I’m so glad you stopped by. We’re going to explore the topic ‘GO’, as it relates to the The Great Commission.
(Note: A video will be forthcoming to give you the chance to hear about the topic.)
Jesus explicitly told his disciples in Matthew 28:19, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus also commanded in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
What does the word ‘go’ mean? Webster’s dictionary has several definitions of the word ‘go’ used in different contexts, but the context which Jesus used was in command form and is defined as the following: ‘to move on a course’ or ‘to follow a certain course or procedure’. What then is the opposite, or antonym, of ‘go’? Fairly obvious you might think. It is to ‘stay’ or ‘stop’.
Jesus did not command his disciples to stay or stop in one place and expect the people to come to them. He told the disciples to go where the people were. You might think I’m being a little picky here, but what about our churches, yours and mine? And what about you and me individually . . . do we go out of our church buildings, or our homes, to make disciples? When is the last time our church people went out of their building to make disciples? When is the last time you and I went out of our homes to make disciples? I’m going to be very transparent to include myself. ‘Very rarely’!
That is what my website Soulwinnersr.us is all about. I want to begin to change the narrative about what it means to ‘go and make disciples’. I see the dire need in my own life, so I want to address it. I want to, as Jesus said in Luke 14:28, “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost to see if he has enough to complete it.” I want to weigh the costs both ways. What happens if I don’t go out into the world and make disciples? Then what happens if I do go out into the world and make disciples? I can then do a comparison list and come to a logical conclusion whether to ‘stay’ or ‘go’.
See you next time,
Arlen
2 comments:
Back in 1960 after leaving the Amish, life had changed dramatically so that making a commitment to Jesus seemed so dangerous. I had lost all my US friends in 1957 moving to Canada. Yet still I had immediate family and a few relatives, who all deserted when I left. At this point we can easily feel like strangers in the world. Who do you trust now to give good guidance?
Making a commitment to follow Jesus was terribly challenging because he might require me to move to unknown lands and that was frightening. So I held back. As you may know, leaving is traumatic for some more than others. It took a long time to realize that a good father does not challenge his children to extreme danger, but rather is interested in seeing them succeed.
Obedience to the ‘GO’ command involves growing to a point where we have matured enough that we know the heart of God and I wasn’t there for a long time.
Eli Stutzman
Wow, Eli! I think in today's world we think of Christianity as a way to improve our lives, but there's a degree of uncertainty and challenge. This morning I watched a video with Ray Comfort confronting atheists. The atheist community has made it their mission to discredit Comfort. Why...because he is having an impact in their world. It was fascinating the ridicule he faced and was very upset at it at first, but he eventually embraced it and is now establishing meaningful relationships with many well-known atheists.
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