World Mission Sunday
“God’s only Son became a missionary.”
(Isaiah 53: 10-11; Psalm 33: 4-22; Hebrews 4: 14-16; Mark 10: 35-45)
Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap
1) The Mission’s Purpose-The disciples had to know what it was that they were supposed to accomplish. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: `The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
1.1) They were sent to preach- to preach the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Think of what the disciples could have spent their time preaching out against: The Roman Empire; The Hypocrisy of The Jewish Leaders; The Need for Honest Tax Collectors. The list could go on and on. You know the same is true of us. We are told to preach. There are so many different things in which we could preach out against in our world today: The Hypocrisy of our Political Leaders; The evils of Abortion; The wrongs of Homosexuality; The Issues of Poverty. However, I think that we would be best to concentrate on the one message that we should preach. And that message is Jesus Christ. You see, they preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. For us, the Kingdom is here and it is our job to preach that fact. Whenever Paul got a chance to preach, what did He preach? Jesus Christ crucified & buried! Jesus Christ Risen from the Dead. Paul said in Romans 1:16: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
1.2) They were sent to heal. As they went about preaching the Gospel message, they were to heal those who needed. We may not be able to heal in the same sense that the Apostles were, but we can bring healing to a people that are hurting: Hurting from The Effects of Sin; Hurting from Loneliness; Hurting from Hopelessness et. So, the purpose of the mission was to preach and heal.
2) The Mission’s Problems-The disciples were given the mission, but they were told about the problems that they were going to encounter.
2.1) People would not listen. The disciples were told that there was going to be people who would not listen to the message that they had to preach. The same is true for us today. That doesn’t mean that we are supposed to give up preaching. All that means is that we have to preach somewhere else. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town or home. I know that it can be frustrating to do your best to reach someone for Jesus Christ, and for them to show no interest. There is something that we should all remember though. If people rejected: God in the Old Testament, Jesus in the New Testament, The Apostles who were men full of the Holy Spirit and power. Then people will reject us.
2.2) People would persecute-Jesus told his disciples that they were going to encounter danger. And He promised them that they were going to be helped by the Spirit. We may not face the same type of persecution that the disciples had to face, but we do face people who are agressive to the message of Jesus Christ. Why is that? Because Satan knows that there is power in the Gospel message. And when we preach lives are changed.
2.3 ) Jesus told us what we should fear– Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
3. The Mission’s Promises-Jesus gave them a mission, told them that they were going to face problems, and then He went on to give them some promises. “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Here in today’s text we read that when Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven He had a plan. And this was the plan: I will give you power thru the Holy Spirit. This will give you the power to be my witnesses “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” That was the battle plan. And the battle plan hasn’t changed in the past 2000 years and it is still our call to arms.
Conclusion: William Carey, the great missionary of India, said to a group of supporters once, “I will go down if you will hold the ropes.” “I’ll go into the caves. I’ll go into the place where you will never go, but you must hold the ropes. I’ll go down if you’ll hold on.” Let’s support the mission of Christ by our prayers and by our generosity.