JESUS AND MISSION – HIS TEACHING Penge Baptist Church 30 th January 2011

The essence of our mission…. “The Spirit of the Lord is on us, because he has anointed us to preach good news to the poor. He has sent us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (from Luke 4:18-19) PROCLAMATION of God’s word and PRESENCE with people in their need

Jesus’ School of Mission The transformation –“they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11)…. –….“he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2)

His intent to teach –“He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people…..looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you….” (Luke 6:17, 20) –“A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40)

Theory lesson Being humble and dependent on God –“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God….. But woe to you who are rich,for you have already received your comfort.” (Luke 6:20, 6:24) Loving those who hate you, being generous –“love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back…. you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (Luke 6:35) Not being judgemental –Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37)

.. be like God –“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36) As Paul puts it… –“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2) Don’t let theory remain theory –“I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice” (Luke 6:47) – MERCY AND FAITH

Practical lessons A foundation of prayer –“crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:15-16) –“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them” (Luke 6:12-13) Mission generates opposition –“the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”” (Luke 5:30)

Miracles are normal in the kingdom of God –The cleansing of the leper (5:12-16) –The healing of the paralysed man (5:17-26) –The healing of the shrivelled hand (6:6-11) –The healing of the centurion’s servant (7:1-10) –The raising of the widow’s son from the dead (7:11-17) –The calming of the storm (8:22-25) –The deliverance of the demon possessed man (8:26- 39) –The healing of the woman with bleeding (8:43-48) –The raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead (8:49-56)

Highlighting and developing faith –(The centurion) “he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” (Luke 7:9) –(The sinful woman) Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50) Including the outcasts –The “unclean” leper (5:12-16) –Levi the hated tax collector (5:27-32) –The centurion (7:1-10) –The sinful woman (7:36-50) Forgiving sins –“When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”” (Luke 5:20) FAITH AND MERCY

Case study (Luke 8:5-10) A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant.

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “ ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root.

They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Lessons from the case study A better understanding of mission and salvation What seems like a small word or action can transform a life What people do with our witness is not our business but theirs and God’ MERCY AND FAITH

What do we have that they didn’t? The whole of Jesus’ teaching in a book! The world-transforming event proclamation of Christ’s death and resurrection The ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit to help our mission But we must have FAITH and MERCY as Jesus taught and showed…. ….going forth to PROCLAIM God’s word and be PRESENT with others in their need