I have been giving a lot of thought about the Sunday morning bible class and how what we have been learning that might apply to us today. I know what I am about to share with you is repetitious, but bear with me for a moment. If you remember, we learned about the freedom that the remnant experienced from Babylonian captivity and how the king of Persia, Cyrus, was prompted by the Lord to send them back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4; Jeremiah 25:11-12). We also learned from the prophet Haggai that they did go back and started the work, but for several reasons, became discouraged and lost sight of their God given purpose at the time. It had been some 16 years when Haggai would stir them anew to get back on track, to renew their commitment to their God given purpose. You also may remember that Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, was one of the individuals, along with Joshua the high priest, who were given the task to lead the people in this endeavor, but for the same reasons, they did not follow through. Yet, the Lord did not give up on Zerubbabel, stating emphatically, “His hands shall also finish it” (Zechariah 4:9).
The story is simple, right? God’s people had a well-defined mission to build the temple. God had provided them with all that they needed, beginning with their freedom from captivity. God wanted them to know, no matter what they faced, “I am with you, says the Lord” (Haggai 1:13). So, He exhorts them to get back to work (Haggai 2:4). This study has caused me to ask the question, “What is the mission at hand?” For us, what are we called to do as the body of Christ? Of course, the answer to that question can be broad, but it is my desire to look at one simple task that is linked to “building the temple” to use a play on words. It is the act of evangelism; that is, the spreading of the Christian gospel. According to research, 89% of Christians believed that sharing their faith was a personal responsibility in 1993 and by 2018 that dropped to 64%. Why? Many believe there are several cultural forces that are moving things in this direction: secularism, relativism, pluralism, and the influence of the digital age. Sometimes God’s people get caught up in things and like those in the past, need to refocus. What is our mission?
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19)
Most of us know this as the Great Commission and most of us are totally intimidated by it. It is important to remember that these men who are receiving this mission are your average Joe: among them simple fishermen and tax collector. They were not highly educated, nor did they have refined speaking skills. With the Holy Spirit ready to “remind them of all truth” (John 16:13), they had a mission before them that started with making disciples of all the nations. This is not their first mission, for in Matthew 10:5 they were given the task to preach “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). Now the mission expands to all people, including the Gentiles. We read in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The simple task Jesus gave them was to share with others what they had learned from Him and about Him. It is what Philip did with the eunuch and what the early church did when faced with adversity (Acts 8). It is what Peter exhorts the early Christians to do, saying, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…” (1st Peter 3:15). Paul speaks of a readiness in the church, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:5-6). That is OUR mission! Someone has said, “If not us, then who?” I think of Romans 10:17, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” We, like Aquila and priscilla can learn how to explain “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26) to others around us. Taking them aside and giving them our time to help them better understand the truths found in Christ and Him alone.
This is the basic mission God has given His church, us, you, and me. There is more to the text we started with, and we will consider it later. Bu right now, I want us to simply remember that we are no different from God’s people of old. Things can frustrate us and we can lose sight of our God given purpose. The question is, have we done just that? If so, how do we get back on track? Remember, God is with us also! May the Lord stir us like He did those of old that we may renew our commitment to building the house of God, His church.
Biddeford Church of Christ 