If you’re not committed to your country’s mission to win their war, you are not truly committed to your country.

This is why your commitment to world missions is an issue Christ’s Lordship in your life. Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" In other words, “Why do you call me Lord and not obey my command to make disciples of all nations? And “Why are you not my witnesses to the end of the earth.”

In Matthew 4:19 we learn that when Jesus saw Peter and Andrew, he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Again, Jesus’ assumption is clear, If you are a follower of his, then you are a fisher of men. This is what true followers of Jesus do, they are fishers of men. To say you are not a fisher of men but you are a committed follower of Jesus makes no sense.

Similarly, when Jesus calls people to follow him in his mission, he assumes they will all suffer as he suffered in fulfilling his mission on earth. This is why Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it (Luke 9:23-24).”

Jesus knows that one of the greatest tests of his followers’ commitment to his mission is their willingness to suffer in order to see it advanced. Again, Jesus assumes his followers will suffer in carrying out his mission. It is never whether they will suffer, it’s just when. In John 15, Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” The Apostle Paul wrote, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

This does not mean that Christians should seek persecution, but it means that when Christians truly advance God’s mission in the world today they will inevitably suffer and be persecuted. And when they suffer for the sake of Christ and his kingdom, they will inevitably experience deeper union with Jesus who empathizes with them in their suffering and draws near to them giving them his power in their weakness to continue advancing his mission.

But for many professing Christians, the whole concept of personal suffering for the advancement of God’s mission in the world is totally foreign. This is because they have accepted as normal a low level of commitment to missions that is not biblical. There is no passionate sense of radical alignment of their purposes with the global purposes of God for which they are willing to lay down their lives and die.

We must realize that we are not living in a time of peace but in a time of war. This battle of all battles that is now raging is a cosmic, demonic battle for the hearts and souls of people and nations. But most of us, myself included, live our lives as if we are not in a time of war. But when you realize that you are really in a time of war, you do not act the same way as when you are in a time of peace.

This is why a radical commitment to missions is not optional. The Scriptures call all followers of Christ to a war-time mentality. Paul writes to Timothy, "Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." So be forewarned. This course is built on the biblical premise that a radical commitment to missions is not optional. You are going to be challenged to make a commitment to Christ and his global mission that is greater than you ever have.