TWO OF THE REASONS JESUS CAME TO EARTH

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:28.

Why did Jesus come to earth to do? There isn’t enough space in the largest server to answer that question. While there is so much that could be said, a quick look at the Gospels tells us that the mission of Jesus was two-fold.

The first part of Jesus’ mission was to make redemption possible for every person, nation, and generation. Jesus made redemption possible for every person by living a perfect and sinless life, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead. Jesus is the only one who could accomplish this mission because He is the only one who could live a sinless life, atone for sin, and have victory over death and the grave.

When Jesus was crucified, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He told people throughout history that He had accomplished one of the two things He came to earth to do, His work of redemption. We would be spending the rest of eternity separated from God if Jesus had not made redemption possible and if we had not received His gift of salvation.

The second part of Jesus’ mission was to start a disciple-making movement. This  movement of disciple-making would ensure that the message of redemption would be passed down from generation to generation so that every person in every nation and every generation could hear the gospel message. Jesus started this movement, but all of us are now responsible for seeing that it continues. Jesus left the task of making disciples in the hands of every generation of disciples. This movement of disciple-makers so many years ago made it possible for each of us to be saved. If Jesus had not completed the work of starting a movement, we would never have heard about His work of redemption, and we would be spending the rest of eternity separated from God.

The disciple-making process continues today. But it isn’t about working harder, working smarter, and getting more skills. It is about getting involved. We disciple in everything we do, so we should be intentional in everything we do to model the love and grace of Jesus — and, as often as we can, to teach others how to find that love and grace for themselves.

The true health of a church is not the number of satellite locations, the size of the budget and staff, the technology, the facility, or the worship band. The real mark of a church is winning people to Jesus Christ and equipping them to be disciples. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Jesus is not singling out those who went to seminary or who have memorized large portions of the Bible.  He is talking to everyone.  Jesus calls all His followers to act and share the good news of salvation. It could be in Lithuania, it could be in Lynn Haven. The places and people who need to hear the Gospel are everywhere.

Discussion Questions:

1. How would you define Jesus’ method of discipleship? What are some aspects of it?
2. What are some difficulties inherent in the discipleship process? How do you overcome those difficulties?