Last week Diann and I were on vacation visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and the seven grandchildren in Mexico. As many of you know, they run a mission that hosts regular medical mission trips to the poorest of the poor in Mexico, and four of our seven grandchildren have been rescued from that kind of environment. They live on several acres of land, along with a couple of cows and some chickens. It’s called Refuge Ranch, and it’s located within ten miles of Popo the volcano on a hillside at an altitude of seven thousand feet — which makes breathing a challenge until you adjust to the thin air.

Each day I take my morning prayer walk up the mountain behind their home. Let me show you on the screen the view I had just last week as I met the Lord on the mountain. The path is wide enough for an all-terrain vehicle for a couple of hundred feet, but then it narrows to a horse trail; horses are the only means of transportation for many of the nearest neighbors, who live in adobe houses. I love taking that walk, as vigorous and challenging as it is; I like walking and talking with God on that mountain.

Near the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, after His death and resurrection, He invited His disciples to meet Him on a mountain: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.” (Matthew 28:16)

We don’t know which mountain it was. Though this was written at the end of the gospel of Matthew, it wasn’t the time Jesus left the disciples and ascended to heaven: that happened just outside Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives. This event took place on a mountainside someplace in the area of Galilee.

THE GREAT COMMISSION
It’s obvious that Jesus wanted to be alone with His disciples. He had a special message for them, and the location — with a grand view of things — was certainly an appropriate place to deliver the message. The short statement of three verses we have recorded at the end of Matthew is known as “the Great Commission.” This is what Jesus told the disciples, and it’s recorded here because it’s for us to hear, too: “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)

This charge is what gave the disciples — and should give us — the impetus, or drive, to tell people just how amazing Jesus is and that they need to know Him. It’s such an important set of three verses that we’re going to break the passage down and look at its various words and phrases.

Jesus began by saying of Himself, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:l8) Jesus is unique: there’s no one in the world — in the whole universe — like Him. He’s head and shoulders above the other founders of religions. No Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, or guru can compare to Him. He’s the co-creator and co-sustainer of the universe. He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords!

“Therefore . . .” (Matthew 28:19) What are the results, or ramifications, of the eleven men listening to Jesus if all authority has been given to Him? What are the ramifications for us? Jesus’ word “therefore” indicates that He’s going to tell us the ramifications of His being totally unique: “Therefore go and make disciples . . .” (Matthew 28:19) He wants us to go around and make other people disciples of Christ. Disciples are to be made “of all nations . . .” The disciples could undoubtedly see quite a distance from that hillside, and that added emphasis to the idea that everyone everywhere was to be given the opportunity to be a follower of Jesus.

Jesus mentioned two specific aspects of becoming a disciple: “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.” (Matthew 28:19-20) First there’s baptism: the outward sign of an inner commitment to Christ. Second, there’s teaching: a process of learning and growing in the knowledge of Jesus and what it means to follow Him.

Jesus reassured the disciples — and us — that His followers don’t have to do this on their own. He promised — and you and I need to hold on to this promise — “. . . I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) He’s going to be with us to help us spread the word about Him. I try to keep this in mind when I preach or when I try to put in a good word for Jesus in a conversation or when I have an extended conversation with a person. I don’t have to convince the person or change the person. The Lord Himself is with me and with that person, and if that person is at all open, it’s the Lord Himself who will do the converting and reaching out to establish a relationship with that person.

We’re doing a ten-part series on the core values that make life what it ought to be for us as individuals and as a church. One of these core values is to affirm and act on the fact that we have something incredibly important to share with people — and that’s God! This is the core value we’re looking at this morning.

WHY SHARE JESUS? / WHAT TO SHARE ABOUT JESUS
Unfortunately, for many of us the Great Commission becomes the great omission! If Jesus has all authority and is most important of all, we have to do our best to tell others about Him! Some time later the apostle Peter, one of those being given this Great Commission, said in a message that he delivered to a crowd of people (concerning Jesus), “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Why share Jesus with someone? Because Jesus is most important, and people need Him! Jesus Himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

What exactly should a person understand in order to respond to Christ? We certainly should spend some effort figuring out what we’d want to tell a person if he’s interested in becoming a Christian. The apostle Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) You might just tell your own story about how you came to a faith in Christ, or how He’s helped you in your life. You don’t have to be a preacher, or even an extrovert. Just be yourself!

You might be asked what it takes to become a Christian. There are two basic principles. First, we need God’s forgiveness, so we need to accept Him as our Savior, accepting that He died on the cross for our sins. Second, we need to give leadership of our lives to Him, making Him Lord of our lives. This is the essence of what it takes to become a follower of Jesus, to repent and follow Him.

That’s the message everyone needs to hear. At this point we’re going to be presented with a short drama that Deb Lenhart wrote; it’s called The Soccer Game. I believe it will help us better see what Jesus is calling us to do.

THE SOCCER GAME
The scene opens with a woman sitting on bleacher reading a book; another woman approaches.
Susan - Hi, Gina! Reading anything interesting?
Gina - Oh, hi, Susan. Nothing special: a new book on fundraising. I’m head of the booster club this year and I was hoping for some new ideas.
Susan - Well, better you than me! (both laugh) (Looking at note paper) Well, since we’re here all day for soccer, I thought I’d write a couple of letters.
Gina - Look — here comes Bridget, with different clothes.
Susan - And she has a new hairstyle.
Gina - What’s she carrying? It looks like her arms are about to break!
Both - Hi, Bridget!
Bridget - Hi! (out of breath) We couldn’t have the fields closest to the cars! (laughing)
Gina - Your hair is different.
Bridget - Do you like it? I just finished reading the book Let Your Inner Child Run on the Playground of Life.
Both - Oh!
Susan - That’s a different style of clothes than you normally wear.
Bridget - My yoga instructor says we should free our positive energies and let our inner woman breathe. And my spiritual advisor suggested the crystal to go back to Mother Earth.
Gina - Wow! You’re really doing some — different things in your life!
Susan - What are all the books for?
Bridget - It’s all part of my plan to get myself together. I wanted to make some changes in my life, so this is the place to start. I’ve got How to Be the Perfect Mom in 5 Weeks, How to Be Truly Happy, The Marriage Maker, and of course I’m Okay - But You’re Not.
Gina - Wow! Those are some ambitious titles!
Bridget - I’m glad you think so. You two were my inspiration.
Susan - Us? Why?
Bridget - I’ve watched how you both handle things in your lives. No matter what happens, you have this peace about you. Like Susan — when Sam got laid off you just said, “It’s a little scary, but we’re trusting God to take care of us.” I would have been up every night crying and worrying. I get so upset about everything, and I want what you have. I figure if I study some of these self-help books I could find the secret.
Susan - Oh, Bridget — we’re so sorry! What we have isn’t in those books.
Bridget - Oh, no! Do I need more “Return to Mother Earth” classes?
Gina - DEFINITELY NOT!
Bridget - Did I get the wrong self-help book?
Susan - Well, kind of . . . .
Gina - You see, Bridget, what we have isn’t a self-help book or philosophy; it’s a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Susan - Bridget, the only book you need to read is the Bible. Our peace is actually from knowing we aren’t in charge. When Sam got laid off I knew God would take care of us, because He promises that in His Word. And He did take care of us: we never went without a meal, and we were able to pay our bills. We had to tighten our budget for a while, but we had what we needed. Now that Sam has his new job, we can see how God opened all the right doors for us.
Gina - Bridget, we apologize for not talking with you about this before. We’re both in a Bible study at Susan’s house on Tuesday mornings. You can come if you’d like to learn more about the Bible.
Susan - And we’d love it if you’d join us at church!
Bridget - I went to church as a little girl, but my parents quit going when Mom had to go back to work. Jim has never gone to church. I’m not sure how he’d feel about it, but I know one thing: we need something different. Our marriage hasn’t exactly been paradise the last year, and I’ve always worried about not at least exposing the kids to church. Maybe I’ll go with you this Sunday, but I can’t promise about Jim. I do know one thing . . . .
Gina - What’s that?
Bridget - I have a better chance of his going to church then reading The Marriage Maker, and I really don’t think my inner child needs to run anywhere but away from my wardrobe and hair! (all laugh)

SHARING YOUR FAITH NATURALLY
Every day you and I go here and there and back again, and we see people all the time. We’re often in a position where we can help connect a person to Jesus. Jesus and that person have something in common: they both know YOU or ME! We’re the connecting link. That person you know who doesn’t know Jesus in a personal and all-encompassing way like you do will probably never open a Bible on his or her own. You’re the open Bible to them! They’ll have to “read” Jesus in what you do and say if they’re ever going to learn about Him.

There are several things we can do to help a person connect with Jesus. First, just be a friend. Care about the individual; build a relationship. Maybe this part has already happened. (By the way, it needs to be unconditional, meaning that you’re still going to care about the person and be his friend even if he never gets serious about the Lord. He can’t just be your “project” of winning him to Christ.)

At some point you have to let the person know somehow that you’re a Christian. You might just refer to the fact that you go to church. I know, I know — going to church doesn’t make someone a Christian, but telling someone that you attend church might help to show him where you’re coming from. We can be good — even Christ-like — people, but unless we let a person know it’s because of Jesus in our lives he’ll give us the credit and never think about Jesus.

We’re making it easy today because we’re handing out invitation cards that you can hand to people you know, inviting them to our church. (By the way, the back side of the card gives a basic summary of what we talked about earlier: how you can connect with God by accepting His forgiveness and giving leadership of your life to Him.)

A WELCOMING CHURCH
Once people find our church, will they feel they’ve found a church home where they can establish or deepen a relationship with Christ and His other followers? That depends on us! We need to use our eyes, feet, hands, mouths, and ears!

EYES — Look for people you don’t know. Don’t just see your friends and the familiar faces.
FEET — Walk over to the person! As the title of Bill Hybel’s book suggests, Just Walk Across the Room.
HANDS — Offer a handshake. There’s nothing like the human touch.
MOUTHS — Speak to the person, introducing yourself.
EARS — Listen to the person when he tells you his name; really listen! Often we can’t remember a person’s name immediately after they’ve told us because we weren’t practicing active listening.

Let’s use our eyes, feet, hands, mouths, and ears to connect with people who are new to our church. They need the gift of a warm welcome, and each of us can give that gift!

We love it when we have good news to share with people: “I got a raise!” “We’re having a baby!” “I just won a million dollars!” “I’m cured!” There’s no greater news than the fact that God loves us, is willing to forgive us, wants to have a relationship with us forever, and has a plan and purpose for our lives. This is news that’s too good to keep to ourselves! We just have to share it!