Engage In Mission

We're going to be talking today about engaging in mission. Over the last several weeks, we have been highlighting a number of ways that we, as a church, do that. Before we even discuss engaging in mission, I want to mention some of the ways we have been involved.

A few weeks ago, we had Luke and Kristen Rider from Cross Connection Outreach here to share about their work in Southern Africa, specifically in Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland. They are also branching out into other places, including the Philippines and other nations in Africa. Additionally, we prayed for and sent out a team that is now flying back from Indonesia; they will be back this morning. We also had a team that went out to Gleanings for the Hungry. Of course, we have been highlighting some of the other ways that we are engaged in mission.

Before we get into the Word today, I want to share a little bit more. If you've been a part of our church for any length of time, you know Pastor Eric, and you may have wondered where he has been over the last few months. Eric did not have his own personal rapture. The news of his demise is greatly exaggerated. Eric is a vital part of our church, and we are so blessed that he is a member of our ministry team here.

God has uniquely gifted Eric with a lot of experience from his past, as well as training he has received to minister to people in very specific areas of need. Eric is a sheriff's chaplain, a chaplain with the San Diego Search and Rescue, a chaplain with the Escondido Fire Department, and a chaplain with the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. You can see that the Lord has opened doors for him that are not available to many others.

Additionally, Eric has a military background; he served in the Marine Corps for 13 years. We should absolutely praise the Lord for those who have served our country in that way. Eric has a passion for those who are in the military, specifically.

In the Marine Corps, the Lord has opened a strategic door. A great and effective door has been opened to Eric, and not only to Eric, but also to one of the other guys who is a part of our church—Bryan Barta. Bryan and his wife oversee our Children's Ministry on Saturday nights, and Bryan was also in the military. The Lord opened a door at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego, known as MCRD, for Eric and Bryan to work with Campus Crusade for Christ, which is now called CRU. They have been teaching a Bible study and leading a discipleship group for Marine Corps recruits.

For the last several months, Eric has been doing this on Sunday mornings, which is why he has not been able to be here. We wanted to make sure that you know Eric is essentially a local missionary to the Marine Corps, and that is why you haven't seen him. We also wanted to lift him up to the Lord in prayer this morning. Bryan is not here because he is on his way to pick up our team returning from Indonesia.

Additionally, Kari Richardson, who grew up in our Children's Ministry and then our Youth Ministry, has had the Lord open a door for her to go out on the mission field in China. She has been there for the last year and is getting ready to go back again. She has been home visiting her family and friends, but she is leaving on the 15th of this month to return to China. We wanted to pray for Kari as well.

Eric, where are you? Oh, there he is, hiding. He's a good hider. Come on back up here. And Kari, if you would come up as well. We are going to pray for them. Anyone who wants to come up with us and pray for them as they engage in mission is welcome. Kari fits in really well in China; she's super capable.

All right, let's pray. Father, we are thankful for the doors that You open. Just as the Apostle Paul said, "A great and effective door has been opened," we thank You for wide open doors. We thank You for the door at MCRD. What a blessing it is, even though some in our culture today shout loudly about the separation of church and state. We love the way that You are able to sneak things in.

Lord, we pray that as Your Word goes forth every single weekend, even at this very moment, while we have asked Eric to be here with us, there are others down there filling in the gap. What a blessing for these guys who are preparing to go into actual, real combat situations, that they are being prepared spiritually for what they will face as well.

And so we pray for Eric and Bryan, that You would give them wisdom. Lord, we thank You for the training that You've given to them. We thank You for Your Word that is hidden in their hearts and how they're able to effectively minister because of the background that they have. They can speak to these guys from their experience, and they'll listen because they respect what Eric and Bryan have been through.

We pray that You would continue to bless them and speak through them. Lord, we pray that You would keep the eyes and ears of the enemy closed in this area, those that would like to shut these things down. We pray for the many recruits that are going through MCRD. What a blessing it is that before they step into active service, there is an opportunity to hear the Gospel, to be discipled, and even to be baptized.

So, Lord, would You just continue to bless Eric in this work and the work that he does with the Sheriff's Department, the Medical Examiner, and the Fire Department? What great doors You've opened! Thank You for that. We pray for increased opportunity and open doors.

For Kari, Lord, we do pray for Your blessing upon her as she steps away from her family again and steps away from things that she knows well, language that she knows well, to step into an environment that, even though she's been there for a time, is still so foreign. We ask, God, that You would minister to and through her. Lord, help her to be a bright, shining light—no doubt she is, with red hair and very fair skin—in China. But Lord, we ask that spiritually, You would shine brightly through her and that You would use her for Your glory.

Thank You for her commitment to You and the dedication that she has. We thank You for her family willingly releasing her to the work that You've called her to. We just ask for blessing to be poured out upon her. Protect her and use her greatly for Your kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen.

What a blessing it is! Please keep these missionaries in your prayers; many people who are connected with our church in some way are serving on the front lines. I am so blessed that in 1 Samuel, when David and his men are going out to battle, there was a group of people that stayed with the stuff, and God blessed those that stayed with the stuff in the same way as those who went out on the field. They are an extension of us, out there on the field.

With that, would you open your Bibles with me to the Book of Romans, Romans Chapter 1? Let's stand together. Romans Chapter 1 is where we're going to begin reading.

If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will gladly bring you one. We will start in Romans Chapter 1, beginning at Verse 13. The Apostle Paul says:

"Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), so that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"

Father, we stand here this morning recognizing that Your Word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. You have inspired it for a purpose, Lord. You use it to give us doctrine, to rebuke us at times, to correct us when needed, but, Lord, especially for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. It is through Your Word that we are readied for works of service.

Your Word is a sword, and so I pray that we, under the sword of Your Word, would find that we have great defense against the work of the enemy. We have great defense in this world for missions. So God, would You use Your Word today to transform us? Would You also use it to give us boldness to declare the truth of who You are, to not be ashamed of the Gospel, knowing that this is power? Your Word is powerful to bring about salvation. So God, speak to us through it today, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen."

You can be seated. This is now our fifth study in this series, Life in Connection. As I have said each week, we are seeking to clearly articulate our mission, vision, and values as a body of believers, as a church. We want to express who we are, why we exist, what we do, and how we do it.

If you take a look in your bulletin at the sermon guide, the side that has our logo for the church and says "Life in Connection," today is week 5, focusing on Engaging in Mission. Our vision states: "Because of the cross of Christ, we know that we have been connected to God and one another in life-giving and satisfying communion. As the family of God, we grow together in His likeness by worship and the application of His Word. As a community of faith, we go to labor together for the joy and justice of all peoples."

Under the Values heading, we believe that a church is a gathering of individuals connected to God and one another by the cross of Christ. To facilitate this life in connection, Cross Connection aims to promote a vision for worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and now mission and generosity. At the core of this vision is a love for God, for one another, and for the world.

As you study through the Scriptures, you see what is commonly called by theologians the metanarrative of the Bible, or the overarching story of the Bible. This overarching story can be broken down into four categories. The first is Creation, which we see in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, where God spoke all that is seen and unseen into being. From Creation, we move to Genesis Chapter 3, the Fall.

From Genesis Chapter 3 until nearly the very end of the Bible, the bulk of the Scriptures deal with the third part of this overarching story, which is Redemption. So, we have Creation, Fall, Redemption, and then the last book of the Bible zeroes in on Restoration. As a body of believers, as a gathering of those who follow Jesus Christ, we are right in the middle of that part of Redemption.

We understand that God has created all things seen and unseen. We recognize very clearly, experientially, the Fall; we see the effects of the Fall in ourselves and in the world around us. But we, sitting here this morning, are those who have been redeemed, and so we are in the midst of this phase of Redemption. We look forward to the Restoration; we anticipate the great and glorious appearance of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, when He will bring about an awesome Restoration that we can't even fully fathom or imagine. We have little details of it in the Scriptures.

But we're right in this bit of redemption. This redemptive work of God begins right there in Genesis Chapter 3, immediately following the Fall. It culminates in Christ's incarnation, in His crucifixion, His resurrection, and glorification. The redemptive story culminates in the incarnation—God became a man and came and dwelt among us. Then, in His crucifixion, His resurrection, and ultimately His glorification, we can realize, as a people, even a fallen people, our own resurrection unto new life. Ultimately, we look forward to that glorification.

The Scriptures say, "When we see Him, we shall be like Him." Now, what that entirely encompasses, we don't know, but I can be certain, we can be certain that it is a good thing that when we see Him, we shall be like Him. We are in the midst of this redemptive work of God, but that redemptive work of God is not finished, as we will see as we go through some of these passages of Scripture today.

The redemptive story that we have in the Bible reveals clearly that, point Number I on your outline: God is the Missionary God. Genesis Chapter 3, of course, makes this very clear. You can turn there if you'd like—the very first book of the Bible. Genesis Chapter 3 has been referenced many times over the last several months.

There, we see the devastating effects of Adam and Eve's sin. They partook of the tree that God had commanded them not to eat of, back in Genesis Chapter 2, Verse 17. The implications and effects of their choice affect everything. Everything now is changed. Everything that we see in creation is affected by that decision to disobey God and rebel against His command in Genesis Chapter 3.

We can't even begin to understand what the world was like before the Fall because we have all been born into a fallen world. Many centuries, many millennia removed from that Fall, we see the effects of it everywhere. There is nothing in creation that is not affected by the Fall of Genesis Chapter 3. After they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which Paul...

The Bible tells us that "through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and death spread to all humanity." This occurred in Genesis Chapter 3. However, immediately after it happened, even though God, one chapter before, had said, "In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die," Adam and Eve did not keel over and fall down dead. Instead, a different kind of death entered in.

One of the first things that happened was that their eyes were opened, and they saw that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together to make coverings for their nakedness. The very first effect of their sin was shame—a shame that entered in. Genesis 2:25 tells us that they were not ashamed when they were together as husband and wife, naked and unashamed. But now, shame had entered.

Not only did shame enter, but fear also took hold. The scripture tells us that they sought to hide their shame from one another first, and then they tried to hide themselves from God. Genesis Chapter 3, Verse 7 states that when God came into the garden, they heard His voice and hid themselves from Him.

How many of you remember being a kid and doing something you were not supposed to do? You realize you’ve broken something or a rule, and so you hide from your parents. Anyone ever hide from mom and dad? You hide because you are afraid of what they will do when they find out what you did. Apparently, Adam and Eve were hiding from God out of fear of what it might mean now that they had broken His law.

In Genesis 3, Verse 9, we read, "Then the Lord God called to Adam and said, 'Adam, where are you?'" This question signifies a breaking of the communion that existed between man and God at the beginning. God steps down into the garden seeking Adam and Eve. This is a picture of God as the missionary God. He is the One who takes the first step; He is the One who comes to seek and to save that which is lost.

His plan in doing so, when He came into the garden seeking Adam and Eve in Genesis Chapter 3, Verse 9, was filled with grace and mercy. He was not coming to them as a vengeful judge seeking to bring wrath upon them, which is probably why they hid, expecting that this was what He would do.

That's why we hid, right? When we broke the rules or broke something, we hid from Mom and Dad because we were afraid of the wrath that might come. Yet, He comes as a loving Father, seeking to bring restoration and reconciliation.

May I just say, as a side note to parents with young kids, that when you seek out your children knowing they have done something wrong, it’s amazing how, as a kid, you wonder how your parents always know. As a parent, you realize, "Well, we know because it's so very clear; it's written all over your face." However, when you seek to bring discipline, make sure that it is for the purpose of restoration and reconciliation. You see, God never comes disciplining in anger to try and break that individual. Instead, He comes as a loving Father, seeking to bring restoration and reconciliation.

We know this because, as you read through the remaining verses of Genesis Chapter 3, it appears that a sacrifice was made. He took clothing, He took skins from an animal, and made clothing for Adam and Eve after this point. This seems to imply, and most Bible teachers and scholars agree, that there was a sacrifice made on account of their sin. God is seeking to make restoration take place and bring about reconciliation.

As you follow through the remainder of the Old Testament, it becomes very clear that God seeks a way to establish a relationship with humanity, which is now feeling the effects of the Fall. Under the old covenant, through the sacrificial system outlined for us in the Book of Leviticus, primarily in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, we see that there is a sacrificial system. The New Testament tells us, in the Book of Hebrews, that this system is not sufficient; it cannot fully remove sin or take it away. It serves as a covering, just like the clothing that God made from the skins for Adam and Eve, but it does not fully remove sin.

Although God instituted a way for man to have some sort of relationship, a reconciliation, and a reconnection to Him, it was not sufficient within the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. As you follow through the Old Testament, it becomes completely clear that for our redemption to be completed and fully realized, God would have to come down into humanity. He would have to step down into humanity to deal with the problem of our sin.

Because the blood of bulls and goats, as Hebrews tells us, can never take away sin. Therefore, God would have to come into the brokenness of humanity. This is what we call the incarnation. Isaiah Chapter 7, Verse 14 states, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated "God with us." God would have to come down into the mess. The incarnation was essential to the missionary work and plan of God for redemption.

Therefore, point number II on your outline is: Christ Exemplifies Mission. God is the missionary God, and Christ exemplifies mission.

Now, turn from the Old Testament, the Book of Genesis, to the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke. In Luke Chapter 19, right after Matthew and Mark, we find a very interesting story about Jesus going on His way up to Jerusalem for the last time. He passes through the city of Jericho, as He often did when traveling to Jerusalem.

As He enters Jericho, there is a man from the city who is a tax collector, a very rich tax collector. We are told that he was of short stature; he wanted to see Jesus, but he couldn't get in because he was small. His name was Zaccheus. If you've ever been a part of children's ministry, you probably remember the song about Zaccheus: "Zaccheus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he; he climbed up into a sycamore tree to see what he could see."

Zaccheus runs ahead because he couldn't get in to see Jesus, and he climbs up into a tree, knowing that Jesus is going to pass by. So, there is this little short guy up in a tree, looking, and as Jesus passes by, He looks up and sees him. He says, "Zaccheus, come down from there, because today I'm going to dine with you."

As He says this, the people around Jesus look at Zaccheus and, knowing from his appearance that he is a tax collector, they are indignant. They are upset that Jesus would spend time with a tax collector because, in their culture, tax collectors were considered sinners. Little has changed. They question, "Why would He dine with a man that is a sinner?"

Well, look at Luke Chapter 19, Verse 9. Luke 19:9 states, "And Jesus said to him, to Zaccheus, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he, also, is a son of Abraham.'" Then, look at Verse 10: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost." This is one of the declarations of the purpose of Jesus' coming. The purpose of His incarnation is to pursue and rescue that which is lost. All of humanity is lost because of the Fall, and Jesus comes to seek and to save that which is lost.

Jesus is the ultimate missionary. Through the incarnation—God becoming a Man—God moves into our neighborhood. He learns the language and the culture for the purpose of personally introducing Himself to us. That is what a missionary does. They move into the neighborhood, learn the language and the culture, and introduce people to Jesus. That's what Jesus did. He is the example of mission for us. God is the missionary God, and Jesus shows us exactly what it looks like to be on mission. He came to seek and save that which is lost.

Now, of course, we know that at the end of the Gospels, Jesus ascended into heaven. The Bible tells us that He is seated on a throne in heaven. The mission is not complete, however. If He, the Son of Man, came to seek and save that which is lost, and now He has ascended back into heaven, how then will the mission be fulfilled? How will He reach lost humanity? It is very clear that humanity, throughout the world, is in desperate need of being rescued.

So, point Number III on your outline: Christ Saves and Commissions Disciples Unto Mission. You see, if you've been rescued, He pursued you and now has rescued you, who were formerly lost in darkness. He did so so that He could now invite you to join Him in mission. In 2 Corinthians Chapter 5, Verse 18, the Apostle Paul says that God, through Jesus...

Christ has reconciled us to Himself. He has brought us back to Himself, and now He has given us the ministry of reconciliation, as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:18. We have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and are now commissioned to the mission of seeking and saving that which is lost on His behalf. Paul goes on to say in that same passage, 2 Corinthians Chapter 5, that we are ambassadors of Christ, pleading with humanity, "Be reconciled to God!"

Jesus saves and commissions disciples unto mission. In three of the four Gospels, we see commissions to go and preach the Gospel. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each provide us with a commission from Jesus. Matthew Chapter 28, Verses 19 and 20 is the clearest one, often referred to as the Great Commission. Jesus says in Verse 18, "All authority 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, teaching them to obey all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

But that is not the only commission. In Mark Chapter 16, just before Jesus ascends into heaven, His last words to His disciples, as recorded by Mark, are found in Mark 16, Verse 15. He says, "Go into the world and preach the Gospel to all creatures."

Now, turn to Luke Chapter 24. You're already in Luke 19; it's just a few pages to the right. In Luke 24, the last chapter of Luke, we find the last words of Jesus in Verse 46. Luke 24:46 states, "Then Jesus said to them," referring to the disciples, "'Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.'"

Why? "'...and that repentance and remission of sins,'" note these words, "'should be'" preached. We talked about the "shoulds" of the Bible last week—the call to serve in good works. Now, "'...that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to'" where? "'...all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you,'" referring to the disciples, "'are witnesses of these things.'"

Christ saves and commissions His disciples unto mission. In Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24, there are clear accounts at the end of His earthly ministry. Repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Now, I want you to imagine for a moment that you're standing there as one of the eleven. There are eleven disciples at this point because one of Jesus' disciples was a betrayer, and by this time, he was dead. So, there are eleven disciples: James, John, Matthew, Peter, Bartholomew, Thomas, and you can go through the list. There they are, standing there, and every single one of these eleven guys denied Him on the night that He was crucified.

Jesus is saying, "I'm going to ascend into heaven. I'm going back to the Father, and you are going to go into all the world. You're going to preach the Gospel to every creature. You're going to baptize them; you're going to disciple them. You're going to make sure that the church moves forward. You are going to go!"

Now, you're looking around, thinking, "Ha, ha! Peter... Right. Ha, ha! John... Okay. Ha, ha. Me. We're going to go into the world and do that. Right! This is a failed plan! Seriously! A few fishermen, a zealot, a former tax collector; we're going to go into all the world, beginning at Jerusalem, and we're going to make disciples. This is toast! This isn't going to work."

If you're anything like me, and I tend to be a little bit cynical, you might think this just isn't going to work. The mission is too great for us. We are terribly limited in our abilities and capacities.

But look at the very next verse, Verse 49. Luke 24:49 states, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high."

Point Number IV on your outline: Christ Empowers His Disciples for Mission. We are devastatingly limited in our capacities and abilities to fulfill the mission. Those eleven guys, standing there with Jesus, and you could add to that eleven the other people who are considered disciples of Jesus at that point, even if you add up the entire number...

One hundred twenty of them, and maybe a whole bunch more, are standing there with Jesus on this mountaintop, the Mount of Olives, as Acts Chapter 1 tells us. He is getting ready to go back to heaven and says, "You, you guys are the ones, you're going to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." I have no doubt that they were thinking, "Yeah, that sounds great, but that's impossible." Jesus knew the impossibility of it. So, He says, "You're going to go, but before you go, you're going to be empowered, because I'm going to send the Promise of My Father upon you. So, wait. Wait in Jerusalem."

Turning from Luke 24 to Acts Chapter 1, we see the same author of the Gospel of Luke—Luke, the Physician—who is also the author of the Book of Acts, The Acts of the Apostles. Acts is like Part 2 of the story. In Acts Chapter 1, the same situation unfolds: Jesus is finishing up His earthly ministry and closing His statements to His disciples. He is about to ascend into heaven, which happens in Acts Chapter 1, Verse 9.

However, in Acts Chapter 1, He says to His disciples in Verse 8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem." Luke 24 said, "Beginning at Jerusalem..." He continues, "You shall be witnesses in Jerusalem, and then in all Judea." Judea was the wilderness that surrounded Jerusalem, so it's directly around the city, the county, if you will.

"You'll be witnesses in the city of Jerusalem, then the county, Judea, then into Samaria," which was another people group north of Judea, "and then to the end of the earth." Just previous to this, in Verse 4, He tells them, "Wait in Jerusalem until you receive the Promise of the Father." Luke 24 says this, and Acts Chapter 1, Verse 4 reiterates it. Then He says, "You shall receive power to be witnesses."

So, "You're going to go into all the world; I've commissioned you and commanded you to go and preach the Gospel to all creatures, in all nations, among all people, to establish the church. To baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; to teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And I'll be with you, even to the end of the age."

This mission is going to last until the end of the age. It is not something that happened 2,000 years ago and is now done. It continues until the end of the age. He recognizes that it will take all of that time to fulfill the mission.

And here we are, 2,000 years removed from that, and it's not done. There are, at this moment, and it's so hard for us to fathom, because we live in a small world here in Southern California. The world is very small to us, especially because of our ability to travel to and fro very quickly.

I was just at a conference last week, and one of the things they talked about was Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China in the 19th century. It would take him five to six months to travel from London, England, to China by boat. Could you imagine that? I mean, you leave LAX at 10:00 at night, and you're in Hong Kong the next morning. It's just like, "Hey, we're in Hong Kong. My body can't even catch up." That's why you experience jet lag. They didn't have any of that back then. The five months was just lag; it just lagged, is what it was.

But we can travel anywhere in the world quickly. Not only that, technological advances have made it possible to send and receive information anywhere in the world so quickly. So, it's hard for us to fathom this tidbit of information, which is actual truth: the Joshua Project tells us there are 6,000 distinct people groups that have no representation of the Gospel among them. Six thousand people groups today have not heard about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, the mission is not complete. Jesus said, "Until the end of the age," it will take all that time to fulfill the mission.

But He empowers His disciples for this mission. "He has saved us and called us with a holy calling," Paul says in 2 Timothy Chapter 1, Verse 9. God saved you and called you with a holy calling into this work, fulfilling the mission that He exemplified among us—seeking and saving that which is lost. It seems like an insurmountable task, but we can know for certain that it will be successful.

Point Number V on your outline: Christ will accomplish His mission through His Church. How do we know this? Well, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus gives a commission to His disciples: "Go into all the world, preach the Gospel to all creatures, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them."

In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you. I'm empowering you for this work. Two thousand years ago, He said this to His disciples.

Then we have a prophetic revelation given to us at the end of the Bible; it's called the Apocalypse. Apocalypse sounds so devastating, but all it means is revelation—the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Turn in your Bibles to Revelation Chapter 7, Verse 9. We're happy when the preacher says "Genesis" or "Revelation" because we can turn there like we're authorities on Scripture.

Revelation 7:9 states, "After these things..." The Apostle John is receiving a revelation of yet future things that have not happened yet. "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all" what? "...nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues." "I saw a great number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues." Where were they? "...standing before the throne, before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands."

Verse 10 continues, "And they were crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!'" Jesus commissions His disciples—circa 29 AD, 2,000 years ago—Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and then in the future, Revelation, John sees a vision of what will come at the end of the age.

What does he see at the end of the age? Jesus says this mission is going to continue until the end of the age. What does he see? He sees people from every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation standing before the throne of God, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God!" He will save people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. He will accomplish His mission.

And how will He do it? Through His church—you and me. So, we have this little statement, which is our title today: Engage in Mission. There is a mission. It is the mission of God in the world, among a fallen people, devastated by sin, captive.

There is a mission; He came to seek and save that which is lost. He has saved you, after pursuing you. He has rescued you, and now He has commissioned us to the mission. Peter says we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, God's own special people. Why? That we would proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light; that we would engage in the mission.

The mission is ongoing, and He is saying, "Get in the game. Get involved. Get in the mission." It is there, it is moving forward, and it will be accomplished. I don't know about you, but I want to be standing on the victorious side on that day, saying, "It's accomplished! We're a part of that." We bless His name, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God!" So, engage in the mission; get involved in the mission.

Now the question is, "How do I join Him in mission? How do I do that?" Let me begin to answer that question with the little time I have left by saying this: We join Him in mission where we are. You remember He said, "The Gospel shall be preached beginning at" where? "Jerusalem." Does that mean I need to fly to Jerusalem to start there? No. I've heard people teach that, but that is not what the Scriptures say. That is such a stretch of what the Bible is saying. "Beginning at Jerusalem" means, "Hey, listen, you guys who are Jewish and live here in Judea, and you're there in the city of Jerusalem, where are you going to start the mission?" Are you going to sit down and calculate and plan where you should go? No. Start here! Where you're at, with what you have, start there.

We join Him in mission where we are—as a church, in our community, on your school campus, at the corporate office you work at, or on the construction site you're on. Wherever you are, you join Him in mission for the joy and justice of those who are unhappily captive to sin. We join Him in mission wherever we are, on behalf of those who are unhappily captive to sin. We are seeking their joy, that they would be liberated from death and sin, and come into the joy that is only found in Jesus.

As a ministry, as a church, Cross Connection Escondido, we offer opportunities. We provide outreach opportunities and engagement in short-term mission trips in China, Belize, and Africa.

Over the world, we offer opportunities locally to be involved in Tecate, in the English as a Second Language class, in the homework club at The Crossings, or at the Good News Clubs on elementary school campuses. We provide these opportunities along with training in evangelism and classes on mission.

Why do we do this? These opportunities do not sufficiently satisfy the mission. It would be foolish to think that just one time—going on a short-term trip somewhere, going down to Tecate, or participating in ESL—would be enough to fulfill the mission. It is not enough to say, "It's done; I did it; I'm over it." No, those opportunities and trainings are merely given to help us promote a vision for mission. They do not sufficiently satisfy the mission.

It would be misguided to claim, "Hey, we're done with the mission because we started a homework club at The Crossings in Escondido." That is not fulfilling the mission. The activities we engage in are offered for the sole purpose of promoting a vision for mission. You can see that in the values of our statement: "To facilitate this life in connection, Cross Connection aims to promote a vision for mission."

We want to instill in us a vision that we are to be engaged for the joy and justice of all peoples, that we are to be involved in the work of the mission. We want to help you see your family relationships, your neighborhood connections, your school campus, your corporate office, the construction site—wherever you are—as a mission field that God has created you for, gifted you for, enabled you for, and empowered you for.

Why is this important? Because I am not coming to your construction site. If I did, you probably wouldn't want me there because I might break something. I can't even get into the corporate office where you work because you need a security badge. But you are there, day in and day out, and God placed you there to be on mission. You are not just there to be an engineer; you are not just there to be a teacher. While you are there for those roles, you are also there for mission—to engage in promoting it.

A vision for mission exists wherever you are. God has given you gifts, talents, abilities, training, and education to do your job with integrity, to do it well, and to promote the vision of Jesus Christ among the people there. How many of you know someone lost at work? I won't raise my hand because I don't know any lost people at my employment place. As far as I know, how many know someone who's lost at work? God has placed you there.

We want to help you see your job as a mission field and a ministry opportunity, to engage in mission. The mission is going forward. God says, "I want you to join Me in mission, to see your job in a different way." Some people see their job as, "Oh, I have to go to my job again," and then they get all excited because, "I'm going on a mission trip!" There’s a disconnect. There’s a major disconnect. If you're not beginning at Jerusalem, God will not entrust to you Russia. He will not. Be faithful in the mission where you're at.

These outreach and ministry opportunities that we provide are great, and maybe you might adopt that as a service opportunity—perhaps you go to Tecate regularly or train people in English through ESL. That might be something you do. But the primary purpose is to promote a vision for mission, so that we would say, "God wants us to be involved!" We would take back the saying of the Blues Brothers: "We're on a mission from God." Because we actually are on a mission from God; He commissioned us, not them, to be on a mission for the joy and justice of all peoples.

We want to ignite within each of us a passion for mission, so that we would see our daily vocational and recreational activities as mission. Whatever we're doing, this is the opportunity to bring the grace of Christ, to incarnate the glory and grace of Christ where we are. How are you incarnating the glory of God? How are you representing His grace in your workplace? Oh, would to God that He'd change the way we see, so that we would ultimately walk differently.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father, thank You for involving us in a task that You could no doubt effectively do far better. Yet, You have chosen to use us to be involved in the work on mission.

So, Lord, we pray that we would hear and heed the call, and that we would engage in the work. Enable us to do that, Lord. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.