{"id":2754,"date":"2025-06-09T10:02:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T17:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=2754"},"modified":"2025-06-09T10:02:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T17:02:34","slug":"ascending-sending-part-1-the-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=2754","title":{"rendered":"Ascending & Sending, Part 1: The Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Luke 24:44-53)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it\u2019s simple, sometimes it\u2019s complex. A classroom assignment or work project can involve many steps and different layers, or it can consist of one straight-forward requirement that can be carried out and completed with relative ease. The task may be for each student or employee individually, or it may be for a group that is assigned to work together. The more complex the project and the more people involved, the more necessary it is to provide clarity on what the finished project is supposed to look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Jesus ascended, he reiterated for his disciples what their assignment, their mission, was. As you reflect on the words Jesus spoke to them, would you describe the mission Jesus was sending them to carry out as simple or complex? He told them, \u201cThis is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem\u201d (v.46-47).<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admittedly, it might sound pretty complex. The promised Messiah, the Savior about whom God had prophesied throughout history, first had to suffer, die, and then rise from the dead. We’re already multiple steps into it – sounds pretty complex!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when we remember it is the risen Lord himself speaking these words to them, we realize that the heavy lifting in the assignment has already been done! The suffering, dying, and rising from the dead which had to take place had obviously been carried out. The impossible part of the mission had been made possible by Jesus. What was left was not so complex at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached everywhere. That\u2019s what was left. We should probably understand those two terms if we\u2019re going to figure out this mission. So let\u2019s strip them of their churchiness and make sure we know what we\u2019re talking about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s important because sometimes we throw around words and phrases in the church and forget that not everyone actually grasps their meaning yet. So we just keep using the same words, assuming everyone knows what we\u2019re talking about, only they don\u2019t. But, since they also don\u2019t want to look foolish, don’t ask about them and just nod in agreement to go along with the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If repentance is going to be preached everywhere, we absolutely must know what it means. Simply put, it\u2019s alerting people to turn around. Turn around. It\u2019s caring enough about other people to let them know they\u2019re going the wrong way. Turn around. It\u2019s warning them about the danger ahead that is waiting for them if they keep on their current path. Turn around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picture the police car you first spot as a speck in your rearview mirror, appearing out of nowhere. Then, before you can blink, the view of his vehicle has completely filled your mirror because he sped right up to your bumper. The nervousness kicks in. Then, he pulls out of that lane right alongside you and slows to your exact speed. He looks over at you, makes eye contact, and then makes the dreaded gesture, pointing for you to pull over. Your heart sinks and your mind is racing to try to figure out what you did wrong. When he walks up to your window, you\u2019re fully expecting him to drop the hammer on you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only he doesn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because he was pulling you over to let you know that you drove right past a warning sign that the road ahead was closed. He informs you that just ahead, around a particularly dangerous curve, a rock slide has left the road impassible. The reason he pulled you over was to warn you of the danger before it was too late. He\u2019s telling you to turn around for your own safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s repentance. Out of care and concern for others, we\u2019re lovingly warning them about the danger ahead if they don\u2019t turn around.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s more to the mission Jesus shared with his disciples. He also said that forgiveness will be preached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this may be – and certainly ought to be – among one of the most frequently spoken and heard words in the church, do we really get what it means? The word \u201cforgive\u201d here literally means to release or let go, to send away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when Jesus says our mission is to follow up our \u201cTurn around\u201d warning of repentance with the news that a person\u2019s sin has been let go or sent away, we are giving people everything they need for salvation! Repentance and forgiveness are like a one-two punch. When we call others to turn around, we have something substantial to follow it up with!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s it. There\u2019s the mission. The church\u2019s mission. Your mission. My mission. \u201cTurn around. Your sins have been let go.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important that we don\u2019t wrongly extend the mission. That is, when we have made that message known to others, we sometimes extend the mission to take on the responsibility of the person hearing it. We imagine that it is our job to convince them to believe it. And if they don\u2019t, we conclude that we must have failed at the mission Jesus gave us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the response others have to our words is not a part of our mission. Jesus didn\u2019t add the responsibility of convincing others to believe to our mission. That\u2019s his work, as we\u2019ll see more in part two of this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think back to the officer warning the driver about the impassible road ahead. If the driver had disregarded the officer\u2019s warning and sped on ahead, screeched around the corner, and smashed into the huge boulders that had spilled across the road, that wouldn\u2019t mean the officer failed to do his job. The officer wouldn\u2019t be at fault for the driver who disregarded his clear warning at his own risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we aren\u2019t at fault when others refuse to believe and act on our warning: \u201cTurn around. Your sins have been let go.\u201d Our mission is simply to proclaim it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how are we doing with that mission? If we\u2019re lagging, there might be a reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take note of another detail Luke shares in this account. It\u2019s an important one. After Jesus explained that everything written about him in the Bible has to be fulfilled, something remarkable happened: \u201cThen he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures\u201d (v.45). <\/em><\/strong>He made it make sense! That\u2019s what Jesus does – he makes the Bible make sense, and he does the same thing today when we read the Bible. The more we read it, the more our minds are opened and the more it makes sense. While we\u2019ll talk more in part two about the special Gift Jesus promised to help make that happen, for our purposes here, it\u2019s enough to see that Jesus makes this make sense when we read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if we don\u2019t read the Scriptures, then it won\u2019t make as much sense. And neither will our mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very recently a comment made by a fellow believer reminded me of how important this was. He referred to himself as a Bible-reading Christian. At first I didn\u2019t think anything of it, but it stuck with me later while working on this message. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His comment implied a distinction between two types of Christians: the general Christian and the Bible-reading Christian. Yes, it almost sounds absurd because we\u2019d assume there is only one kind of Christian – the Bible-reading Christian. Yet, it\u2019s true! There are some Christians who rarely, if ever, crack open their Bibles. Yes, it can still be said that they have saving faith – they believe Jesus is their Savior, and assuming that doesn\u2019t change, they will end up in heaven. But… not before missing out on a huge reason why God makes us Christians in the first place: to carry out his mission!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if his mission isn\u2019t on your radar, or is unimportant to you, or isn\u2019t something you can scrounge up the time to carry out, might it have something to do with the fact that you fall into that other <\/em>category – the Christian who doesn\u2019t <\/em>read the Bible? If so, and if that doesn\u2019t change, then I can guarantee that one of two things – or both of them! – is going to happen. Best-case scenario? You fritter away your precious time here on earth chasing after meaninglessness, but still squeeze into heaven because God\u2019s grace is even big enough to drag your fizzling faith through the pearly gates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other possibility is that your neglect of the Word, at being a Bible-reading believer, ends up leaving your faith completely malnourished. It then starves and you die, not just physically, but spiritually. Worst-case scenario? Both of those things happen. Your life is filled with meaninglessness and vain pursuits, which is then followed by spiritual death for eternity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the message – our mission – is that no one has to experience either of those! Let Jesus make it make sense and open your mind through the Scriptures. Look what happened when the disciples had their minds opened! \u201cThen they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God\u201d (v.52-53). <\/em><\/strong>Joy! Praise! Where did it come from? Their minds had been opened and they knew their mission!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think there is room for more joy and praise in your life? Do you think it might result from being more engaged in the mission Jesus gave his church? Let me give you two reasons why I think it will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, you get to experience the awesome feeling of God working through you to possibly change someone else\u2019s eternity. No, not everyone will hear and believe your message. But some will. And when God allows you to be a part of that process and uses you to bring someone into his kingdom, it\u2019s at the same time one of the most humbling and exhilarating feelings you could ever experience. You\u2019ll feel a joy and praise that you\u2019ve never felt before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second reason you\u2019ll experience more joy and praise in your life? Every time you are fulfilling our mission to proclaim this message to others, who else is hearing that message over and over again? You are! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The very message of repentance and forgiveness is reinforced and you are reassured each time you proclaim it to others. Don\u2019t expect some logical explanation for that – it\u2019s simply the promised power of the gospel. It works supernaturally, but it is the power that God uses in us, too, to build us up and strengthen us in our faith. So every time you carry out our mission, you also benefit from that same mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still not convinced? Still not sure you\u2019ve got what it takes to carry out the mission Jesus gave you? Read on to part two, which covers the remarkable Ascension followup known as Pentecost, where we continue celebrating Jesus\u2019 important work of ascending and sending, and our mission – as well as the means to carry it out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Luke 24:44-53) Sometimes it\u2019s simple, sometimes it\u2019s complex. A classroom assignment or work project can involve many steps and different layers, or it can consist of one straight-forward requirement that can be carried out and completed with relative ease. The task may be for each student or employee individually, or it may be for a… Continue reading Ascending & Sending, Part 1: The Mission<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[816,65],"tags":[240,42,5,398,109,120,36,108],"class_list":["post-2754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-because-he-lives-series","category-sermons","tag-ascension","tag-evangelism","tag-jesus","tag-mission","tag-preaching","tag-resurrection","tag-sermon","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p842FN-Iq","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2754"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2775,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754\/revisions\/2775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}