Hey, we’re on a series. We called, um, the basic training, the making of a soldier. So we’ve been talking about it for three weeks, I think is our fourth week here. We’re going to get into it today. So the sermon notes are available there in your worship guides. If you are in one of our services live, or if you’re watching online, or if you want to use your phone, the YouVersion Bible app, the sermon notes are available there. You can die. Download them also off of our website, but here at throws church, we believe that God wants to speak to us. Every time we open the Bible that God’s got something to say to us with us here at Mt. Carmel Church. So if you have your Bibles with you this morning, he wrote his family, Mount Carmel, Nora city, wherever you are, pull those Bibles out. Let’s get excited and open them up to Matthew chapter 28.
Whew. Matthew 28. He be excited to be in church. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Needs to be a two syllable word. Yes. That’s three. I can make it into three syllables. Ma. Yeah. What is it? Matthew chapter 28 right there by Mark Matthew 28. I’m gonna start reading in verse 16 when you’re ready. Say I’m ready. All right. I love it. You guys are pumped and ready to go. Verse 16 says then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee to the mountain, which Jesus had appointed for them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him. But some doubted and Jesus came and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I’ve commanded you and lo I’m with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. Let’s pray together, father. I just thank you for the word. Holy spirit. I welcome you right now in Jesus name. We desire you and we need you. And I say, come Holy spirit.
Coming through every screen, every television, every iPad, every laptop, every phone right there in Mount Carmel location. God, I just pray for your presence to be with us without you. There is no purpose in this gathering. So we want you, Lord. I want you to bring truth to it. I want you to bring this alive today. God, it’d be more than a sermon, more than a message, but I pray truly that people will hear your voice right where they are and be drawn to you. Jesus, be glorified, all praise to you in Jesus, mighty name, somebody say, amen. Here we find a Matthew, 28, four, the disciples. See Jesus again here towards the very last of their encounter with Jesus before he ascends up into heaven and they come in contact with him. And these are kind of his parting words. If you will. Some of them here in Matthew, 28, acts one has some parting words and all of this culminating from the last exchange and notice what it says here. When they saw him, when they Jesus. So they saw him crucified. They saw him buried, sorry, crucified taken off the cross, put in the tomb, stone rolled over the tomb. They saw all of that. And now they’re seeing him alive in person. I don’t know. That’s kind of a big deal. If you saw someone crucified, buried in a tomb and then you saw them alive afterwards, you might be a little bit impressed. I’m just saying it’s kind of a big deal. How many dead people have you seen walking around when it come to our Mt. Carmel Church services?
I’m waiting. Not a lot. It doesn’t happen every day. So they see Jesus and has noticed what happens though. When they saw him, it says some worshiped him and some doubted. When we’re talking about making a soldier, one of the things we’ve got to get set in our mind from the jump from the get go is that some people are going to worship. Some people is going to doubt. We’re seeing in our world today, we’re seeing what’s happening. There is nothing you can say. There’s nothing you can, uh, put out there in a post. That’s going to get universal acceptance there’s times. And this is tough for me because I want everybody to like me. I’m just that guy that I want everybody to get along. Everybody want it. I just feel everybody like man is, I’m just always shocked when people don’t like me, but you got to realize that some people are not going to like you and you just have to get over it. There’s nothing you can put out when we look into the top Mt. Carmel Church. You can put out there. I love ice cream and some people’s going to blow up your feet and talk about how offensive that was. That you’re not considerate of those people who are lactose intolerant.
There’s, there’s no way to not offend somebody. So here’s what God spoke to me. And I’m still I’m processing it. Maybe it’ll help you. Here’s what he said. I want you to focus on individual obedience over universal acceptance. So Ted to start drilling down, focus on individual obedience instead of universal acceptance. If we can all just learn to obey God, when what he tells us to do and stop worrying about. If everybody else approves with what God told you, you will live in a lot more peace. Just receive that. So now we’ve talked about this two things that every soldier needs to know, two things that every disciple I’m going to do, this kind of, you know, I’m titled at basic training. So I’m thinking of it and I’m processing it through way of it. God would put someone in front of me, male or female and say, this person, I want them to grow up and become a full devoted follower of Jesus.
That I’m just trying to think on how I would talk to them, how I, how I would give this to them, how I teach it to them. Two things, every Christian needs to know. Number one, every Christian needs to know their mission. Mission speaks to direction means this means what’s the objective. What’s the goal? What are we trying to accomplish? Every soldier in the military, they need to know their mission. What I see a problem in Christianity is when we forget our mission, we forget our, why what’s our, what are we supposed to be doing? What’s my purpose in this life? Why am I doing, what am I doing? That’s your mission. We get discouraged. We get off track. We chart, start following other things and start going other directions with when we get off mission, when we forget why we’re here. And I just want to remind the church, we need to live on mission on purpose.
I’m talking about an internal mission, not an external mission that everybody tells me what I should be doing. There should be something on the inside of you that tells you why you get up every day. This is why I live. This is why I chose Christianity. This is why I serve Jesus. There’s some times I’m like, Oh man, it’s hard. Difficulty, face adversity, face challenges. But there should be some mission in your heart that says, wait a minute. Yeah. I remember why I signed up for this. I remember why I confessed Jesus as Lord. I remember why I live with a purpose for the most amazing Mt. Carmel Church. I remember why I’m breathing. I’m telling there are people watching right now, listening to my voice that they have lost their mission. And God’s saying, get back on mission. Get back on mission. Live with mission. Live with purpose. I’m not saying purpose means you understand everything that’s going on in your life and how everything’s going to play out.
No, I’m just saying, get in it for the long haul. I’m on a mission to serve Jesus Christ. Come hell or high water. I’m committed my life to him. I don’t know what’s going to happen a week from now. I don’t know what’s going to happen six months from now, but I know whom I’m going to be serving. I’m going to be living on mission to give my life to Jesus mission. You’ve got no mission. You gotta know your direction. Where am I going? I don’t know what’s going to happen on the way. Stop getting discouraged. I’m taught. I’m preaching to Chad right now. Stop getting discouraged. When you don’t know what’s going to happen on the way and just get on.
Yeah.
Christianity in the new Testament was called the way in first century church. We just need to get on the way and trust him, who is the way the truth and the life come on, let’s move off direction. Number two, we need to know rules of engagement. We need to know rules of engagement. This deals with authority, every Christian needs to know the concept of authority. Here’s what the rules of engagement are. When, where, how, and against whom force may be used and what actions, soldiers, or believers may take on their own authority and what directions they may be that may be issued by the commanding officer. Now, both of these are given in this passage, mission and rules of engagement. I’m telling you every believer needs to know these Jesus gives the rules of engagement. First, he talks about in verse 18, all authority has been given to me in heaven on earth for us here at Mt. Carmel Church
Then he gives the mission empowered by the engagement, and then he goes on and says, go therefore and make disciples. So he gives the rules of engagement. All authority has been given to me. Then he says, now I want you to go. So no, look at this word there says go. Therefore in verse 19, go, therefore really, uh, in English, I would like to translate this verse a little bit different. I’d like to switch those words around instead of go, therefore I would it read therefore go. And the reason I’m saying that from a teaching standpoint, from an instruction standpoint is the word, therefore is a word that means consequently or cause and effect of what proceeds to what follows a reaction as a result of an action. So here’s why I say switched around because I would understand it better. Maybe you’re sharper than me, but I would understand it better if it would say, therefore go. So Jesus said, all authority has been given to me in heaven and earth. Now, therefore, because of that, cause and effect, now go break it down for you. This word therefore is very important because it deals with, there is a cause that produces the opportunity for an effect, an example, it rained for three days straight because the effect the road was flooded over.
Cause it’s 20 degrees outside effect. I will wear my coat. Yes. Cause and effect. Cause in this passage that we’re talking about is, is that Jesus said all authority has been given to me, therefore points back to the cost when it says, because of all authority been given to Jesus. Now I want you to go. So let’s look at the therefore the authority when he said all the Ford has been given to me in heaven on earth. Why is that significant? Every soldier discipled needs to grasp the kingdom concept of authority. Let me give you two keys to authority. I talked about them last week, but I want to reinstate them just for one purpose. Number one, every disciple needs to understand their source of authority. As I listened to the landscape going on around the world, let alone in the church world. One of the significant problems I think is the church has lost its source of authority and enjoy a better level of Mt. Carmel Church services.
I’m speaking obviously generally not every single person in every single situation, but I think in general, a source of authority is key for us. Now what does authority mean? Authority is the Greek word [inaudible] which means ability and power over a domain or sphere of influence. So follow along, this is important for your, for Christianity authority. When he says all authority has been given to me in heaven and earth authority means the ability and power over a domain or sphere of influence, jurisdiction, limits, or territory within which authority may be exercise. Let me break it down in an easier way. Authority is the territory or jurisdiction where power and ability can be exercised. So it’s a territory or jurisdiction where power and ability can be exercised. If you have a 40 in an area, you have jurisdiction. That means that power and the power and ability that you’ve have, can be exercised in that area. So let me ask these questions. So Jesus has how much authority, according to the scripture, you go ahead and you answer, just play along with me. Jesus has how much authority all. So if he has all authority, what authority is above his none, right? You’re good students. That’s good. So if all authority is below him, what are the domains and territories where his authority can be exercised? Is it only on church property?
Where, what are the domains and territories where his authority can be exercised or where is Jesus’s jurisdiction? He says in heaven and on earth, what does that mean? Well, in heaven, you know, I understood, of course he has authority him. No, no, no, no. Don’t don’t limit it. When he says in heaven, you need to remember that heaven. There’s three heavens three heavens talked about in the scripture. The first heaven is just the sky, the heavens, the heavens around us, just the sky, the atmosphere. The second heaven is the spiritual realm where demonic forces and angelic hosts operate. The third heaven that Paul talked about, God took him to the third heaven is where God lives. So there’s three heavens. So when Jesus said all authority has been given to me, let me lay out to you, my hood. Let me lay out to you. My jurisdiction. It’s the heaven, the heavenlies, and in heaven itself and on the earth.
Yeah.
That’s where he has all authority. We have to grasp this in our heart. Jesus has ultimate authority everywhere. You’re like that’s basic. No, no, no. It’s not basic. If it’s not in our heart, if it’s in my heart, I’m not worried about what the news says because Jesus has ultimate authority everywhere. See, when we, as believers, if we’re going to say that Jesus has all authority everywhere, then why would we ever be afraid? Anytime, anywhere I realized that fear is going to come. I realize anxiety is going to come. I realized discouraged was going to come. But when it comes, we got to realize what jurisdiction we are in. I got to look around me and say, wait a minute. I’m pretty much up in Jesus’s jurisdiction. So I look to the ultimate authority to find my response to what’s happening in the world. Why? Because he’s in charge. If I don’t think he’s in charge, then I’ll get afraid and I’ll wait for someone else to tell me what it’s okay to do and what not to do. But when I understand he’s in charge, then I will look to him and say, Lord, what do you want me to do in this season? Even when other people tell me it’s not okay to do it, you’re an ultimate authority for the best Mt. Carmel Church.
So now we’ve got to understand who’s the source of authority. Number two, we got understand submission to authority. This is a basic training for a believer, submission to authority. When you enlist in the army, remember you submit to a system of authority. When you become a Christian, you submit to a structure, a system of authority, the kingdom of God is based on authority. Now you’re not. Sometimes we understand clearly, okay, submit to authority means, okay, God, we only have you problem with submitting to God, but you’re not just submitting to God or those over you. You’re submitting to a system of authority in the military. It’d be like this. I submit to a system of authority that I understand. If I come in as a Lieutenant, I submit to those in authority over me. The Colonel is over me. I’m submitted to him. But I also understand as a Lieutenant that I’m submitted to the system of authority, that as a Lieutenant, I have a responsibility to exercise authority, to those who are under me with a new level of Mt. Carmel Church.
That’s a responsibility on my lap and we don’t have any problem. Usually understanding our submission to God and his authority. But what we usually forget in the church is that we submitted to a system that gives you an, our responsibility to exercise authority, over things that are under us. Let me, let me explain it. Let me say Luke chapter 10 verse 19 behold, I give you authority. This is Jesus talking. I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power over all the power over or under all the power of the enemy over or under all the power of the enemy. You don’t have it yet over or under all the power of the enemy over or under all the power of the enemy. All the power of the enemy over or under is your authority over or under all the power of the enemy. It’s gotta, you gotta hear it several times before. It becomes hard knowledge for you. Your authority given to you by Jesus. Is it over or under all the power of the enemy over? So now you and I, we step into a system that I have the responsibility to submit to the ultimate authority of Jesus. But I also submit to the structure that says, I have to exercise authority over everything that is under me, Romans 16, that had got a peaceful soon crush Satan underneath your feet.
If I refuse to exercise my authority with those who are under me than I am not honoring those who are over me,
Come on
Sila. If I refuse to exercise my authority to those who are under me, I am not honoring those who are over me thing military for a minute. If the Colonel gives me orders and tells me what to do to instruct the rest of my troops that are under me. If I refuse to exercise my authority to those that are under me, I am no use and not honoring those who are above me. The same thing in the spirit. If God’s going to give me a 40 over all the power of the enemy. And if I don’t exercise that authority over those things that are under me, I’m not honoring the one who gave it to me and died to give it to me.
Jesus took a beating so that I can have victory over sin. So he says he might set to that telling me since not going to come to him, teaching’s not going to come. Trouble’s not going to. He says, when it comes step into your authority and exercise that authority over the things that are under you, it is not arrogance to operate in the authority given to you by Jesus. It is negligence to get th etop Mt. Carmel Church services. Not to some people talk about operating authority and they say, Oh, you’re just prideful and full of pride. How come when Jesus came and taught? What is the one thing they said was different about his speaking than everyone else? He comes speaking words. He comes speaking different. What’s so different about Jesus. When he comes to speak, he speaks as one, having authority was Jesus full of pride, but he was full of authority.
Did he go to the demons and say, demon? I know I’m nothing but God, if it be your will, would you please cast out this demonic? Is that how he operated? The Bible says he rebuked the demeanor, demeanor, demon and commanded it to come out. He even told it to shut up and not to speak. I’ll tell you when to speak and what to speak. That’s someone having authority. And if we walk like that, as believers, some people going to accuse you of being prideful and arrogant. Those people accused you of being prideful. Arrogant are the same people that are consumed with fear and they don’t know what to do in their life. So don’t listen to those voices and identify you’re with yourself, with something that God has not called you. You’re not full of fear. You’re not supposed to cower and wonder what to do for us here at Mt. Carmel Church.
You’re supposed to speak boldly under the authority of Jesus and command those things that are under you to stay under you in Jesus name. Oh geez. That’s the cause. That’s just the cause. So the cause is all authority has been given to me in heaven and earth. That’s what Jesus said. Now what’s the effect. The effect is therefore, therefore, because all authority has been given to Jesus because all authority has been given to Jesus and he has jurisdiction over all territories because of that. Go, go, go, therefore, go look at your neighbor. Say, I gotta go. I gotta go. I gotta go. You gotta go. That go just means to move from one place to another move from one place to other, because all the Ford has been given to me. Jesus said, now I want you to go go. The good thing about when God tells us to go, what I love about God is he doesn’t just send us. He goes with us.
He says, Hey, because all authority has been given to me on heaven earth. Now you go and guess what? I’m coming to. He’s not just sending us haphazardly. The Bible says this in Joshua chapter one, verse nine, have not have I not commanded. You be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord. Your God is with you. Wherever you go, wherever you go. Second Chronicles 2017. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourself. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you. O Judah and Jerusalem. Here we go. Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow. Go out against them for the Lord is with you. Why do we go out against tummies? Why do I go out against fear? Why do I go out and get it’s against intimidation? Why do I go out against discouragement, depression, whatever may be coming against me when it comes to a solid level of Mt. Carmel Church.
I go out. Not because I’m something I go out because of who’s with me black. Yeah, you may be bigger than me. You may be stronger than me. You may be tougher than me. I’m not, I probably can’t overcome this. I’m not gonna be able to get through this family situation. I’m not going to get through this marital situation. I can’t do it. My kids. There’s no way I’m going to be able to do it. I know what I can’t do it, but let me tell you, have you seen who’s with me? I know I’m not much. I know I’m not much temptation. I know I’m not much, but have you seen my big brother? I’ve just seen the one who’s with me. I’m coming out against you. Not because of who I am because who is with me? I believe the church, many times forgets who’s with them and they’re more concentrated on who’s against them than they are with them. And I just come to remind myself and maybe you too. We got to remember that if the Lord is with us, who can be against us? If God’s on my side, what am I afraid of? If God’s with me, then why are we cowering in fear? If God’s with us, where are we concerned and filled with anxiety? God is with me. He says, go I’m with you. I’m with you.
He says it. A check. Come on, let’s go. I’m with you. I’m you. So I feel like, Lord, I’m gonna go into this. I’m gonna step out in this. I’m not, I’m not sure I’m stepping into this new job. I’m stepping into the school system and stepping into structure and all what’s going to happen. I’m trying to teach the kids and know what’s going to happen with this and the masks and the schedule and the blocks. I don’t know what’s going to do. God says, come on, step out into it. I’m with you. I’m with you. I’m with you. I don’t know I’m going to do it. My kids I’m gonna have to homeschool my kids and I was going to be different. I’m not sure I can do it. I’m just going, come on. I’m with you. I’m with you wherever you go. I’m with you. I’ll never leave you nor forsake you. I’m struggling on what to do in my life. I’m going off into college. I’m graduating college. I don’t have my job. He’s with you to enjoy our Mt. Carmel Church services.
Go on, check, go. We got, we gotta remember who’s with you. We’ll go with it. Now. Look what he says. He’s with me. He says go therefore and make disciples. So here’s the effect. The cause was all authority is given to Jesus in heaven and earth. So because he has ultimate authority. Now we go and here’s the effect. What are we supposed to do? Here’s the mandate go there for and make disciples of all nations. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing. Here’s the mission go therefore and make disciples of all nations. That’s what to do. We’re supposed to be making disciples of all nations. Number two is how to do it. And we’ll talk about that later, where it says to baptize them, named the father, son, the Holy spirit and teaching them to observe all things that I’ve taught you. But the what to do is go and make disciples. Now I want to break this down for a moment in English. Look what it says, go therefore, and make disciples in English and English translation. It looks like the word make is the verb. And disciples is the object. I’m not trying to give you too much schooling.
So if your head’s spinning, just relax, make disciples. So what it looks like it’s saying in English is that we’re supposed to make something, make disciples. But remember that the Bible was written old. Testament was written in Hebrew. New Testament was written in Greek and Aramaic. The Greek word here for make disciples is not two words. It’s one word. And it’s a verb. So instead of make being the verb, disciples, being the object and we translate in English, we’re supposed to make some thing. We’re supposed to make someone in the, in the verb language, in the original Greek language, it just says, go and disciple. It’s a verb. It’s a verb. It’s an action. It’s something we’re supposed to do. It’s not something we’re supposed to make at something we’re supposed to do. It’s not something I’m supposed to produce in my life. It’s something I’m supposed to be in my life. So we talk about making disciples. We get intimidated because we think that’s something I’m supposed to create. Like I got to make somebody believe a certain way, make them change their life and become something. And that’s too much pressure with us ehre at the top level of Mt. Carmel Church.
[inaudible]
I got to change a person’s life. I can’t make disciples. I don’t know my Bible that well, that’s not what the word says. The word says, you and I go and disciple just disciple. Well, that’s still intimidating. We’re not when you understand what it means, here’s what the word means. It’s a word method that, you know, just a Greek word. Doesn’t matter. I can’t pronounce it. So I can’t speak English, let alone Greek. So it says to train, to teach or instruct to train, to teach or instruct. So in other words, go out and live your life in front of someone and your life will take train, teach and instruct someone else. According to what don’t feel, the pressure you got to make someone be something, you be something. And we just go, I live our life. And that disciples people around us, your, your actions, your life, it trains other people. It disciples people. Now does that mean I will also sit down with someone, take them through scriptures, teach them how to pray to yes, but I’m not trying to make them become something. I’m just doing something. See, I think the pressure in discipleship and where the church has lost this mission is where we get things. My job is to change you here at Mt. Carmel Church.
I got to get you to become something. No I don’t. I don’t have to get you to become anything. I just have to live. What’s on the inside of me, around you. And as you, as you ask, we’re supposed to be salt and light. And as my life makes you thirsty because I’m salty, my life makes you thirsty. This is what we gotta do with the world. We got to stop thinking. It’s our objective to change the world and it’s to get in the world and be salt in it, infiltrate the world and just disciple the world and let them see Jesus. Let them see a different life. Let them see people that live in the same circumstances with a different attitude. How can you live in the same circumstances with a totally different perspective? I look at things from heavenly perspective because all authority has been given to Jesus.
And this is pretty much his jurisdiction. So what does a disciple you say, well, am I a discipleship? Let me ask. Here’s what a disciple is. A disciple is one who follows Christ, trusting in him alone for salvation, worshiping him, loving him with their whole heart, imitating his life by OBD, by obeying his teaching, walking in the Holy spirit, meditating on the word of God, engaging in prayer and partnering with the body of Christ. The local church resulting in the transformation of the mind, the heart and the life causing them to lead others, to do the same. That’s a disciple notice in there. I don’t think I’ve read one time where it said a tins Attends church is something you do because you’re a disciple not to prove you’re a disciple.
[inaudible]
If you think coming to church makes you a disciple, you’ve been deceived coming to church. That’s what a disciple does.
Here’s what we’re talking about. A disciple is someone who loves Jesus and follows his teaching. And because they do that, a disciple automatically will disciple others. It’s part of the part of the process. So now how does how’s this? It implies this. So who are we supposed to disciple? Here’s the part of things important go therefore and make disciples, make disciples or go there for and disciple of what go there for and disciple all. Go ahead and you participate. You just read it. It’s right there in English, go there for and disciple all nations, nations, nations, nations, nations words. So the church is supposed to disciple nations. That sounds a little bit overwhelming. That sounds like a pretty big deal. Who is that? The word nations there. Here’s what it means. A large group of people based on kinship culture, common traditions with physical and geographical ties, sociopolitical community.
So notice what he says as a result, as a result of the cause of all authority has been given to me. Here’s what the mission is to the church. Here’s what the mission is to the Christian. He says, I want you to go out. I want you to disciple nations. Here’s where I think it problem came. The church. I’m going to give you, there are seven spheres of influence in society, arts and entertainment, economy, education, family, government, media, and religion. Here’s the problem. What happened? I think the church felt like their objective, their goal, their mission was to get in the religion mountain, get saved, take care of each other, right there. Try and stay saved the best that they could until Jesus come and gets them out of this great, wonderful religion and gets them away from these evil other six mountains. But that’s not what the Bible says.
The Bible says that I want you to go disciple nations, disciple nations. That means arts and entertainment. That means we got too many Christians that thought they had a calling on their life. And they told because they had a calling on their life. They need to get it behind a pulpit and start pastoring a church. When they were really supposed to go out into the workforce and be salt and light and help take that nation. That mountain influence for the kingdom of God. We got too many people. That’s put their calling on hold because they thought they didn’t want to preach. You’re not supposed to preach behind a pulpit. You’re supposed to preach at the office at the school. Wherever you are, let your life be a discipling tool for the kingdom of God. We’re not called to the religion mountain church. We’re called to all seven mountains.
We’re called to disciple nations nations. We’re supposed to be the one influencing culture. We’re not, one’s supposed to be influenced by culture. We’re not supposed to hide in here and just pretend here’s what will happen. Society will tell the Christians. They’ll tell you how you get in your little religion mountain. You have your little religious parties, your little gatherings. You just talk when we want you to talk, give some nice charitable things. But whenever it comes to these other areas, you keep silent until the church is supposed to have something to say in all spheres of influence. And that’s what God has called us to be as the church, he’s called us to reach this. Go over quickly to Matthew 16, I’ll close here. Matthew 16, just a few pages to the left.
We’re supposed to disciple nations, nations nations, including the United States of America, discipling nations. And I’m just going to touch on this. I’ll have to get more into, did I say Matthew 18, Matthew 16, 16. Okay. Matthew 16, Matthew 16. Look at this. What Jesus said, he’s talking, answering Peter. Who said that you are the Christ, the son of the living God verse 17 and Jesus answered and said to him, blessed are you Simon? Barjona for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father who’s in heaven. And also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church. And the Gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Now, hold on. When he says I will build my church that were church, there is a Greek word. Ekklesia we talk about church. We talk about that word. We think church, we think of this right here.
We think of a gathering. That’s not what Jesus meant. He said, I will build my ekklesia at clay. SIA was a legislative group. It was a group that was assigned to go into an area and influence and change culture. When Rome, this was enrollment times when Rome would take over new territory, they spread out. They didn’t just have their own area. They spread into other kingdoms who spoke different languages, had different cultures. When they took over a new group of people through war they’re a job of the ekklesia was to go into that culture, infiltrate that culture and bring the kingdom of the governing authority, that culture into that culture and change it until it matched where their authority came from. This is what God has told the Christians to do. Get the authority of your kingdom and infiltrate all the kingdoms of this world until they become the kingdoms of our God.
This is our job. That’s our job. Our job is to show the world a different way, a different way to treat people a different way, to love people, a different way to walk in peace when everyone else is in fear, a different way to walk in boldness when everyone else is insecure, nothing, we don’t have problems. I’m just talking about the authority of Jesus’s on our life. So God’s just speaking to us. We need to remember our authority. We remember who’s on our side. Remember our mission. What is our mission? I want to stir up and remind the church. Our mission is not just to attend services. It is to go, go, go and disciple nations. So what nations, remember, people, groups, people, groups. What does that mean? Who’s your people who are your people, your friends, your coworkers. We said, we hear disciple nations. And we think I’ve got to disciple mother Russia when it comes to the top Mt. Carmel Church.
I got to go to Africa and saves the whole continent of Africa. Disciple nations means people, groups. That means you start with the people that, you know, disciple, the people, you know, disciple your family, disciple, your friends, disciple your coworkers. Guess what we’re going to do. We’re going to change culture. When we take the 40 that we’ve been given to us and we exercise that authority to influence the people around us. I tell my kid, I tell people this all the time, here’s two, there’s only two things. You are either influencing people or they’re influencing you. If you’re not the influencer in a relationship, you either need to get out of the relationship or put your big boy and big girl pants on and start being an influencer. I’m not talking about being a boss. I’m not talking about being demeaning or condescending. I’m talking about understanding.
If you have Jesus in your life, you have the authority to bring people into a relationship. That’s going to bring them to their best selves. You gotta do it. Let me out of my best stuff and bring me down to do that stuff that I walked away from. I’m better than that because Jesus died for me. I’m going to influence people. Not because I’m perfect, but because he is perfect. I’m telling you, the world needs. Some leaders need some leaders. I’m listening and hearing people talk around, but it’s just people waiting on this. And they give us permission to do that. I’m not waiting. I’m not waiting. I’m going to be a leader. I’m not being a leader. Like I want a bunch of people follow me. Don’t get it twisted. I’m not about that. I’m going to be a leader. As in, I know where I’m going. I know who I’m following and anybody wants to come with me. That’s great because I know if Jesus is with me, I don’t have to be afraid. What’s going to happen. We don’t be afraid of what’s coming on the earth. We gotta be excited about what’s coming on the earth. Because if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, this is the most exciting time in the history of humanity with us at the best Mt. Carmel Church service.
I’ve been waiting my whole life for this enduring passive stuff to get to the place where we have to fight for our faith. Oh, maybe that doesn’t excite you, but I’m like at the point, start telling me I can’t do something. Come on, come on, start restricting me. Come on, come on. Start making some things illegal. Come on, start safe. Start in censoring and not putting things. There’s a reason they’re trying to keep people. Oh, Jesus lived downstairs. Slow down, slow down, slow down,
Simmer, simmer. You’ve got something. You got something. You got something to offer the world. It’s time that we don’t apologize about it. Some are going to worship. Some are going to doubt. Get over it. Some are going to say, Oh, that’s right. I want to be a Christian too. Some will say you’re an idiot. You’re a fool. I’m not going to listen to you. Who do you think you are? You’re gonna get both responses. We can’t live for the praise or we’ll die for the criticism. We got to live and die for Jesus. Take the hits, take the hits. Decide whose team you’re on. You signed up for the army. Let’s do it. You signed up to serve, serving, stand up and attention. Lift your head. I know a lot of crazy stuff’s going on, but say, Hey, I serve Jesus. He has all authority. I’m not afraid. I don’t know how it’s going to play out, but I know who I’m going to play it out with. We’ve got land to play. You get excited. Two things. Do you know your mission? That’d be rest. The rules of engagement.
Thanks so much for watching with us. We love our online family and we invite you to connect with us. We have a few different ways. You can do that on our website@theroads.church, as well as on social media, you can text to give by texting the amount space, roads to four, five, 777. And we’d love to pray for any needs you might have. So send us a message and let us know how we can partner with you in bringing the light and love of Jesus to your world.