Reinterpreting the Great Commission - 0 views
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bible scripture interpretation scripture evangelism great commission Jesus matthew mark luke john
shared by Gary Patton on 03 Mar 12
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Missional Discipleship: Reinterpreting the Great Commission
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Gary Patton on 03 Mar 12Jonathan Dodson adds exciting new dimensions to the standard interpretations of Jesus' "Great Commission" in the article. It is the first of two parts. gfp (2012-03-03)
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In evangelical subculture the ubiquity of the Great Commission is matched by the poverty of its interpretation.
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The only greater "poverty" is its lack of application in their lives by so-called Christians. In North America, a too-common and oft-heard phrase exchanged between so-called Christians is: "I'd din't know you were a Christian!" "Lord, please forgive us although we know what we're doing! gfp"
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The OT commission, frequently referred to as the creation or cultural mandate, was issued by God before the Fall of humanity, emphasizing creative activity with the following verbs: be fruitful, multiply, rule, and subdue (Gen 1.27-28).2 By producing more creators who rule and subdue the elements of the earth,
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A surface reading of these Old and New Testament texts places them at odds with one another.
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These impoverished readings call for reinterpretation, one that that allows both Genesis and the Gospels to speak.
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we will be challenged to understand and embrace discipleship as more that "spiritual disciplines" or an evangelistic program.
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following after Jesus that requires redemptive engagement not just with souls but with creation and culture.
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the command is to make disciples of all nations not from all nations.
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The Great Commission is not about soul-extraction, to remove the disciple from his culture,
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To often in the past ...and still..., so-called Christian Missionaries who "went" and "go" into other cultures try to shape their disciples in the image of the Missionary's culture, i.e. they "clothed the naked", literally, instead of providing what's need in the moment by the individuals they encounter which is what Jesus meant.
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the many-splendored new humanity of Christ.
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Where Matthew emphasizes the action of making distinctive disciples, Mark stresses the importance of preaching to all creation.
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When Jesus used the word "preach" he did not mean converse. The Greek word for preach always carries a sense of urgency and gravity, as though what is to be proclaimed is of great importance
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A better translation of the Greek, that captures it's sense and is not intentionally designed by the translator to reinforce "Sunday morning church activity", is "herald"!
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Paul perceives himself as an announcer of a worldly Christ-centered gospel,
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While this worldly gospel saves, it also condemns.
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For some it brings life; for others it brings death, but all are to be given the opportunity to be written into the story of God's redemption of all creation.
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This is not a particularly "Calvinistic statement, i.e., those saved are pre-ordained (Romans 8:28) but probably accurate because we'll never know 'till we get to heaven whether Holy Spirit used us to touch the "right" people and bring them "one step closer to Jesus".
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Humanity was charged with the task of caring for the earth and creating culture, making the uninhabitable habitable.
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Jesus preached a worldly gospel, a restorative message that put the creation project back on track. His glorified, resurrection body is clearly proof of the new creation to come.
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Jesus told those who believe that they will be given power to heal the sick, restore the demon-possessed, and to speak new languages (Mk. 16:17-18). This worldly gospel is for the redemption and renewal of the earth, the body, the heart, the mind, and the cultures of the world. It is a saving message that rescues people from their unbelief, not their world,
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we are called to preach "repentance and forgiveness of sins." A social gospel will not suffice.
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What does it mean to be "witnesses of all these things"? Well, at the very least it means sharing Jesus' self-sacrificing offer of forgiveness,
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And witnessing includes, I suggest, the practical and explanatory sharing of the blessings that have enriched the life of the witnesser as a result of their forgiveness and Jesus coming to live His life out through them by sharing what Christians call "their testimony".
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The problem with many of our stories is that they contain all spirit and very little flesh.
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People want to touch redemption, which means they need to see resurrection power in our personal struggles.
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The stories we tell should boast of Jesus' death and resurrection, of his forgiveness of sin and of his restoration of sinners — reconciled families and marriages, restored and housed homeless, renewed life among AIDS orphans, and so on.
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And make sure these resurrection-power stories, if not about yourself, are about other you KNOW personally ...otherwise they can be considered so much fluff!
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Whereas the previous gospel writers emphasized Jesus' command to make distinctive disciples, preach a worldly gospel, and witness a fleshly Jesus, John stresses Jesus sending his disciples.
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According to John Piper, we are either goers, senders, or disobedient, but according to Jesus we are all the sent.
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And I agree with Jesus. It's clear notwithstanding Mr. Piper's opinion, that Jesus clearly tells all his followers that we are to "go along", i.e., herald Jesus where He plants us". It's not wrong to help a Brother or Sister "go" somewhere else but Jesus never said or giving money to a so-called missionary could replace His Followers heralding Him where they are in the moment".
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All followers of Jesus are called to live as missionaries in their culture
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Our paradigm for living a sent life, a missionary life, is the sending of the Son by the Father.
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So, within reason we should take on the trappings of our culture in order to contextually relate the gospel.
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And for this reason, it's not wrong to accompany your work colleagues after work for a "drink" at a local strip club ...just don't oggle the strippers or get drunk! We can only earn their trust so they'll "as the reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15-17) when we're not the typical judgemental Christian or pushy Televangelist-type they have been warned to avoid by those judged by those folks.
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It leads us to immerse ourselves into the humanity of our neighborhoods and cities in order relate the gospel to people and their needs.
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And this doesn't mean that we're more spiritual if we leave our middle-class lifestyle and neighbourhood and move into an inner-city slum or evangelize street people on weekends unless Holy Spirit makes clear that role is His will for you at that point in your life!
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The power of missional living does not spring from cultural savvy or social sensitivity; it requires the otherworldly, utterly personal power of the Holy Spirit. Only the Spirit of God can make men new.
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Amen to that!! A Lone Ranger Christian carries a notch-less gun in his "heralding holster".
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The "good news" of Genesis 1-2 is that God created all things to be enjoyed, managed, cultivated, and recreated by humanity.
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And applying 1 Corinthians 6:12 is the wise person's context for ALL her/his behaviour... not just the limited ones involving "food" and "sex" mentioned by Paul in the immediately surrounding verses of this passage.
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This fruitful multiplication continues both physically and spiritually through the reproducing ministry of missional disciples, who increase in number and good works (Acts 6:7; Col. 1:6, 10). These good works include ruling and subduing creation through the careful, creative arrangement of the elements of the earth into art, technology, infrastructure etc. for the flourishing of humanity.
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Retaining the cultural impulse of Genesis, the Gospels call us to a missional discipleship that entails creation care, cultural engagement, social action, and gospel proclamation. Missional disciples will not content themselves by preaching a culturally irrelevant, creation indifferent, resurrection neglecting message.
