Bible Text: Matthew 28:16\u201320 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | Jesus chal\u00adlenges his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers to \u00abmake disci\u00adples of the nati\u00adons\u00bb. A disci\u00adple back then was like an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce with us 70 years ago. In tho\u00adse days, an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce beca\u00adme part of the Master\u2019s fami\u00adly, wat\u00adching him and lear\u00adning how to do a thing and then doing it hims\u00adelf. To car\u00adry out this gre\u00adat com\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon, Chris\u00adti\u00adans are to go, bap\u00adti\u00adse and teach.<\/p>\n
\tWhat is a disci\u00adple of Jesus? How does the image of an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce 50 years ago help to under\u00adstand the issue? A small exer\u00adcise: Put a com\u00admandment of the Bible into practice!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bible Text: Matthew 28:16\u201320 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | Jesus chal\u00adlenges his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers to \u00abmake disci\u00adples of the nati\u00adons\u00bb. A disci\u00adple back then was like an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce with us 70 years ago. Back then, an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce beca\u00adme part of the master\u2019s fami\u00adly, wat\u00adching him and lear\u00adning how to do a thing.\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","wpfc-sermon-single","post-2400","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nIn the Ost\u00adschwei\u00adzer Tag\u00adblatt, a man named Kon\u00adrad B\u00f6sch reports: \u00abSoon the time will come again when app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship posi\u00adti\u00adons will be fil\u00adled. For many, a new pha\u00adse of life beg\u00adins. So I remem\u00adbe\u00adred how it was when I star\u00adted my app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship in 1942 at the age of 15. Towards the end of the ninth year of school came the choice of pro\u00adfes\u00adsi\u00adon. Sin\u00adce I lik\u00aded working with wood, some\u00adthing in that direc\u00adtion came into ques\u00adti\u00adon. Through an adver\u00adti\u00adse\u00adment in the news\u00adpa\u00adper, I found an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship as a wain\u00adw\u00adright in Erlen (Thur\u00adgau), on a small farm. My app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce mas\u00adter, a midd\u00adle-aged man, had a fami\u00adly, wife and five daugh\u00adters aged 4 to 17. A small farm with a few cows belon\u00adged to the busi\u00adness. The work\u00adshop was inte\u00adgra\u00adted into this house. At that time it was cus\u00adto\u00adma\u00adry for the app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce to have board and lodging with the master.\u00bb
\nThe phra\u00adse was recent\u00adly utte\u00adred on TV<\/span> that voca\u00adtio\u00adnal app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adships are the roy\u00adal road of edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. This is not\u00adhing new, becau\u00adse the dual edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon sys\u00adtem was alre\u00ada\u00addy pos\u00adtu\u00adla\u00adted by Jesus. In bibli\u00adcal lan\u00adguage, app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adces are still cal\u00adled \u00abdisci\u00adples\u00bb. After his resur\u00adrec\u00adtion, Jesus issued a com\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon: \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre go to all nati\u00adons and make disci\u00adples of them. Bap\u00adti\u00adse them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spi\u00adrit, and teach them to keep all the com\u00admandments that I have given you\u00bb (Matthew 28:19f). This injunc\u00adtion includes four acti\u00advi\u00adties: Going, making disci\u00adples, bap\u00adti\u00adsing and teaching.
\nOf the\u00adse four verbs, only \u00abmake them disci\u00adples\u00bb is in the impe\u00adra\u00adti\u00adve. The other three verbs are par\u00adti\u00adci\u00adples. This could be trans\u00adla\u00adted, \u00abMake disci\u00adples of the nati\u00adons, going, bap\u00adti\u00adsing and tea\u00adching.\u00bb Or: \u00abGoing, bap\u00adti\u00adsing and tea\u00adching, you shall make peo\u00adp\u00adle app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adces of Jesus.\u00bb
\nSo the goal is disci\u00adples or app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adces who move in with Jesus and his fami\u00adly, find a new home to learn from the Mas\u00adter as holi\u00adsti\u00adcal\u00adly as pos\u00adsi\u00adble in word and deed.
\nGoing
\nToday we are sen\u00adding out the Bur\u00adger fami\u00adly. They are going to ano\u00adther peo\u00adp\u00adle to offer peo\u00adp\u00adle the\u00adre a new home with Jesus. Jesus gives the mis\u00adsi\u00adon to his ele\u00adven remai\u00adning fri\u00adends, but he means all fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus. Going does not mean that we all have to lea\u00adve our home, but that we inward\u00adly set out for the neigh\u00adbour, that we not only react, but also act. Thanks to the new media, peo\u00adp\u00adle all over the world can be rea\u00adched more easi\u00adly with the Gos\u00adpel wit\u00adhout going out to them. But \u2013 the good news is meant to reach all peo\u00adp\u00adles. Faith in Jesus Christ is per\u00adso\u00adnal, but never pri\u00adva\u00adte. Jesus said, \u00abWhen day dawns, shout out what I say to you today in the dark\u00adness. Shout from every house\u00adtop what I whisper in your ears so that ever\u00adyo\u00adne may hear\u00bb (Matthew 10:27)!
\nWho should go? Some think that a pas\u00adtor is paid for this task. But isn\u2019t that like say\u00ading to a drow\u00adning man, \u00abPlea\u00adse wait until the life\u00adguard comes\u00bb? \u00abWhen is he coming,\u00bb cries the drow\u00adning man. \u00abAt the moment he is still over\u00adloa\u00added with fun\u00ade\u00adrals, ser\u00admons and mee\u00adtings.\u00bb \u00abThen why don\u2019t you throw me the life pre\u00adser\u00adver!\u00bb cries the drow\u00adning man. \u00abI was\u00adn\u2019t taught that,\u00bb is the last thing the dying man hears.
\nThe com\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon goes to the strong and the doubtful. \u00abWhen they saw him, they wor\u00adship\u00adped him \u2013 but some still doub\u00adted\u00bb (17). The\u00adre were doub\u00adters among Jesus\u00bb app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adces. Jesus does not even address this, but gives them too the task of pro\u00advi\u00adding app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adces for Jesus. Could it be that this is exact\u00adly the best reci\u00adpe against doubt! Ins\u00adtead of revol\u00adving around one\u2019s own sta\u00adte of mind, to beco\u00adme part of some\u00adthing much big\u00adger? Is the\u00adre per\u00adhaps the poten\u00adti\u00adal in this to remo\u00adve our doubts?
\nGoing or acting is also what you do when you invi\u00adte someone to an event in the church. Our next talk on 1 Sep\u00adtem\u00adber is an excel\u00adlent oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to do this. Wal\u00adking beg\u00adins with pray\u00ader. Expe\u00adri\u00adence shows: When you start pray\u00ading that you yours\u00adelf may lead someone to faith, it hap\u00adpens! May\u00adbe after seven days, seven months or seven years. But it hap\u00adpens. In gene\u00adral, the rule is that you should pray more than you talk with peo\u00adp\u00adle who are clo\u00adse to you. Once the fronts have been drawn, pene\u00adt\u00adra\u00adting talk can have the oppo\u00adsi\u00adte effect of what was inten\u00added. A lot of tact is needed.
\nMaking disciples
\nSo a disci\u00adple is one who beco\u00admes part of a new fami\u00adly. Christ is the Mas\u00adter. Now it\u2019s about being an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce, wat\u00adching the mas\u00adter and lear\u00adning how to do a thing, and then doing it yours\u00adelf. In the past, an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce could have it pret\u00adty bad with the mas\u00adter fami\u00adly. It\u2019s dif\u00adfe\u00adrent with Jesus. He is by far the best home. Jesus meets all our needs sus\u00adtain\u00adab\u00adly and gives us a living hope that goes far bey\u00adond our earth\u00adly life.
\nThis is pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly the reason why we are to impart peo\u00adp\u00adle into a tea\u00adching rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus. It is not about bana\u00adli\u00adties or maxi\u00admi\u00adsing the fun fac\u00adtor, it is about real home, an exis\u00adtence that out\u00adlasts death. Paul says: \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre you are no lon\u00adger stran\u00adgers and wit\u00adhout citi\u00adzen\u00adship, but you belong to the belie\u00advers, to God\u2019s fami\u00adly\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 2:19). And else\u00adwhe\u00adre: \u00abBut our home is in hea\u00adven, whe\u00adre the Lord Jesus Christ lives\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 3:20).
\nWhen someone enters into an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship today, it mere\u00adly repres\u00adents a start to their pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal life. Soon after the app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship, the\u00adre may be some\u00adthing com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. The decis\u00adi\u00adon to enter into an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship with Jesus is per\u00adma\u00adnent and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre of much grea\u00adter significance.
\nChristening
\nAt the end of an app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship, the\u00adre is a cer\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adte of pro\u00adfi\u00adci\u00aden\u00adcy EBA<\/span> or EFZ<\/span>. Some belie\u00adve that bap\u00adtism is some\u00adthing like a cer\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adte of com\u00adpe\u00adtence. When you have lear\u00adned enough, remo\u00adved all doubts and pas\u00adsed the final exami\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon, you are bap\u00adti\u00adsed. But bap\u00adtism is not a cer\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adte for some\u00adthing accom\u00adplished, but rather some\u00adthing like the app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship con\u00adtract at the begin\u00adning of the trai\u00adning. Right after going and even befo\u00adre tea\u00adching comes baptising.
\nPaul com\u00adpa\u00adres bap\u00adtism with the pas\u00adsa\u00adge of the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel through the Reed Sea. The Reed Sea was one of the first sta\u00adti\u00adons after the exodus from Egypt. This was fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by years of wan\u00adde\u00adring in the desert with the goal of rea\u00adching the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land. In the Reed Sea they shook off their enemies, the Egyp\u00adti\u00adans, so that from the\u00adre on they had their backs free.
\nThis is exact\u00adly what bap\u00adtism does. On the one hand, it seals the doc\u00adtri\u00adnal rela\u00adti\u00adonship, and on the other hand, it keeps our backs free on the path with Jesus. No one should do wit\u00adhout this. Jesus says: \u00abHe who belie\u00adves and is bap\u00adti\u00adsed will be saved. But he who does not belie\u00adve will be con\u00addem\u00adned\u00bb (Mark 16:16). Jesus takes it for gran\u00adted that belie\u00advers will also be bap\u00adti\u00adsed at the begin\u00adning of their jour\u00adney with Jesus.
\nTeaching
\n\u00abBap\u00adti\u00adse them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spi\u00adrit, and teach them to keep all the com\u00admandments which I have given you.\u00bb App\u00adren\u00adti\u00adces are to be made and trai\u00adned. So not all the work of trai\u00adning rests with the tea\u00adcher, but also with the co-foun\u00adders of the upper gra\u00addes. Tea\u00adching is to invol\u00adve prac\u00adti\u00adce. It is not just about kno\u00adwing all the com\u00admandments, but kee\u00adping them. This requi\u00adres holi\u00adstic tea\u00adching. Our lives should model what it means to live in the Chris\u00adti\u00adan faith. A tea\u00adching ses\u00adsi\u00adon, like church ser\u00advices are, is ina\u00adde\u00adqua\u00adte. Per\u00adhaps this is pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly our pro\u00adblem. We are hea\u00adrers of the Word and not doers.
\nThe\u00adre is hard\u00adly a the\u00adme that Jesus repea\u00adted as often as this one. Once he used a powerful para\u00adble. A per\u00adson who hears God\u2019s words but does not do them is like a man who builds his house on sand. An app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce, on the other hand, who hears God\u2019s words and does them, builds his house on rock. In the long run, only the house on rocks has a chan\u00adce of survival.
\nThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, it is good when the Bur\u00adger fami\u00adly is on site and shows peo\u00adp\u00adle how to keep the com\u00admandments. Paul to the Thes\u00adsa\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans: \u00abFor when we brought you the good news, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spi\u00adrit gave you assu\u00adrance that we were tel\u00adling you the truth. And you also know that we lived among you like this for your sake. You have fol\u00adlo\u00adwed our exam\u00adp\u00adle as well as the Lord\u2019s\u00bb (1 Thes\u00adsa\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans 1:5f).
\n
\nDo you want to expe\u00adri\u00adence more of the power of Jesus? Do you want to expe\u00adri\u00adence more of his near\u00adness? Then you should par\u00adti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adte in \u00abMake disci\u00adples of the nati\u00adons\u00bb. Imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly befo\u00adre the com\u00admis\u00adsio\u00adning Jesus says: \u00abAll aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty in hea\u00adven and on earth has been given to me\u00bb (16). Imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly after\u00adwards he pro\u00admi\u00adses, \u00abI am with you always, to the end of the age\u00bb (20b). We will expe\u00adri\u00adence both when we enter into the mys\u00adte\u00adrious coope\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon with the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father. For the Bible says: \u00abNo one can come to me unless the Father draws him to me\u00bb (John 6:65). We are chal\u00adlen\u00adged to com\u00admit our\u00adsel\u00adves ful\u00adly to this mis\u00adsi\u00adon kno\u00adwing that we can\u00adnot do it. This dri\u00adves us into pray\u00ader. The sta\u00adkes are high!
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead Bible text: Matthew 28:16\u201320<\/p>\n
\n\tThe mis\u00adsi\u00adon to make disci\u00adples is also for you? How does that make you feel?
\n\tWhat does \u00abgoing\u00bb mean to you? How could you take the initia\u00adti\u00adve for other people?
\n\tWhe\u00adre is the place of bap\u00adtism in the life of a fol\u00adlower of Jesus?
\n\tWhy is the mis\u00adsi\u00adon to con\u00adnect peo\u00adp\u00adle with Jesus so relevant?<\/p>\n