The Member’s Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

 

Twenty seven years ago Joanna and I moved to Bristol to begin training for the Anglican ministry at Trinity College Bristol. It took me some while to figure out why our road was called “Black Boy Hill” and the road next door with all the shops was called “White ladies walk”. I later discovered the ignominious role ports like Bristol and Liverpool, played in the slave trade. The many fine buildings in these cities were built with the profits, as was this very church. It is easy to become desensitized to the suffering that occurred in our distant history. Should the bi-centennial celebrations of the end of the North Atlantic slave trade include a formal apology or an act of repentance? That is what the Archbishop of York is calling for. The Prime Minister has been careful to express deep sorrow for the past. Some believe, to avoid a flood of legal claims by the descendents of slaves demanding compensation. Even art does not escape politicization.

We can recognize paintings that epitomize our national heritage - scenes like these painted by Joseph Turner. But what about this one? Recognize it? Painted in 1840, it hangs in Boston’s museum of fine art. Know what Turner is saying? The title is “The Slave Ship” but Turner wasn’t satisfied. It has a subtitle, “Slavers throwing overboard the dead and dying, Typhoon coming on.” “It kicks you in the gut” says art historian Simon Schama. Turner has captured one of the most shameful episodes of the British Empire., when 132 men, women and children, their hands fettered, were thrown into shark-infested sea, so that traders could claim insurance for their loss.


When the transatlantic slave trade was abolished in the British Empire, two hundred years ago, estimates suggest there were around 11 million slaves in the world. Today there are at least 12 million. Tearfund tell us that “vicious illegal forms of slavery are flourishing across the world. Aside from guns and drugs, no trade is more profitable than the one in human flesh. “Despite the fact that slavery is banned in most countries where it is practised, and prohibited by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the slave trade is flourishing throughout the world right now. Women from Eastern Europe are bonded into prostitution [in Britain], children are trafficked between West African countries [remember the corpse of the little boy fished from the Thames?] and men are forced to work as slaves on South American agricultural estates [is your coffee fair-traded?]. Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people regardless of age, gender or race.” Remember the Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morcombe Bay?


What can we do about it? For a start get on the mailing list of Tearfund for a start. Go to the website of Stopthetraffik.org.  Read the article by John Coffey which we gave you when you came in. Choose fair traded products and refuse to profit from bonded slavery. It was the church that stood against slavery in the 18th and early 19th century. And it is the church of the 21st Century which must take up the mantle and do it again in our generation.

But if we are to deal with the causes and not just some of the symptoms, we must go back to Jesus and remind ourselves what it means to be members of his Church. If you knew you were about to die what would you say?  Your last opportunity to communicate what really matters to you. In our readings this morning we have the last words of Jesus. Jesus condensed everything into one sentence. Moments before His ascension, Jesus gives his disciples their final instructions. It is a summary of all Jesus has taught them. It was to be their mission. It was to be their purpose in life, their mandate. As we conclude this series on membership I want us to consider Jesus’ last instructions under four headings.

 

1.      The authority of our mandate

2.      The purpose of our membership

3.      The extent of our mission

4.      The empowering of our master

 

1. The Authority of our Mandate (Matthew 28:18)

“Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go...” 

 

The word ‘Mandate’ means a command from a higher authority. There is no greater mandate, no higher authority in heaven or earth than the authority of Jesus Christ. The Holy One who will determine the destiny of every single person in the world has commanded us to go and speak and act in His name. What a high honour to be called his ambassadors. How tragic that so many people do not yet know their purpose in life - to know Jesus and make him known. The authority of our mandate.

 

2. The Purpose of our Membership (Matthew 28:19-20)

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

 

Deep in every Christian there is an awareness that we are on this planet for purposes greater than having a career, paying the bills, loving our families, and fulfilling our roles as citizens. Even coming to church and worshiping God - important as these are - sometimes leaves us feeling that something is missing. After all, we’ll worship God for eternity in heaven. We don’t need to be here to do that. But there is one supreme role we can only fulfil while here on earth that will have eternal consequences. In the short time God has given us on earth we can make an impact that will outlast us here on earth.  

 

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

 

The construction of this sentence shows Jesus was placing the emphasis on his strategy, to "make disciples". This was their primary task - disciple making. Everything else was subordinate. Notice what is not mentioned. Building cathedrals is not mentioned. Appointing bishops is not mentioned. Founding theological colleges or charitable institutions is not mentioned. These things are useful, some may even be essential to a mission infrastructure, but only in so far as they contribute to this ultimate objective, this priority, this strategy. Making disciples who will reproduce themselves.

 

That is what it means to be a member of God’s family. Notice the importance of the local believing congregation. “Baptising them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit.”


That is why we renew our membership commitment at Easter, traditionally the time when people were baptized. That is why the first statement of our Membership covenant says that by God’s grace, I will endeavor to follow the example of Christ in home and daily life, to bear personal witness to him. This is what it means to be a disciple. Everything else is secondary. If our services do not enable us to be disciples, if our buildings do not facilitate us to make disciples, if our activities do not equip us to be more effective, more fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ, then they are at best a distraction and at worst a diversion. Everything we do should be shaped by our overriding mandate expressed in our mission statement. “To know Jesus and make Jesus known.”  Jesus said, “Go and make disciples”. That means followers of Jesus Christ. Then he added “teaching them to obey”. That means devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Then he added “everything I have commanded you”. That means fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  This is why the purpose of our membership is “to assist irreligious people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” This is our priority. Turning pagans into missionaries.

 

This should be central to everything we do as a Church. All our activities, all our energy, all our time, all our discussions, all our expenditure should be evaluated by this simple criteria. Does it assist us in being and making disciples? Does it assist us to know Jesus and make Jesus known? We have no mandate to engage in anything that does not help us fulfil the great commission of Jesus Christ. To assist people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  If we forget this, or if we neglect this, or ignore it, we lose our mandate and we will lose God’s blessing. In Acts 1:8, Jesus added, “You will be my witnesses”. That is all Jesus ever calls us to be. His witnesses. To tell what Jesus Christ has done in history, to tell what Jesus Christ has done in our lives. The authority of our mandate. The purpose of our membership.

 

3. The Extent of Our Mission (Matthew 28:19-20)

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... to the very end of the age.” 

 

All nations - We have a world-wide mission. We start with those we live with, with those we work with, those we know. That is why in our membership commitment, we pledge to give personal service to Church, neighbours and community.  But our catchment area goes well beyond the parish of Virginia Water. Our aim is to work with other like-minded churches and reach everyone within 20 minutes driving distance of Virginia Water. And working alongside the Christian Union, the Korean church and Chinese Christian Fellowship at Royal Holloway, our mission is to make disciples of students and faculty from many other countries visiting our community to study. But our aim is even wider still - through our website - we aim to reach anyone, anywhere in the world with the good news of Jesus Christ - and last month around 3,500 people visited our websites. And through our mission partners and our mission budget, our priority is to support ministry that is evangelistic, builds up local churches and equips future leaders. That is why our Membership Commitment includes the promise to give money for the work of the parish and Diocese and for the work of the Church at home and overseas. That is why this year our mission allocation will focus much more on work overseas and where the need for gospel witness is greatest.  

 

“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

 

Jesus was commissioning a handful of fishermen to turn the world upside down. He gave them a strategy that was both simple and effective. To win people to Christ, build them up in the faith, and then send them to do the same. Everything we do as a church should be driven by this mission, judged by this strategy, shaped by this mandate - of turning irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We have looked at the authority of our mandate. The purpose of our membership.
The extent of our mission. Finally, lest we forget, we have

 

4. The Empowering of our Master (Matthew 28:20)

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Who will always be with us? The one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. It is not so much that he goes with us. It is rather that we go with him. Jesus is not like a general waving his troops off as they go into battle as he remains safe behind the lines. Luke makes this clear in the prelude to the Acts of the Apostles.


“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven...” (Acts 1:1-2).

 

Jesus continues his work in us through the Holy Spirit. He commands and we obey. He leads and we follow.  The authority of our mandate. The purpose of our membership. The extent of our mission, fulfilled in the empowering of our Master.  

 

Our Prime Minister will shortly tender his resignation. I remember vividly ten years ago sitting with some of you watching the election results come in that led to the landslide Labour majority and the appointment of a new Prime Minister. What will Tony Blair be remembered for most? In 200 years will he be remembered for anything? In the 18th Century many people urged the MP William Wilberforce to stand for Prime Minister. Although ably gifted and well suited, he turned it down.

 

On October 25, 1787, William Wilberforce wrote in his journal, “God has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.”

John Newton, the former slave trader and author of “Amazing Grace,” offered Wilberforce wise counsel: “The Lord has raised you up for the good of His church and for the good of His nation.”  

 

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodism, wrote to Wilberforce urging him to persevere to end “the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature” but he also warned, “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils, but if God be for you who can be against you?” Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect understood that the campaign to eradicate slavery in the British Empire was ultimately a spiritual battle. In addition to all their political efforts, they also prayed three hours a day. Their heart-cry before the Lord was, “May you yet find a remnant of your people here who are faithful to you, that you will spare this nation.”

 

For twenty years, Wilberforce and his allies laboured unwaveringly without success. Then, on the 25th March 1807, Parliament finally voted to abolish the North Atlantic slave trade. The bill was passed in the House of Lords by 41 votes to 20. In the House of Commons it was carried by 114 to 15. But that wasn’t the end of it. Wilberforce then fought for another twenty-six years to achieve the abolition of slavery itself. William Wilberforce died on 29th July, 1833. One month later, Parliament finally passed the Slavery Abolition Act that gave all slaves in the British Empire their freedom. What was Wilberforce’s motivation?  In 1797 Wilberforce wrote a little book called “Real Christianity”

 

“Boldly I must confess that I believe the national difficulties we face result from the decline of religion and morality among us. I must confess equally boldly that my own solid hopes for the well-being of my country depend, not so much on her navies and armies, nor on the wisdom of her rulers, nor on the spirit of her people, as on the persuasion that she still contains many who love and obey the gospel of Christ. I believe their prayers may yet prevail… May there be here at least a sanctuary, a land of true faith and piety, where we may still enjoy the blessings of Christianity. May there be in this nation a place where the name of Christ is still honoured and men may see the blessings of faith in Jesus.”

That was his passion. That was his motivation.

“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."


Today we celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the North Atlantic slave trade in Britain. We still remember and give thanks for William Wilberforce. We may not remember his roles or his positions. But we do remember what he stood for and what he gave his life for - all 49 years of lobbying, of writing, petitioning and speaking in order that slaves might be set free. That’s real Christianity. But freedom remains an elusive dream for millions of people trapped in cruel forms of modern-day slavery. Faced with this and other global challenges such as climate change, AIDS, poverty and terrorism, it is easy to feel powerless. Yet the lesson of today’s anniversary, and today’s scripture is that God will use Christ followers who take Jesus’ mandate seriously to win the nations for Christ.


That is why we invite you into membership and to find a place of service in the local church so that together we can know Jesus and make Jesus known.