Spread the Word

During a sermon a couple of weeks ago....I got on the "anti-Facebook" bandwagon.....warning my congregation that there is evidence that social media has a tendency to make some unsuspecting users a tad more self-centered and narcissistic.  My wife and 12-year-old daughter, both Facebook junkies, were not amused.  They both would be surprised to hear me, just two weeks later, exclaiming the amazing ability of Facebook and other social media sites to spread the news about Christ's grace. 

I recently stumbled on a FoxNews.com story about a Facebook page called Jesus Daily....a site that now has over 15 million regular followers.  The site was started by a physician in Virginia who, from what I can tell, was just following the command of Jesus himself....to embark on the Great Commission.  Here's  quick YouTube video on Jesus Daily.

Amazing what one person can do when moved by God.  My faith in social media is renewed!  Sortof.  ;-)

About that same time I was pondering the good works of Jesus Daily, I received the latest issue of Christianity Today and the cover story was called "The New Radicals"....an article about David Platt, Francis Chan and others who are challenging comfortable Christians to extreme discipleship. 

And then finally I found myself reading up on some history, as I often do, and got on the subject of the Jewish Diaspora and how that spread of Jews helped the spread the Christianity by introducing cultures to a monotheistic God and establishing synagogues that would later be used by early Christian church congregations. 

Perhaps God was nudging me to put together a sermon on "spreading the word"?  You think?

Sure...a sermon on Matthew 28:16 - 20 would not be very original or groundbreaking, but with Easter right around the corner....maybe its time we reminded ourselves of that powerful piece of scripture.

Matthew packs a lot in to these five verses.  In these verses we find Jesus:

....assuring disciples of His power.
....giving them instructions on the Great Commission.
....promising the disciples his continued presence.

What I find comforting, in a weird way, is just how much the disciples doubted Jesus.  We see this same theme over and over again in the New Testament.  The disciples weren't always brimming with confidence.  They doubted Jesus' ability to save them when the seas turned rough.  They had to touch the wounds of Jesus to belief his resurrection.  And few believed that Jesus could somehow feed the 5,000 on a particular busy day during his earthly ministry.  Basically, the disciples were much like you and I.  Always doubting....always questioning our faith.  So in the first part of our scripture passage, Jesus reassures the disciples yet again.

We then hear Jesus offer up details on the Great Commission.  That it is universal...for ALL nations and people.  That it is all about "teaching" or "making disciples". 

Jesus commanded us to "go" and "teach" and know that we are not alone.  What strikes me.....is that if this was the LAST recorded thing (in Matthew) that Jesus said to his disciples....the very last thing he would say to them before departing....then this must have been some important, groundbreaking, earth-shattering stuff.

I'm reminded that I need to have faith that is it possible for all of us to make disciples.  Every-now-and-then we need to also be reminded that the greatest faith movement that the world has ever seen....started with, at most, a handful of ill-prepared, doubting followers. 

As Margaret Mead famously said:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Audio Sermon - Spread the Word

Sermon Notes - Spread the Word