Go

Come

Matt 11:28,29
Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

And Go

Matt 28:18-20
I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Come and Go.

As we've been discussing, this is a theme that Jesus uses. He calls his disciples to himself and then he sends them out. He calls us to himself, and then he sends us out.

Come
Mark 1:16-17
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net out into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, Come follow me and I will show you how to fish for people.

Go
Luke 9:1-2
One day Jesus called together his disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Luke 10:1
The Lord now chose 72 other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.

This week we will think about what it actually means to go.

Jesus tells us to go out into the world and share the good news of his love and grace. He has been given all authority, so he basically says "because I have all authority, you are able to go".

What does the authority of Jesus actually give us.

1. The authority to go in Jesus name

We don't go in our own power or strength. We go in the power Jesus has given us. This power/authority means:
-Power of choice and liberty
-Permission
-Physical and mental power
-Authority, right and privilege
-Power of rule and government

Are we getting the picture? Jesus has all authority, and his command to "go" is based in that authority.

Luke 9:1-2
One day Jesus called together his disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

When he sent out the twelve he said he was giving them his authority (the same word he uses later in his commissioning), and power - strength, power, power for performing miracles.

In Acts, he tells the disciples to wait, and they will receive power to be witnesses. God's power is for a purpose.

Acts 1:8
But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

The word here is the same - power, the same miracle performing power, strength and ability. Lets get a hold of the truth that Jesus brings. We have his authority and power to go into the world.

What hinders us from going in his power?

Do we actually believe what Jesus says?

Then, we are already equipped to go into the world. We are already empowered by Jesus, through his Spirit to take his good news to our community.

2. Go means go.

Mark 10:15
Go into all the world and preach the Good news to everyone, everywhere.

I think this is pretty straight forward. Everyone, everywhere does not give much room for excuses. We have power and authority given to us by Jesus to bring the good news of God's love and grace to everyone, everywhere.

Go does not mean sit around in your comfort zone and drink tea from fine china. (This doesn't mean we can't ever use nice china, but it does mean that if that is all we do, we've missed the point.)

Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!

Paul says:
Romans 10:14-15
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believein him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news.

There are two aspects to this. There are those who go and those who send. But these are not mutually exclusive. Jesus did not say - find other people and send them out. He said go yourself. But there is also an aspect of sending. In the church of Antioch, the elders prayed and the church sent out Paul and Barnabus.

So we are to go and we are to send. We are to go to Judea, Samaria and the Ends of the earth. What does this mean for us? Some will go to Jerusalem,the local Wollongong Community, this is our main area or to Judea, a bit like our state

Some will go to Samaria - other parts of the region and some will go to sthe ends of the earth. I believe that what Jesus is saying is start where you are, and go out from there. Start where you are in Wollongong, and God will lead you if he wants you to go further afield.

Don't get caught up in negative thinking such as: what if God sends me to some God forsaken place. Instead, be positive: God has empowered me to reach out to people, right here, where I am.

When we do that, we will be willing to go to other countries if he calls us. These are not mutually exclusive. Some will be called to different areas and this will be where God calls them to serve. This may be local or it might be to unreached people groups.

Where is God calling you to "go"?

What are you doing about it and how will you act on it this week ?

3. Be Active in the Community

What are we doing locally to reach people?
This is where Be a Friend; Tell a friend; Bring a Friend comes in. The Bible tell us that others will know we belong to Christ by the love we have for each other. This is a challenge because often its the way we behave towards each other that says more about what we believe than anything else.

Lets be a community of women that loves each other. We may not always agree, but lets be gracious in our disagreements. Lets continue in community so that together we reach our community.

As we build a community of women here at Citylife, and as we think about our families and friends: who is God placing on our hearts, in this community, for us to relate to, pray for and tell about God's love?