I feel young. II, I, I like to think I'm young but I'm, I'm, I'm crossing over into the new stage, you know, the stage where you wake up and just hurt and you don't know why, um, where music seems too loud. Um, you just innately feel very judgmental of public things and policies and you think, well, they never used to or that, you know, and so I don't know how I feel about that. Uh, I'm kind of excited. Right. Um, but then also I forget things. Right. I, it's easy to forget, uh, if you walk into rooms and then you enter the room like the kitchen or the garage and you forget why you came in to that or if you're married, you can maybe relate to this. Right. Your spouse asks you, hey, please remember to do this one thing today and I have a habit and maybe it's just me. But if remembering that one thing at the exact moment when I see her later that evening, so just in time for her to ask me, hey, did you do this? Oh, yeah. Right. Or maybe you've gone to the grocery store and uh, and you're going for one thing, right? And you fill up the cart, you check out, you're feeling really good and adulting. Well. Right. That's a win. Right. You get the spot, you get the stuff, you go home, you're unloading. And at that point you realize I've forgot the one thing that I was supposed to do. Well, today we are gonna talk about the one thing Christians were called to do. The one thing that we're called to do. That's why this morning's message is entitled first priority. But thankfully for us, we don't have to wonder, is this gonna be on the test? We don't have to wonder what is it God that He wants to do because we have the written and living word of God, his life and ministry. And we actually have the last words of Jesus in the life of Jesus. The Son of God was intentional, it was missional, it was relational. And so everything he did had a purpose with it. And so we don't have to wonder what is it we're called to do as Christians because in his last words to his disciples, he gives us our calling as believers. And so if you're taking notes, write this down, jesus' last words should be our first priority. Jesus' last word should be our first priority. Jesus came, we celebrated Christmas. It was great, right? He, he around the age of 30 begins his earthly ministry for about three years, travels in and around Jerusalem preaching performing miracles, people are healed. He feeds the 5000, he walks on water. The disciples are amazed. He comes back into Jerusalem. He gets crucified on the cross. All hope is lost. Only three days later, he rises again. It defeats death itself. And I don't know about you. But if I'm Jesus and I went through all of that and I experienced all the betrayal and I experienced the crucifixion and death itself. When I'm rising again, I think I'm just gonna keep going. You know what I mean? Like he, he, he dies, buried, comes back and like, I'm not stopping again. Like I, I'm like, ah, good, good luck everybody, right? I'm not getting off on that floor again. Like I have seen that, but he does and he comes back for 40 days. And a good reason for that is that as he interacted with the different people, it actually proved the reality of his resurrection and the proof of his resurrection showed the proof of the power of salvation because you can fake something for a moment. You can fake a hallucination or a magic trick or something for a moment. But for 40 days with over 500 people different times of day eating, sleeping, drinking, talking, walking, different places, morning, afternoon, evening night, you can't fake that one. And so after 40 days, we get to the final words of Jesus. And so this is why he came and he's gonna look at his disciples. And just basically, can you remember in school when the teacher would say this will be on the test, right? You wanna take note of that, Jesus is doing that in this situation? He says, hey, this is the test. This is what you're called to do. And we ha we don't have to wonder. We have his words found in Matthew 28 and then in acts one. And so we're gonna read these Today Acts chapter 28 verses starting in verse 16. He says, now the 11 disciples went to Galilee. Why are there 11? Well, Judas betrayed him. He's out. OK? So he's down to 11. He says now that 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them and when they saw him, they worshiped him. But some doubted. Do you wonder who's in that doubt category at that point? Like you gotta be like the most skeptical person, you know what I mean? Like you're physically there. Three years of ministry, miracles walking on water, maybe even receive the bread and the feeding of the 5000. My cousin Sally was healed from lame. This person was brought back to life like, like I used to, I went to grade school with Lazarus like that's wild, right? And then he conquers death itself. It's been 40 days since the resurrection. People are singing the praises of God. And there's someone on the side going. Uh I don't know though, is it, is it right? Like that's the skeptic skeptic. But the reason I actually love this as well is because if people doubted Jesus, I promise you people are gonna doubt you. This means that you're not alone, that no matter how you live what you say, there are going to be some people who doubt, but also the first part is true that there will be people who because of your life and testimony and story will turn and worship. And this is why we do that. The goal here is not to bat 1000. We can't do that, we can't do that personally. We can't do that as a little organization. We're not gonna see that in the world. The goal is to follow Jesus and let him decide the outcomes on that. So he says some doubted and Jesus came and said to them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, what is the all authority he's talking about? I don't know how about the authority of that? Just defeated death, right? Like this is not long removed. Like, hey, remember when, when like death didn't touch me, right? That's the authority. That's the card I'm playing here. OK? If you, if you ever had a conversation with kids, well, why should I do that? Dad said, so mom said so. Right. Right. We brought you into this world. We can take you out, right? Like if you played that card, Jesus is playing that, but he's playing the, oh, I don't know life card. Like if I can conquer death, you should probably think about what I'm about to tell you. Authority matters. We're gonna dive deeper in just a second. It says authority in heaven and on earth, it's both has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit again, including himself in that. So he's equating himself with God, father, son, Holy Spirit, Trinity. He's not saying like the prophets and disciples say, I baptize you in the name of God. I baptize you in the name of the in this phrase right here. He's saying baptize people in my name. That's important. He's not just a teacher, he's God. And then he says, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. So he's not saying just share the gospel, get them saved, get them dunked, right? We're thinking, you know, in the pandemic, all the pastor groups I was in, they're like, how are we supposed to do baptism now with COVID and, and one guy submitted like dunk tank, you know, but I don't know, I don't, I don't trust my fastball. So I don't want to risk your eternity on my arm. So um we didn't do that but like, you know, like people like how do we do baptisms and that. So in that case, it says, OK, you don't just baptize and say, all right, see you good luck, right? Go baptizing them. So they believe and then teaching them to obey all that I've commanded. So it is an ongoing process. There is evangelism and discipleship. This is an ongoing journey that comes, it's not about just praying a prayer, checking a box going through that, but rather going on a journey with Jesus that changes your life forever. And so it goes through teach him over all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you always to the end of the. So he sandwiches that in, he starts with authority. He gives the command knows the it really is the Great Commission, right? And then he ends with a promise. I'm with you. So you're not, you're not alone in this, right? When you're teaching a small child a skill, you're saying, hey, go for it. Jump daddy's here, mommy's here. I'm with you. Don't be scared. I'm with you. Hold my hand, let's go. OK. Now with the first thing here, the fact that there is worship and then some who doubt John Piper put it this way. He says missions exist because worship doesn't good missions exist because worship doesn't. This is why we're sharing the gospel. This is why we say things like we're for the community because people are not worshiping him as Lord and Savior, we have the answer. That's why it's called the good news. People are searching for meaning and fulfillment in life and we have the opportunity to share that because the Gospel makes you better at life as well as your life better. Now, let's clarify better, better. Doesn't necessarily mean possessions, materials, popularity, health, whatever that's seen as the prosperity gospel, your life is better because you have significance. You have meaning and purpose in the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, the innermost cravings of your soul. And so when we have that, we offer that because you share what you love. And so missions exist where worship doesn't. This is why we go to the ends of the earth. This is why we go to our neighbors. This is why we have the conversations so that we can share the good news of Jesus with others. Now, the next thing I wanna show too is it's really important to understand that we have the authority of God with us. I have this thing and I don't know if it's because I'm tall. I don't know if it's because I'm just probably naively overly confident just in life. Like I've just on mission trips and things, I just tend to just walk down the street and just like, yeah, it'll be fine. Um And people just when you walk with confidence like that, sometimes people assume you work for a place and so I'll go into places and they think I work there. Now, granted, sometimes it's, I've set it up against myself or for myself. Depending. Um, for example, uh, you know, having three kids there a few years ago, we started, so five years ago we started in the church at this time, I'm trying to work. We don't have an office, we don't have a building, which by the way is going awesome. And, um, and so I'm trying to find places to work. And our gym membership to Mountainside Fitness includes two hours of childcare every day. I'm like done gym or co-working space. And so I would grab my laptop just a handful of times. Ok, often. And, um, I would go and I would check the kids in it a great, they got a bounce house, they got a mini gym, they got video games, they're good, but I wouldn't even wear gym clothes. I would just be like this and I would have my laptop, I'd check them in and they go on the, where, where are you gonna be today? I was like, yeah, I'm on the floor cardio, like with shoes like this. And, and I would go and, uh, at first I'd go to the community table, but that got kind of distracting. And so then I realized they had some open desk there. If you go to the gym, you understand what I'm talking about. And so I just would plop down on the desk and just go to work for two hours, set a timer that would ding, go get my kids and go home. It was great. Um, except what I found was sitting at that desk on a computer looking intense. Uh, people just assumed I worked there and so they would start to ask me questions. So the first person will come up and like, hey, I don't work here. They're really confused and I just let it go. Second person um come up and ask me a question and it was like, hey, um sorry, I don't work here. The third person asked me a question. I was like, yeah, I can help you. What do you need? And I was doing well, like I thought it was, well, I even thought about going to goodwill and getting like a mountainside fitness shirt or something just to like, seem official. And uh I, but I drew the line where they asked me to like change classes. They're like, hey, is there gonna be this class that I and I finally had to admit to like, look, I don't actually work here. Um I don't have any authority to make any decisions here. The authority matters. And so when we go into this world, we're not going on our own power, but because of and through the very power and authority of God. And so that means that when we walk into the place, when we walk into our conversations and into our relationships. We can have confidence that God's gonna move because we have the power presence and promises of God with us. Amen. So then what is a disciple if we're supposed to make them, what are they simply put a disciple as a follower of Jesus? It's a follower of Jesus. The word disciple is actually used over 270 times in the New Testament. And the word Christian actually is only used three times. And the reason that's important to understand the difference is that in those three times, the word Christian is used. It's not, it's not a bash. I mean, we are called Christians or little Christ. But really in those verses, it's actually used to confirm that yes, they are a disciple. And the fact that it's 270 times versus three times means that there's not like, ok, you're a Christian here. But then once you get serious, then you become a disciple. No, to be a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus. And then to be a disciple is to also be called to be a disciple maker. Because this is the one thing God wants us to do. The one thing he told us to do is to make disciples a follower of Jesus. But to break it down a little bit more the way that Jesus called disciples and what he referred to him comes from Matthew 419. He's calling his first disciples, they're fishermen. But even the writer of Matthew is a tax collector. We're gonna read a passage in acts written by Luke, a doctor. And so there's people from all different trades. But he says this in 419, he says, and Jesus said to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. This one verse gives us three components of being a disciple of Jesus. Number one is to follow Jesus, meaning are you living the way that Jesus did? Are you walking the way that Jesus did to follow Jesus as a daily experience? It's not perfect. It's not a destination, but it is a direction. It is a relationship, it is ongoing. If someone says, are you a disciple of Jesus? And your response is I prayed a prayer when I was six, right? It's not about that. It's an ongoing relationship. If someone comes to you and says, hey, how is your marriage? And I go December 16th, 2006. Well, why are you just giving me a date? Well, that's the day we got married. I said, OK, but how is your marriage? Right? Yes, you marriages need a wedding day. So it's important but that's the beginning of your journey, not the only part of it. So, are you following Jesus? The second thing is that disciple fellowships with believers, fellowship is a very churchy word that just simply means deep community with others. He said, Jesus said to them. Now, there are instances where individuals were called to God, but individuals were never called to God alone. So God might have called you personally, but he calls you for community. This is why we say that we are supposed to be in community that we need each other, that the church is the bride of Christ, that we are the body of Christ that we need you and you need me and that together we can follow after God because life is hard. If you picture a campfire and you remove one log which goes out the campfire or the individual log, the individual log every time because we need each other. So you follow Jesus, you have fellowship with believers. And the third thing is that we fish for unbelievers. Now, in this case, we say fish because they were fishermen. But are you sharing the good news with others? This good news is not meant just to be kept to yourself that as you're changed, you can share that with others as we read the other passage of the final words of Jesus found in acts, it's read this acts chapter one in the first book. So Luke and a if you didn't know were actually connected, written by the same author to the same audience, to Theophilus. So in the first book, O Theophilus, that's the audience I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he has taken up. And after he has given his commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, he presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs appearing to them during 40 days. And speaking about the Kingdom of God and while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, you heard from me that John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they came together, they asked him, Lord, were you at this time, restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father is fixed by his own authority. I wish that verse wasn't in there. But it is that means that even in our season, we're not gonna know the future. We're not gonna know the results. But thankfully the authority of God and the power of God. He through that he does. He says, you're not gonna know. But what you do have is better. It says verse eight, but you will receive power. That's the Greek word dynamis is where we get our English word dynamite. So that power bang boom, you will see power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And when he said these things as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes. These are angels and said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. It's like what? OK, what are you doing? You can keep looking up but he's coming back. And in the meantime, you got a job to do. So. Why as disciples as followers of Jesus? Why are we supposed to invest in other people? Well, CS Lewis put it this way. He says, I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else. Why do we follow Jesus? Why are we disciples? Because it changes everything. The very words of Jesus in John 10 says this that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy I came that they may have life and have it abundantly says I am the good shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Why do we do this? Because the words and life of Jesus change everything. I want to ask three questions this morning. The first one is, am I following Jesus? Why or why not? Can you take an honest look of your life? Not perfectly but right now, why, why do you call yourself a Christian? Are you able to say? Yep, this is, makes my life different, this changes everything. I can't not be a Christian. So I want you to try to answer that question. Why do you believe? And if you don't be honest, why do you not believe? Can you ask that question? The second one is who, who can help me take my next step of faith all throughout scripture. There are pattern after pattern people being discipled and then making disciples. Is there somebody in your life that you can go to and ask a question? Have a conversation that can encourage you and hold you accountable. Do you have someone in your life like that? I hope so. Can you write that down? Identify that person? Say, hey, can you, can we have some conversations together? You don't have to scare the person. I mean, if you have a really close relationship, you can say things like disciple or mentor me. If you really don't know the person, it might scare them and be like, can you mentor me? Like maybe just start with an easier question like, hey, I like your heart. Can I, can I just pick your brain on some stuff? Right? Do you have that person? Then the last question here is whom, whom can I help? Take his or her next step? Every single person in this room can be discipled and be a disciple maker right now. Being a disciple maker is not waiting until years and years of education. Being a disciple maker is what it means to be a Christian. This is the one thing we're called to do more than church attendance, more than reading, more than just nice, slightly better language, better morals. The question is, are you helping other people become more like Jesus? You don't have to do it perfectly. You don't even have to know everything and all things. You can just be authentically. You saying, hey, I'm going after Jesus. Do you wanna come with me? The reason we do that is because Jesus last words should be our first priority. We have a special treat for you guys here in the room. So if you came today, you picked a good one. Because uh a couple months ago, I had the privilege of going to uh the Timothy Initiative Global Partners Weekend for those that might not be familiar with us. We partner with our missions um com uh organization called the Timothy Initiative that um I mean, they're a large organization, we're just a part of it. We don't own it by any means, but we are partners with them. And because of your generosity, we've been able to plant 320 churches around the world through this organization. Well, today you get a chance to meet one of the head leaders of this organization of the people that we're working with. I got to sit down with him and interview him and you're gonna hear some extreme stories of that. Now, for security reasons, we can't post this online. So it's not like a scary video by any means. But we he just can't publish his faith online, social media because he's in the inner workings of India and Nepal and serving and planting all these churches. This one gentleman, just so you understand the authority behind this is currently leading. Uh I'm going to get the numbers correct here. 100 and 34 training centers that's training 2400 church planters right now that are all gonna plant in the next year. And he's gonna share a story of six generations of disciples of everyday people experiencing the miracles of God, leading the next person to Christ, who leads the next person to Christ and so on. And I'm here to tell you this that if God can work in these extreme settings, I promise you you can work in our setting right here right now, right? If you think of clothing and things like that, uh they test in extreme weather so that in the everyday use, right? I want you to know number one, these are everyday people, these are not quote unquote special, they are special, but they are special because of the Holy Spirit. And you're gonna hear stories of the unlikely the overlooked who turned around and discipled somebody else. And if they can do it, church, we can do it. I'm sorry, I can't post this online. We're gonna end the live stream, but here's what I'll do if you want to watch this, um, send me a message, fill out that form. I can set up a secure link so you can watch it. We just can't post it anywhere. OK? So I want you to be able to see that too. Let me pray and then we're gonna watch this interview dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for just being here today. Your last words should be our first priority. To be your disciples is to follow you to fellowship with each other and to fish for unbelievers. God help us understand our why and then next, help us understand and identify who we can be discipled by and whom we can be discipling. As next week, we look specifically at how we can actually go about that. We give our ministries up to you and I lift the Timothy initiative up to you as well as we watch this video together and your sons. Let me pray. Amen.