[Finishing the Task]

Ps Rick Warren (prerecorded)

Unengaged People Group (UPG) - The final frontier of missions

<Revelations 7:9>
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could
count,
from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Interpretation:
That Jesus is not going to return until everyone on earth (every tribe as written
above) comes to know Him.

<Mark 13:32>
The Day and Hour Unknown
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father.

WHO KNOWS? ONLY GOD KNOWS - When he will return.

Jesus did give us a perfectly clear sign of his coming

<Matthew 24:14>
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a
testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus repeats this in his final conversation to his disciples

In his final moments, the disciples are still preoccupied with the timing of his
return

<Acts 1:6-11>
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to
restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set
by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him
from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two
men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This
same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven,
will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

We are meant to be witnesses for Jesus and focus on his Mission

Missions are to be simultaneous and not sequential

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THE GREAT COMMISSION
In the New Testament, there are actually 5 great commissions that are referenced
(different accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts)

Mark
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole
creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not
believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in
my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will
pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not
hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark
16:15-18

Luke
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the
third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins
should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You
are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father
upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke
24:46-49

John 20:21-22
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so
I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to
them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20:21-23

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end
of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.”

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What does God care about most?

The great commission - Finding God's lost children
We have to care about what Jesus cares about the most - bringing and discipling
people into the Kingdom of God
That's the reason for Jesus' death on the cross. This is more important than
anything we can do in our lives. Nothing matters more to Jesus than that!

Since the great commission is the most important thing in the bible
Why has the great commission not been accomplished?

Because its up to God

Jesus was clear about his purpose in Life

 What Jesus said at the beginning and end of his life:
I have to be about my Father's business
It is finished

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1) Everything exists in this universe because God wanted a family

God created the world and humankind because he wants a family which can enjoy
his love

God wants a family

2) The only things that will last forever are God's Word and His People

If you want to make a difference, build your lives on these 2 things.

3) The greatest use of your life is to invest in something that will outlast it

There is no greater cause than to express Jesus' Great Commandment through

his Great Commission

A great commitment to the great commandment of the great commission will grow
a great Christian

Dedicate your life to the great commission, regardless of where you are. Play a
part in fulfilling the great commission.