Repentance and forgiveness of sins are exact words describing the conversion of a sinner. It’s about rescuing the perishing, finding the lost, saving the sinner. The Church can call it evangelism, soulwin- ning, fishing for men, but “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).
Discipling
“Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matt. 28:18-20). Just as newborn babies need more than a congratulatory pat on the back, so do new creations in Christ. The instant of their salvation they become disciples (learners, followers, students) who need discipling (teaching, leadership, instruction). Jesus knew the mortality rate would be high without discipling. That’s why Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:2, “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
Equipping
“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you’” (John 20:21). Equipping is about furnishing all the resources needed to fulfill an assignment. The Father sent His Son fully furnished with anointing, power, and giftedness necessary to com- plete His work. Every believer not only has an assignment, but an anointing and gifting to serve effectively. It is the task
of leaders in the Church to help others discover their assignment. It is the task of each individual to develop and deploy his equipment.
Empowering
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,
again by the Holy Spirit when the leaders of the church in Antioch separated him for the specific work to which he had been called (see 13:2).
The Church is invited to process the Great Commission. Process? Yes. From the perspective of Jesus, this is what it looks like.
In my personal times of prayer and fasting, I have heard the still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit calling me to the mission. As I travel around the world observ- ing the work of the Holy Spirit, I’m reminded of the mission. When I’m in meetings with world denominational and parachurch leaders, I hear them speaking the same word of agreement with the Spirit. The question has never been if the Church will survive or if the Church will change. The question is whether the Church will embrace its mission with conviction. That is the supreme reason the Church is here. We are on a mission. We are mis- sionaries.
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Empower- ing is twofold: it requires a knowledge of the task and the capacity to accomplish it. This Great Commission mission is gargantuan and overwhelmingly impos- sible without the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers accept the Spirit’s power when they receive the baptism in the Holy Spir- it. They actualize His power when they are set apart for a particular endeavor. The apostle Paul was empowered by the Holy Spirit in Acts 9:17; he was empowered
Readers of the Bible dis- cover that God is a missionary. In Genesis 3, He promises to send a Savior. In Genesis 12, He speaks to Abraham and sends him on a mission. In Exodus 19, He comes down to Egypt and delivers His people. In Isaiah 42:6-7, He says, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free cap- tives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (NIV). This is the work of a missionary. Throughout the Word, God the Father manifests His coming and His sending to save a people for His glory. He chose a people for Himself, then commissioned them to take His message to the nations. Continued on page 27
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