You are invited to step into the mission Jesus has already given you, trusting that He is with you every step of the way. Start by being faithful in the small things you know today, and watch as God opens the doors for the next assignment. Whether you are a new believer or a seasoned follower, His promise to be with you always is your foundation for making disciples.
Welcome to the real church podcast. Our mission is for you to know the love of Jesus and live out your God given purpose. Now join us and listen in to the latest message from pastor David John Phillips.
So my 5 year old daughter, Selah, she gets home from school, and she says, mommy, I gave my life to Jesus. And mommy says, you know, we say that kind of stuff all at the house all the time. So mommy says, really? Well, when did you do that, baby doll? Says, in the van on the way home.
Mommy says, well, why did you do that? Says, because God spoke to me. Mommy says, really? What did he say? Says, "innocence of a child".
Well, God told me that if I give him my life, he would give me his life. So I gave my life to Jesus, and Jesus gave me his life. And there's the gospel. We can go home. How amazing is that?
So we talked about baptism in the first part, then we talked about communion. And in communion, it's not just some ritual that we do. It's not just some tradition, but we're literally remembering what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago, what the blood means for us, and also what his body, what happened to him as we break the bread and as we take the blood. What does that mean, and what does it matter for me today, and how does it impact my life here and now? It's very important, and it's awesome, and it's a blessing, and it's wonderful, and it matters.
And then in the third part, we went through community. See, Jesus, *God* for God so loved the world that he sent his son. His son was an invitation for you to enter into community with the father, to enter into relationship. **eternal life** is knowing god. But not just that.
See, if you've given your life to Jesus, *baptized* into him, right, and then you're you're communing with him, communion, but you're also in community with him, well, the same spirit that's in you then because I'm in community with the father, and you're in community with the father. You have the Holy Spirit in you. I have the Holy Spirit in me. Therefore, we're connected, and there's a common unity because of Jesus. Ain't that amazing?
So we can be with unity based on Jesus, and we can do things because of our common unity in Christ. That's the "body of Christ". That's who we are. It's the elements of the Christian faith. So because of that, because we've died with him and resurrected with him, we have our his life in us because we commune with him.
Communion, we remember what he's done. It impacts our life daily. Because we're in community with him, and because of that, we're in community with each other, we get to the fourth part of the element series, which is commission. Com, prefix that means with *mission*. We're on mission together.
As believers in Christ, we have a mission. It is a great commission. The mission of your life is the same as the mission of my life, and we're gonna talk about what that whoo. Almost knocked that over. What that means today.
Kinda bouncy. I bounce around all the time. I gotta watch out. So, the great commission. Let's go to *Matthew-28*.
I'm gonna read 16 through 20. And you guys, feel free to talk back a little bit. You seem kinda quiet today. You you guys say amen? Amen.
Good. That means like, hey. I agree. That's awesome. You know, it encourages me.
But also, you're you're saying, yes. Let let that be let that be in my life, God. Anyway. Alright. So let's read.
Matthew-28:16 through 20 says, then the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. 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.
Now do you ever open up your Bible, you read a paragraph, or you read a chapter or a couple chapters or a couple paragraphs, whatever, and you get done reading, you're like, man, I felt like there was a whole lot in there, but it just kinda went over my head. Like, I read, and it it it seems like a summary. I kinda get it, I know God wants to speak to me more. You know what I do? Just like we just read and, like, man, I know there's more in there than I just got out of reading that.
Here's what I do. I pray. *Lord God*, I know you led me to this scripture. This is my daily Bible reading. This is where I've been reading.
*Father*, would you open the word to me? It says it says that your spirit is a "spirit of revelation", a spirit of wisdom. Would you give me wisdom and revelation to understand how this scripture matters in my daily life, how it can show me who you are and and who I am in you and how I can impact the world around me. God, would you show me that right now? And then by faith, I go back, and I begin to read slowly.
So let's do that. You're well you're in you're invited into my Bible study. It says, then the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where *Jesus* told them to go. Where did the disciples go? They went where Jesus told them to go.
They were on a mission, and they had to complete that mission in order to get the next mission. I think a lot of times in my life, I get I want the great commission, but I'm not willing to complete the mission I'm on now. A lot of times in my life, I want what's next without being consistent and faithful in what's now. Anybody with me? The disciples had to go from Galilee I mean, from Jerusalem because that's where Jesus was crucified and rose again.
They had already met with him there, and and they had already seen him 1 time before, and he gave them a word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Jesus spoke to them and said, hey. Go to Galilee. He gave them a directive, a mission to do.
And they had the choice whether or not to stay or to go. Now it took a lot of faith in order to go. Like, this wasn't a 2, 3 hour walk. You look up in your Bible or you look up on maps from from Jerusalem to Galilee, a 150 to 200 kilometers, which means it's 90 to a 120 miles, and they didn't have cars back then. So what would have taken or taken us, you know, 2 hour drive or hour and a half to 2 hour drive, for them, it's gonna take them 5 to 10 days to walk depending on their pace.
So Jesus told them to meet him in Galilee, and the 11 disciples now have to make a choice. Are we going to go and buy the food necessary? Are we gonna go and buy the water necessary? Are we gonna go get the tents ready or however we're gonna sleep along the road? Are we gonna prep and be ready and take this step of obedience just based on what he said?
Are we going to complete this mission? In order to complete the next assignment or to start the next assignment, they had to complete the assignment they were on. My wife says it like this, and you saw her. She's powerful. When she says something, listen.
For me, if you get to know her at all, you'll realize half of my messages come from our conversations. She's strong. She says this. If you don't know where Jesus is leading you next, it's probably because you haven't completed what he's told you to do now. If you don't know where Jesus is leading you next, it's probably because you haven't completed what he's told you to do now.
If the door hasn't completely opened for the dream that he's put in your heart, this big vision and amazing thing, are you being faithful and consistent and obedient with what he's told you to do now? If you don't know what next step to take, go back to the last thing that you know he said to do and stay planted there doing that consistently. We we a lot of times in this culture, today, it's it's always, hey. I don't I don't like this, and and this isn't making me feel right or whatever, so I'm just gonna run and do this. I've learned a principle in my life from god.
I'm never gonna run from anything, and I'm never gonna run to anything. I'm only gonna walk hand in hand with my father. Amen. I'm never gonna run from anything, and I'm never gonna run to anything. If I'm running to something, that means I'm trying to make it happen, and I'm not following the spirit.
I'm not walking in obedience to what he said. I'm trying to promote myself. That's a no go. Pride comes before a fall. It just doesn't work.
If I'm running from something, then that means I'm uncomfortable, or maybe I'm running in fear, I'm just I'm I'm afraid it's not gonna work out. I'm not trusting control to the Holy Spirit. I'm not trusting him to move me and lead me, and that's not of God either. I only walk step and step, hand in hand with God. Now that that's it sounds easy, just kinda rolling off the tongue there.
But in life, it's not so important that we're walking with people who can encourage us. The task took *faith* Another thing, if you're faithful see, they had to be faithful with this *mission* before they got the great commission. If you're if you're faithful with a little, then he will give you more. Like, that's just real practical when you're faith I mean, and you see that in the world around you. You see that in business.
You see that in your family. You see that in every in your finances. You see if you're faithful with what you've been given, then God entrusts you with more, period. Like, real practically, you first got to high school. And the more of high school, you had been faithful in junior high.
Right? You you you you passed your test. You and it it'd become little to you. So you've been faithful with that little. You step into high school, and it I don't know if you can remember 20, 30 years ago, 10 years ago, 50 years ago, however long it was when you stepped into high school.
But most people, when they step into high school, they're, like, overwhelmed. The seniors are huge, and you're like, what's going on? But as you begin to take little steps of obedience, this test and this test and study, it's training you in life, but you're becoming faithful with the little. Then when you become a senior, all of high school, it's like, man, I'm done with this. I'm ready to move on.
I'm ready to go to college. But at the same time, if you were to not finish well, then you wouldn't make it out of high school. Right? If if when you get senioritis and and if you were to not really complete that whole, you know, you quit 9 weeks before you graduate, you wouldn't graduate. You have to be faithful with the little he's given you until god says to move on to the next step.
Then you get to college, and it's the exact same thing. Or you go back to college. Some people go back to college 20 years after high school. That's great. It's wonderful.
But you go in and you're, like, a little overwhelmed. It's more, and you're like, oh god. How can I do this? I don't get it. And god just says, just trust me.
And you'd be faithful with the "baby steps", faithful with this class, faithful that with this study, and faithful with this test. And as you're faithful with the little, then *God* gives you more. And that more, as you're faithful with what he's given you to trust him, it becomes your little. And you're faithful with the little, and then God gives you more. You go to your first job, and you're faithful with that.
Next thing you know, you're getting promoted to more, and it's crazy, and it's it's overwhelming. But you're faithful with the more he gives you, and then it becomes your little, and then God gives you more. If he were to give you that job that you got 30 years after college right when you graduated, you weren't ready for that. It would have broken you. It's the same in our relationship with Jesus.
It's the same in walking with him. As we're faithful with what he said, God gives us more. Amen? Okay. You know what?
They heard him and experienced him, but faith isn't proven until you follow him. **faith comes by hearing**, and faith without works is dead. Faith comes by hearing, but without the doing, it's not really faith. It's just talk. And you're like, hold on a second.
I'm a skip that 1. Say, but pastor, just like we talked about up here, but pastor, I still have doubts. I can't move forward with my doubts. I can't move forward because I don't think I don't think I don't know. I just don't see it possible.
I don't see God coming through in my job. I don't see God coming through in my sickness. I don't see God really being my healer. I don't see it right now. What do I do?
Let's do what the 11 disciples did. Watch this. Matthew-28:16. Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.
Now they saw him and worshiped him, but some doubted. If they doubted when they saw him, is it possible that some of them were doubting on the way to see him on that 7 day journey? I mean, just in my mind, as I'm imagining things, it's possible and probable that they were doubting on the way. Now it says some doubted. Everybody say some doubted.
Some doubted. Not all of them. Some of them doubted. But what did the ones that doubted do? They surrounded themselves with the ones that weren't doubting.
In your life, are you surrounding yourself with people who are going to encourage your doubt, or are you surrounding yourself with people who are going to encourage your faith? I want to surround myself no matter what with people when it looks tough, when it looks like things are going to fall, people that look at me and say, yeah, but what did god say? I know it's tough right now. I know things are look like they're falling apart, but what did god say? What does he say about your situation?
I don't want people that's gonna encourage my *doubt* because I want to walk by faith. The importance of surrounding yourself, being a part of a community, that's why we are the body of Christ. Because sometimes when I doubt, I need you to encourage me. And when you doubt, you need me to encourage you. That's the importance of small groups.
That's the importance of of of getting together. Real church, I mean, on Sunday mornings, like, this is encouragement to everybody, and and people come to know Jesus, and it's awesome, and we get to see 1 another and wonderful, but, really, real church happens in small groups. If you've never been in a small group before, it's groups of people between 5 and 15 people who get together around a common interest, right, or a common season of life, and they encourage 1 another in Christ. Like, we have mom's fitness groups. We have mom's groups.
We have men's groups. We have all kinds of groups to sign up for. Why? Well, 1, it's encouraging people because you have some kind of a connection, but also in that, you're gonna get ESPN, *encouragement*, scripture, prayer, and a next step in your walk with God. In the context of community, we are encouraged in faith.
But outside of community, I've said it before, isolation kills. It just does. If you want to grow, grow in relationships with other Christians around you, and you have an opportunity through small groups. Amen? So number 2, we already talked about this in the message or in the worship.
What did they do when they doubted? Some of them doubted they worshiped anyway. In the midst of your doubt, you know Jesus is there. You know Jesus is with you. In the midst of your doubt, worship anyway.
*Worship* him for what he has said, not for what you see. And what he has said will become what you see. Worship him for his word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. When he speaks, what he says must happen.
He is God. He's all powerful, and his word is true. So I'm gonna put my "focus on his word" over my feeling. I'm gonna put my focus on his word over my emotions. I'm gonna put my focus on his word over my circumstance, and circumstance must line up with his word.
And so if I put my focus on his word despite my feeling, I can worship from a place of victory knowing that his word has to happen. That's why I love worshiping here with you guys, but that's why also when things aren't going right in my life, when things get tough, the first thing I do is I start singing those old songs that I grew up with. The first thing I do. Why? Because it's folk it's causing me to focus on him instead of on the issue, and it's reminding me of my victory.
Amen. Amen? Everything shifts. Okay. Now we haven't even got to the the best parts.
*Matthew-28:18*, we continue. Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Everyone say all authority. All authority. 1 more time.
All authority. All authority. It doesn't say some authority. It doesn't say all authority except for the ability to to deliver you from your circumstance right now. It says all authority.
That means Jesus is lord over everything in heaven and on earth. He's Lord over your relationship issues. He's Lord over your not knowing. He's Lord over your sickness. He's Lord over cancer.
He's Lord over depression. He's lord over mental illness. He's lord over your your financial lack. You can trust him. He has all authority, and he has nothing but good plans for you.
He cares about you, and he wants to grow you into the man or woman of God that you have been created to be. That's how much god loves you, and he has all authority. Now next, 19. Therefore and you hear this all the time if you've been to church any before. Therefore, when you when you see therefore, you gotta find out what it's there for.
What was it there for? What well, he gave all authority. Why did he give all authority? Here. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Everybody say everything. Everything. Good. That is the great commission. The great commission, your mission in life, if you have given your life to Jesus, if you are a disciple of Christ.
Now let's just do something real quick. I wanna make sure everybody's awake. Would you would everybody raise your hand? Amen. Good.
Now you can put them down. Now if you consider yourself a disciple of Christ and don't look around and say, who's not raising a hand? But if you consider yourself a disciple of Christ, would you raise your hand? Alright. Good.
You're a disciple of Christ, then your mission is to make disciples. Amen. That is your life's mission. According to Jesus, your mission is as you go, which the original the original text, is is not just go. The verb is make disciples.
The original text, it's as you go, make disciples. That means as you go to church, make disciples. As you go home on Sunday evening and you go out to eat, make disciples. As you go home to your family and you have a Sunday nap, make disciples. As on Monday mornings, when you wake up groggy, you're like, oh my gosh, it's another week.
No. No. No. As you go, make disciples. As you go to work, make disciples.
As you go and you fill up your car at the gas station and somebody's standing right beside you and they're weeping, make disciples. As you go to Walmart, make disciples. Everywhere that you go, your duty, your *mission* is to make disciples. Period. That mission is a greater mission than finding a husband or finding a wife.
As you go finding a husband, make disciples. As you go finding 1, make disciples. It's a greater mission than having lots of kids. As you have lots of kids, make disciples. Right?
It's a greater mission than finding a better job or at your as you go to your job, make disciples. Your mission, my "mission in life". What is a disciple? A disciple is a disciplined 1, but it's a follower of Jesus. It's someone who follows him.
So in that, how do we do that? And it it says teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Now he commanded us a lot of stuff, and and maybe maybe I've been following Jesus more than you, and maybe I know some more like, in my relationship with him, I know a little bit more than you do, or maybe you've been following longer than me, and and you've grown in these areas, and you know a little bit more than I do. We I can't teach I can't help others to grow in Christ with what I don't know yet, but I can give them what I have. So you're like, wait a second.
Hold on. Hold on, pastor. I I just came out I came to church for the first time last week, and I gave my life to Jesus. And now I'm here for the second time, and you're telling me I have to make disciples? Yes.
Yes. Well, how do I do that? I don't even know. Let me let me show you. Can I have a volunteer?
Any volunteer? Oh, he he raised his hand first. Sorry, Court. You're a great volunteer, though. Come on, brother.
Come on, Walter. Alright. Let me set the scene. Me and Walter, we go way back. We live at the same apartment complex, and and and sometimes, you know, 2 or 3 times a week, we hang out of the pool and talk about work and, you know, talk about things going on, and and I gave my life to *Jesus* 1 week ago at Real Church.
1 week ago at Real Church, I gave my life to Jesus. My name is David. Walter, he doesn't want anything to do with Jesus. He hasn't been to church since he was 10, 11 years old. Hasn't been to church since he was 10, 11 years old.
Doesn't want anything to do with Jesus. Now, we're hanging out at the pool, been there about 30 minutes, talking a little bit, and all of a sudden, thought comes to my mind. Man, that crazy pastor up there said to make disciples. And he he talked about talking, giving out what I know. I don't know much, but all of a sudden, you get nervous.
You're like, man, I talk to somebody about Jesus? And all all of a sudden, get insecure. I I can't do this. I don't know if I can do this. Is this even possible?
I don't know what I would say, but you remember Jesus is with you. Amen. And you remember, if he told you to do it, then he's gonna equip you to do it. And all that you can share is what you know. So you "step out".
What does it mean to step out? In faith. Meaning, you're doing what he said despite how you feel. Okay. So with that, we're hanging out and we've been talking a little bit, Walter, and in that actually, let me get you a microphone.
Is that okay? Cool. Get you a microphone. Here we go. Hello.
Hello.
I'm supposed to hold it.
Yeah. You gotta hold Okay. So we've been talking and then I have this crazy thought. So I don't really know how to start up the conversation. So I just say, hey.
Hey, Walter. I got a question for you, and you might think it's a little bit crazy because I've never brought this up before. But I know. I know. I know.
Laying on me, man.
What what do you what do you think about Jesus? Like, really? Like, Christ? Yeah. Like, what's your thoughts?
I seem to be alright with him. It's just all the people that's
supposed to be *Jesus* infused don't seem to be.
I ain't never seen him. I heard good things about him, but all the people that talk about him from what I see, not so good.
You know, Walter, I Man, I I felt the same way for all of my life and I haven't, man, I haven't been to church in over a decade but somebody invited me and I went to church last week. Believe it or not, me. I went to church when I was there, I experienced something real and I knew beyond shouted out that that god was real but not just that but that Jesus loved me. And believe it or not man, I prayed for first time in my life.
So Jesus is alive? Man. I thought he died 2000 years ago.
Look. I get it.
Told you I'm good at this.
I I get it. But what happened to me was real. And I knew that he was there even though I couldn't see him and I prayed and I gave my life to him but not just that, I felt forgiven and I felt life that I have never felt before. And I just want everybody to have it. What do you think?
Really?
So all you had to do was go to church, pray?
Yeah. I I I prayed and
told prayed.
Prayed, god, I've been living for me, but now I wanna live for you and help me to know what that means. I believe in you, Jesus. I give you my life.
I'm a good man. I help people. I give I give give money to bums on the street. I help people out.
You know, I I just started in this thing and I don't really know what all to say. Amen. But but here's what I do know. Is man, I experienced Jesus at real church. Would would you come with me this Sunday?
You my buddy. You never say you've been wrong. I can do that.
Come on. That's awesome. Good job. Awesome. Perfect.
What was I doing? I was sharing what I knew. I didn't know much, but I knew what God had done for me. Right. And I knew that it was important for everyone around me.
Right? So I did that. You can do that. But here's the crazy part, is as you do that, you grow. As you give out what you've been given, God gives you more.
As you're faithful with what you've been given, God gives you more. As you're faithful with a little, he's faithful to give you more. How amazing is that? Now maybe you're like, wait a second. Hold on.
He's talking to the disciples 2000 years ago, And he says, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me. You go and make disciples. How does that impact me? Well, because they've been making disciples, you're here today. You realize over 2,000,000,000 people in the world claim to be Christians because the disciples went out making disciples who made disciples who made disciples who made disciples, and now there's revival in communist China and millions of people coming to know him because of that?
But wait. *Jesus* was with them. They saw him. What about me? Great question.
I'm glad you asked. *Matthew-28:18*. Then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. That's Jesus. Therefore, go which would imply that he's giving them that authority.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptize them, baptizing in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you. Here it is. Ready? And surely, I am with you always. But pastor, he's talking about being with the disciples.
To the very end of the age. Amen. That's past when they died. Amen. He's with them always.
He's with us always, his disciples always. Jesus is with you. If you've given your life to him, if you're his child, you're his son, you're his daughter because you've entrusted him, then you're in community with him. Not only that, Jesus is in you. His presence, you have relationship with the "God of the universe".
You experience his joy and his peace. And as you walk in obedience to his leading, you experience it all the more. But not only that, everyone around you sees it in and through you. They see the change coming from the inside out, and it impacts the world around you as you make disciples. It's your calling.
See, as I'm talking about this, I'm talking about relationship with God. I just have the the sense maybe there's some people in here. You've never experienced what it means to be in relationship with God. You don't know what it means to have his joy and his peace, the God of the universe that created you to know him. See, bible the Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son.
See, he loved you so much that he sent his son to die for you and rise again so you could experience eternal life, a relationship with him. What does it take believing that Jesus died and rose again and confessing with your mouth, you're my Lord. "I give you my life". I don't know what that means completely, but I know that you're calling me right now. I feel it.
I know it. I sense it. I want to know you. I wanna be in relationship with you. Everybody just close your eyes and bow your head for a moment.
If as I'm speaking right now, something inside of you is saying, man, that is you. You need to know me. There's a knot in your stomach, or there's just something drawing you. That is God. God is saying, hey, "run to me".
I will give you rest for your soul. I'll forgive you. I'll make you clean. I'll take away the guilt and the shame and give you a relationship and show you what it means to follow me.
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