Missions Flows From Communion

1:04 that's Jesus telling us that and six months ago I preached on this passage let me do a little recap of what I shared then to set up where we're going today so this is Jesus invitation for every one of his followers to join him on a global mission go make disciples of all nations. That's global. Every Christian has a global mission. Christian, you are on a global mission. That's clear. And we've talked many times about how this word nations is ethne in the original language, from which we get ethnic groups. So this isn't just talking about the 200 or so geopolitical entities we might think of as nations or countries today. It's is talking about tribes, languages, people groups, ethnic groups like the Uyghurs of China and the Pashtun of Afghanistan or the Fulani of West Africa and over 10,000 distinct ethnic groups in the world. And Jesus just told us to go and lead people to life in all of them.

2:20 now i've shown many times before this map that shows us how we're doing the green areas of this map representing places where the gospel has gone churches have been planted where for the most part people have access to the gospel where they can be around christians who can share the gospel with them yellow areas on this map where there is less access to the gospel so less christians less churches, but still a number of them there. Then there are the red areas. It doesn't mean there are no Christians. There are a variety of Christians in these places, but relative to the larger population, if you live in a red area, the likelihood is you'll be born, you'll live, and you'll die, and you will never hear the truth about who Jesus is. You'll hear lies about who Jesus is, just a prophet, just a God, among millions of others. Or you may never hear his name. And in the red areas, there are approximately 3.2 billion people.

3:26 And on a whole, Christians in the green are ignoring the people in the red. And I could point to a variety of evidences of this. One study I shared six months ago highlights That's how for every $100,000 a Christian makes, we give $1.83 to the spread of the gospel in red zones. It's the cost of a bottle of water. You do the math and round up, that's about .002% of our money.

3:57 Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Most of us assume this is what missionaries do, so it'll select few people who leave here to move to another country, which leads to a second data point that one out of 42,000 Protestant Christians goes as a missionary to red zones. Oddly enough, that's about .002% of us. So this is the church's strategy today for how we're going to get the gospel to all the nations. And if we're being honest, it actually looks like Satan's strategy for keeping the gospel from all the nations. And we've adopted it. And as a church, we need to repent. We need to turn from an approach to the Great Commission that is woefully inadequate and practically absurd. And think about it, surely what we don't need to do is just double down on this strategy, or triple it, or quadruple it. So now our strategy is .008% of us going.

5:04 And we give .008% of our money. So four bottles of water. That would be dumb. Because this is not the strategy that Jesus gave us. The strategy Jesus gave us is radically different than this. And I want to show it to you today in the very last words that Jesus speaks in this passage. The very last sentence that we say to each other every week. Because if we're not careful, we can lose sight of its power. And I believe these words are the key, not just to impacting 20 million people with the gospel, I believe they're the key to you experiencing life. Like true life with a capital L. So the point of this message today is not just to say, do you want to impact 20 million people? Today, the point of the message is, do you want to live? That's what we're talking about today.

5:57 this whole church vision is about helping people experience abundant life in Jesus so what is life with a capital L listen to Jesus' last words in this passage before he goes off the scene in the book of Matthew he says and behold in other words listen really closely here bank your life what I'm about to say he says behold I am with you always to the end of the age. So if you're taking notes, there's just one truth I want to show you today. There might be other things you write down along the way, but one truth, and here's the first part of it. Life is found in intimate communion with the triune God. So life, with a capital L, is found in intimate communion with, being the key word here, I am with you always.

6:57 So life is found in intimate communion with the triune God. And I'm using the triune God here in light of the context right before this. Jesus speaking to his followers, to people who are baptized. The word literally means immersed, plunged, enveloped in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. So this is just like the mystery of the Trinity here. God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit three persons and one God one theologian said try to explain it you'll lose your mind try to deny it you'll lose your soul this is God in community within himself the Father loves the Son loves the Spirit distinct persons within the one Godhead I don't have time to do an exhaustive study of the Trinity today but I do want you to see and soak in the reality that you, right where you're sitting, have been invited to experience life in Trinitarian communion.

8:07 So for those of you who are here today, maybe exploring Christianity, you're visiting, this is the whole message of the Bible, that God has created each of us for life in relationship with him. The problem is we have all sinned against God. We've turned aside from the one true God to lesser gods, namely ourselves. The Bible calls this sin. Our sin separates us from God and deserves death. It's why we die. And if we die in this state of separation from God, we will spend eternity in holy judgment do our sin. But God does not want that for you or me. He loves us, and he has come to us in Jesus, the Son, God in the flesh, who lived a perfect life with no sin. Then even though he had no sin for which to die, he chose to die. Jesus chose to die on a cross to pay the price for sinners. Then he rose from the grave in victory over sin and death, so that anyone, anywhere, no matter who you are, what you've done, anyone who turns from their sin in themselves and trusts in Jesus as God, as Savior and Lord, you will be forgiven of all your sin and restored to relationship with the triune God, communion with God. So if you're exploring Christianity today, and this is the invitation. Turn from your sin and yourself and trust in Jesus to restore you to relationship with God before it's too late. Before it's too late. You're not guaranteed another day. You're not guaranteed to make it tomorrow. Today is the day. Don't wait another day to live with God. Why are you waiting on that? Stop looking in this world for what only the God over this world can give you.

10:05 And then when you do trust in Jesus, this is the story of every Christian. You now live in intimate communion with the triune God. We are not talking rote religion here. We're talking a real, living, breathing, love relationship with God. and this is one of those things God has done in my life over the last few months because I preach this all the time but I have not been living in this I was meeting one day with a counselor named Jason who I love who loves the gospel he asked me a question, he said David, when you come before God in prayer or worship, so whether you're alone sitting like this how do you view God?

10:54 and I thought for a while past my easy answer to that question to my honest answer to that question. I realized, while I know in my head that God loves me, I preach that all the time. In my heart, a lot of the time, I view God as disappointed in me. All the ways I still fall short.

11:21 All that I could be doing. Not doing enough or good enough. And as I shared that with Jason, he said, you know David, I think that about nine out of every 10 Christians has a similar answer. Satan is having a field day telling people and pastors like you and me that God is disappointed with us, distant from us, even just sitting back to see if we'll come to him like we should when we'll get these things together. And I am here today to show you God himself saying, that is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Let me give you a verse. it's one of the verses I've soaked in a lot Isaiah 62 5 as a young man marries a young woman so shall your sons marry you and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride so shall your God rejoice over you so John Owen he's a Puritan theologian from the 1600s he wrote a book called Communion with the Triune God he talks about this verse he says that for a married man a bridegroom there is no height of ecstasy Like he feels that on the day he gets married, he unites his life with his wife.

12:42 Then he says, that is how God feels about his people every day. He says, God's heart is glad in us without sorrow. And every day while we live is his wedding day. That sounds so flowery to me. Until I realize it's in a thick 400 page theological tome on the Trinity. Do you believe this? This word straight from God, saying to all who are in Christ, I rejoice over you. This is not the only place he talks like this. Zephaniah 3.17. The Lord your God is in your midst. A mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you by his love. He will exult over you with loud singing. Are you seeing this? feel this today Christian right where you're sitting the Lord your God is in your midst that's what Jesus is saying I'm with you and you know what I God am doing with you I am rejoicing over you with gladness I'm quieting you by love and I am exulting over you with loud singing. You think you're singing? God says, I'm the one singing loud in love for you.

14:11 This is the holy, almighty God who reigns sovereign over 8 billion people and 7.5 quintillion grains of sand on the land and 2 trillion galaxies of septillion stars in the sky. That God looks at you today with joy and gladness and love and loud singing like it's his wedding day. That will change the way you look at the mirror, yourself in the mirror in the morning. Do you believe that? Like I'm quoting these verses every single morning when I wake up. Now, first thing I do, brush teeth, whatever, do breathing exercises. I just breathe in and out. Zephaniah 3.17, Lamentations 3, new mercy every morning, his love singing over me. You might say at this point, but I have disappointed God. You might think, I have messed up in so many ways. He has a lot of reason to be disappointed in me. To which God says, yeah, that's the point.

15:15 God says I know all you've done more than you do and I love you this is the gospel it's the greatest news in the world God says I love you so much I sent my son I came to you word made flesh John chapter 1 we read it in our bible reading this week as a church Jesus came to cover over all of that so that now when God sees us he doesn't see our sin he sees his son. He sees you and me as sons and daughters in the sun. Think about it. We're talking about Jesus saying, I am with you. God in the flesh, the one with all authority in heaven and on earth. If that's true, Christian, if the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth is with you, then you are free from worry in this world.

16:11 You are free from discouragement in this world. You are free from discontentment in this world. You are free from the idolatry of work and approval and applause and comfort and control and anything else this world offers you. You are free from all fear. You are free from fear of anything in this world, including death itself. Why? Because his perfect love casts out all fear. Because his perfect love frees you from all worry, all discouragement, all discontentment. His perfect love cast it all. Listen to this one, John 15, 9. Another verse I'm breathing in and out every morning. Jesus says, as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. Whoa.

16:52 As the Father has loved me. How much does God the Father love God the Son? a lot, like an infinite lot. Jesus says, I love you that much. So just do this today. Abide, live, soak in my love for you all day long. Are you seeing this invitation to life in Trinitarian love? And we haven't even talked about the Holy Spirit, which is where things go to a whole other level. Jesus says, I'm with you always, but then right after that, he leaves. Luke 24, Acts 1, both tell us, right after Jesus said this, Jesus ascended into heaven. So how can Jesus be with us if Jesus is in heaven? I'm glad you asked.

17:47 Because when he gets to heaven, he sends the Holy Spirit. His Spirit, the Spirit of God, to live inside all who trust in him. Acts chapter two, Holy Spirit comes. Many of you know this story. When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. It filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues as a fire appeared to them, rested on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. What a scene. Imagine that happening on a Sunday morning. Sound of a mighty rushing wind fills the entire place they're sitting. Tongues of fire appear to them, rest on each one of them. They all start speaking in other languages that they didn't even know two seconds before. So imagine that scene, and then realize, Christian, the same Holy Spirit who did that on that day is the same Holy Spirit who's living in you right where you're sitting right now.

18:49 That is amazing. Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? Your body is precious. It's a temple, a dwelling place for God himself, his Holy Spirit living in you. Talk about life. Look at Romans chapter 5, verse 5. God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who's been given to us, literally the spirit of the creator and the heart of the created. That's why I'm saying life is found in intimate communion with the triune God, which leads then to a question that I have for every single one of you. Not the person next to you and behind you, in front of you, you.

19:42 are you experiencing this life? Are you experiencing day by day intimate communion with the triune God in community with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit as you walk with Jesus?

20:07 Some of you have never experienced that. and today today this moment right now god himself is inviting you to experience life don't wait another second to say yes to that invitation divine invitation and many of you you would call yourself a christian and maybe you are but truth be told you have grown content with a version of Christianity that is far less than this. You've grown comfortable, if not complacent, with a faith that consists of going to church, saying some prayers here and there, reading the Bible occasionally, but you're not experiencing personal, passionate, intimate relationship with God. And God is inviting you in this moment to leave behind that version of unbiblical Christianity.

21:05 God's saying, that's not what I made you for. I've made you to live on a habitually high plane of communion with me. And Satan is telling you, that's not possible for you. And God the Father is saying, this is the life I made you for. God the Son is saying, this is what I died for, for you to experience. This is what I conquered death for you to live. The Holy Spirit is saying, I want this so much for you. I'm living in you to make it a reality. And God is saying, none of this is based on what you do. It's based on how much I love you. Intimate communion with the triune God.

21:54 Now, you might be thinking, wait a minute. I thought we were talking about global mission today. and we are. Think about it. If you are experiencing living, breathing, thrilling, awe-inducing, life-transforming, everlasting communion day in and day out with the triune God. then do you want other people to experience that?

22:28 Of course you do. Are you content with three billion people not even knowing how they can have communion with God through Jesus? In no way. You want to do anything he wants you to do to change that. and this is the problem with how we so often approach global mission it's like there's billions of people without the gospel and a bunch of casual cultural Christians hear that and throw a bottle's worth a water bottle's worth of money to it and say somebody else is going to take care of that I got other things in my life that are more important like my 401k my football team and my body image and my LinkedIn profile and a million other things that distract us from billions of souls in need of life with God. But when men and women and teenagers and students are walking in intimate relationship, communion with the triune God, and they hear about billions of people who are living and dying without even hearing the good news of God's love in Jesus, they say with Isaiah in the Bible, here am I, send me. Here am I, use me however you want. Use my money, use my time, use my education, use my vocation, my future, my plans, my life, my family, triune God, use me to lead other people right around me and all around the world to life in you. That is Christianity.

23:58 And that's the second part of the sentence. Life is found in intimate community with the triune God as we participate with him on mission in the world. And that's what's happening in Matthew chapter 28. Jesus is saying to his disciples, I'm going after all the nations. I love them all. Revelation 5, 9, I was slain with my blood. I paid the price to ransom, to free, redeem people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Jesus says, I love them all, and I want them all to experience life in communion with me and my Father and my Spirit. And Jesus says, guys, I am inviting you to go with me, me with you on this mission.

25:00 So what are you going to say to that, Christian? No thank you Jesus. I have better things to do. I've got a reputation to uphold. I've got things to run after in this world.

25:24 No, you realize, whoa, there's nothing better to do than to participate with the triune God, leading people to life for the next 10 trillion years and beyond in him. What else on your schedule this week trumps that one? Nothing. That is the correct answer. than to participate with God on mission in the world. This is where we realize global mission was never intended to be a compartmentalized program in the church for a few people who are called to that. It is the purpose for which every Christian has breath. It's life. Christian, think about it. One in whom Christ dwells. The spirit of Jesus is inside you. The Spirit of Jesus is zealous for the nations to experience life in God.

26:21 So you, having the Spirit of Jesus in you, are zealous for the nations to experience life in God. And Jesus is saying, I'm going to do this with you. This is so good. Mission is not something Jesus is telling you to do for him. Mission is something Jesus is inviting you to do with him. as he lives with you, in you, through you. He leads you as you're in life, which of course, of course does not mean that he'll lead every one of his followers to move to another country, to a red part of this map. Though it does mean he could lead any one of us to go there. And it does mean that every one of us who has Jesus with us has a part to play in making him known all over this map. This is what you've been invited into.

27:15 Starting, of course, right where we live. Here's metro Washington, D.C. Jesus is inviting us to share his love, lead people to life among the nations right around us. What opportunities we have in a church with people from over 100 different countries, in a city with people from all kinds of parts of the world, including red parts of the world. We have opportunities today in our neighborhoods tomorrow in our workplaces to share the good news of life in Jesus with the nations right here. And we live in some of the wealthiest counties in one of the wealthiest countries to exist in the history of the world. What happens when Jesus in us, with us, is transforming where we spend our money to stop storing up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroyed that are gonna burn up in the end, that won't last, and start storing up treasure in heaven that's gonna last for the next 10 trillion years and beyond.

28:14 God, deliver us by Jesus' presence in us from worldly investment strategies to internal investment strategies. Do what's smart, what's gonna last forever. Put your money there. When Jesus is doing that in us, surely it will lead to the spread of the gospel all over this map, from the yellow, green, to the yellow, to the red, especially when we realize it's not just Jesus. with us, it's Jesus with all kinds of brothers and sisters and red parts of this map, yellow parts of this map, green parts of this map. Let me give you one example. Last year, we as a church family came alongside, I'll circle it here, came alongside a house church network in Afghanistan and just with our giving alone over the last year, 730,000 Afghans heard the gospel through online media, which led to over 100,000 gospel follow-up conversations, all aimed at church planting among Afghans through our brothers and sisters in this church planting network here that we came alongside in our giving.

29:28 That's almost a million Afghans reached with the gospel, hearing the gospel in one partnership. that you were a part of, those of you who gave. So what can happen when God's people stop throwing water bottles at the nations and start saying, Jesus in me, lead me to pray, to give, to go right where I live, wherever you lead, for the spread of your glory on mission with you. This is the Christian life. It's the Christian, here it is, life. Think about it, the good news of the cross of Jesus Christ will not spread to the nations, including 20 million people over the next five years, through casual, comfortable, complacent Christians doing what we've always done. so that's where I want to land our time today with a couple of takeaways and then a prayer so first Scott and his team have put together two clear simple priorities for the next few months when it comes to global mission and I want to share them with you so one is we're going to offer a church-wide family-friendly mission trip or trips in the summer of 2027 so we've done these in the past, taken large groups from our church family, made up of many families, including middle schoolers, high schoolers. And our global team is starting to work on creating opportunities to do that. And then another step is to develop resources to train, support, encourage people who are being sent by Jesus, led by Jesus to other nations through their jobs. So there are many of you who have opportunities to travel around the world through your work, even among red zones.

31:12 and some of you already know that through your job you may be headed to another country sometime in the next year or so some of you God's gonna open that door in a way soon that you didn't see coming and you're gonna be attuned to it in a way that maybe you weren't before we want to help you participate with God on mission as you go so if either of those two steps applies to you one takeaway for you today is just to email global outreach at mcclainbible.org so global outreach at mcclainbible.org. If you're interested in learning more about that mission trip or mission trip opportunities in general, for that matter, just send a short email with your information. And we don't have all the details set up for that trip yet, but we want to go ahead and hear who's interested. And then if you have a job opportunity in another part of the world coming up in the near future, or since God may be leading you to take that step, then send us an email. We want to start conversations with you. Those two steps obviously are not our whole plan for impacting 20 million people with the gospel, but they are two clear, practical steps that Jesus may lead some of you to take. And they're part of a big picture challenge that I want to put before you today. And here's the challenge, and this is for every single person who calls MBC your church home.

32:22 I want to challenge you to say today, God, whatever you want me to give, wherever you want me to go, however you want me to participate with you on mission in the world, my answer is yes. I'll just leave that up on the screen for a second. Wherever you, whatever you want me to give, my money, my time, my expertise, my education, my vocation, wherever you want me to go, across the street, around the world, wherever, and however you want me to participate with you on mission in the world, the answer is yes. The answer is yes. And let me just state the obvious. The only way you can say that is if you're living, abiding in the love of God. In intimate communion with the triune God. You're trusting he loves you. And his ways are better than your ways.

33:15 So for some of you, you need to start with this prayer. God, today I want to experience life in communion with you through faith in Jesus. Maybe for the first time to pray that. Or maybe for the first time in a long time. So I want to give us a minute all across our gatherings, simply to pray one or both of these prayers slowly and meaningfully. And I want to invite you to pray it not like you have to or you're supposed to, but see God coming to you, rejoicing over you, like singing over you right now.