BJ Not BK

 Famous last words are interesting.  We know the material world all too well with it's joys, it's pains, the highs, the lows, the times where we feel invicible and the many times where we know all too well our own mortality.  Some find interest in the last words of loved ones, famous ones, hoping that in this last moment of living some sort of wisdom will be handed out, passed down, before passing on.

Here are some famous last words, some funny, some odd, some very sad

I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.
~~ Humphrey Bogart, actor, d. January 14, 1957

Josephine...
~~ Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor, May 5, 1821

I am about to -- or I am going to -- die: either expression is correct.
~~ Dominique Bouhours, French grammarian, d. 1702

Don't you dare ask God to help me.
To her housekeeper, who had begun to pray aloud.
~~ Joan Crawford, actress, d. May 10, 1977

While the words were different the outcome for each person was quite the same....physical death and the truth is that these words did nothing much to change the course of human history.

Enter Jesus stage right-

The Bible offers several passages that show the last words of the faithful:

David to Solomon 1 Kings 2:1-9, Moses to Israel Deuteronomy 31:1-33, Joshua to Israel Joshua 23:1-24:28 yet no other last or parting words were as important nor would have a more dramatic impact on the world and human history than the eyewitness testimony of the ascension and the last words of Jesus. 

Unlike the last words of the dying Jesus was ressurected from the grave.  Instead of laying on a death bed, weak, feeble, afraid, Jesus appeared to the disciples who had scattered out of fear.  Instead of giving a last speech before dying He gave a command to all believers to carry out while He is away, to keep faithfully until His return.

What were those last words?  I'm glad you asked!

Matthew 28:18-20

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on 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."

John 19:20-21

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Central Truth:  The central mission of my life is that Jesus has sent me into my community to be a witness for Him in order for others to become fully devoted followers of His.

Jesus sends us in the same way the Father sent Him.  How did God the Father send Jesus?  Here are a couple of examples: 

Jesus was sent to be...

Living Water - John 4:10
The Bread of Life - John 6:35
The Light of the World - John 8:12
The Door to Eternal Life - John 10:9
The Good Shepherd - John 10:11
The Resurrection - 11:25 

God the Father sent Jesus to love people, to listen to people, to talk with people, to interact with people, to live with people, to be salt and light in a dark culture, to show the way to eternal life, to provide direction, to give life sustaining food and vital living water.

Now Jesus sends us to bring, well, Jesus (living water) to those who are thirsty, Jesus (bread) to those who are hungry, Jesus (light) to those who are living in darkness, Jesus (the good shepherd) for those who need direction and Jesus (the resurrection) to any who believe in Him.

The basic truth is that God sent Jesus to the world to make the Father known and to make it possible for others to come to the Father, to know the Father and to receive eternal life and so we are sent to share in the great things God has done through Jesus.

The real tragedy is the mindset that we are not called to be missionaries...meaning that missionaries go to other countries, cultures, lands to share the gospel when in fact we are all called to be missionaries right where we are, which is often a foreign culture to us.

Don't left definition get in the way of you sharing Jesus with others.  We are all called to do so.  The command by Jesus to do so is not the "great suggestion" but the great commission.

The challenge for each of us is will we accept and embrace our mission to:

1. Be a disciple - Am I following Jesus daily?  Am I a fully devoted follower of Jesus?

2. Be a witness in my life - to my family first, my friends, co-workers, and everyone I come into contact with on a daily, weekly, monthly basis.

3. Make disciples - encouraging other believers around us to be more devoted. 

Will you begin to pray for those around you on a weekly basis that God would give you opportunities to make Christ known to each of them?