Hey, feel this is very important for us. Would appreciate your thoughts.
Jesus could have said anything to His disciples when he was leaving earth, however He left His disciples (us) with a mission, goal, calling, dream. He had poured into these men and women over the past years and now, was passing on the baton, but sending His Spirit to continue His dream.
Matthew records it like this:
“Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”Mark records:
“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”Luke records:
“It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things.”John records:
“Feed my sheep (addressing Peter)… …Follow me”
One thing for sure is that it’s an active calling, not one that allows for laziness. There is also a big emphasis that we’re to do this in the same power, the power of Jesus, that it’s His work. John’s ‘follow me’, Matthew’s ‘I am with you always’, Luke’s ‘in the authority of his name’ and Mark’s ‘and the Lord worked with them’ are there as markers (like post-it notes on the door out of your house) saying that this will be the Spirit’s doing and they annihilate any notion that we’re to be active for the Kingdom in our own strength.
These 2 things cannot be ignored. The Gospel writers have insured we don’t.
That we are to do Jesus’ will, Jesus’ way.
Our world is full of people, organisations, governments, families, businesses who so often do the right thing, the wrong way. We bring peace by dropping bombs, we show love to our families by being away from home for 6 months at a time providing for them, we give some of our organisations profits to charity so we can run a feel good advertising campaign, we be kind so that they’ll ‘owe us one’, we make our country stable by upsetting another, we give money to charity through a greed driven raffle.
What is terrifying is that we can bring this doingtherightthinginthewrongway’ness into the church community.
We can’t proclaim the good news without following Jesus’ example.
John’s gospel make’s it clear to us that what we see Jesus doing, we do.
That we do Jesus’ will Jesus’ way.
I washed your feet; wash one another’s feet (13:14)
I have loved you; you love one another (13:34, 15:12)
You’ve seen me work; you’ll do my work (14:12)
I’ve been with you; the Spirit will be with you (14:16-17)
I live; you also will live (14:19)
You are in me; I am in you (14:20)
I was hated; you will be hated (15:18-25)
I haven’t finished what I have to say; the Spirit will tell you (16:12-15)
Then in John 17 (the prayer) Jesus continues with this ‘me-them’ talk.
‘We are one; may they be one’,
‘You sent me; I send them’
Following Jesus and doing Jesus’ will are inseparable. Jesus meant for us to continue His work of extending His kingdom by following His example of how to do it. Peter did not start a whole new thing at Pentecost, he did not introduce people to a new God no, He was continuing the work of Jesus, he used Joel as his sermon text. Jesus brought in the age of Grace, a new age, but still a continuing part of God’s plan that’s been going from before time.
We may be making disciples of a new generation but this is a continuing work of Jesus and must be done the way Jesus reveled He wanted to extend His kingdom.
We may think we’re reasonably accomplished at running businesses, our families, and sports clubs and we may think we’re pretty good at getting things done. We may think that we can model our church’s expansion off a McDonald’s successful advertising campaign. But to do the Great Commission without considering the way of Jesus is not inappropriate. It’s wrong.
We cannot live for Jesus without living like Jesus.
We cannot do the will of Jesus without living the way of Jesus.
To be continued…
I plan to continue this blog by writing a bit about the way Jesus could have but didn’t and the way He did do the will of God.
andy lamberton 
Posted by Ruairí Kell on April 27, 2012 at 11:00 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with this. Beautiful post Andy. However, I do think it is important that we take it in context and do not take it as Jesus outside of the Trinity. When Jesus was on Earth, He was the part of God that was “actively acting” (for want of a better phrase). However when He left, He did send the Holy Spirit as the One to help us from then on (and the Holy Spirit is no less God than Jesus was). So while I 100% agree that we should be following in the footsteps of the Christ, I think we must remember that in order to do “the will of Jesus” (which is the will of God), we must embrace all parts of the Trinity: Christ the Redeemer and physical example on Earth, God our heavenly Father who listens to our prayers and guides us, and the Holy Spirit who fills us daily to go out and do His work.
Posted by andy lamberton on April 28, 2012 at 8:19 am
good… yes, agreed! i guess i used Jesus’ name because i’m starting to believe that the recorded life of Jesus is what God wanted to reveal about Himself. however the fact that Jesus says in John, i have much more to tell you; but the Spirit will tell you, shows that there was more to be revealed in the Spirit. thanks for that!
Posted by Linda Black on April 28, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Good post, Andy. We have to be ready to be active for Jesus and do it His way. Otherwise, who are we serving and what are we living for? He’s the best example, so I’m looking forward to reading pt 2.
Posted by andy lamberton on May 3, 2012 at 1:10 pm
thanks, linda.
Posted by andy lamberton on July 14, 2012 at 12:05 pm
part 2 up now, hope it makes sense https://andylamberton.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/the-devils-outreach-and-the-forgotten-tool-of-evangelism-jesus-will-jesus-way-part-2/