THE GREAT GO-MISSION

To hear the words of Jesus, “Go into all the world and make disciples…” leaves us with a primary dilemma:  Go where? Should I go on the mission field? Should I volunteer at a soup kitchen? Should I go door-to-door witnessing?

 But what if that’s not what God said? What if God really said, “Having gone, therefore, make disciples…”? That would change everything. And that’s exactly what the original text tells us. The language Jesus spoke and the language this passage was written in, say just that.

 The idea is that we’ve already “gone.”  We are all somewhere. Even if we’re staying home (in “Jerusalem”), we’re somewhere. The point is not going, the point is, making disciples.

 Isn’t that liberating? I don’t have to figure out where He wants me to go. He’ll let me know if He wants to make adjustments in my location. In the meantime, no matter where I am, this is my instruction:  Having gone, make disciples.

 So, what does that mean? Now that I know I am to do it right here, right now, in Ramona, in my neighborhood, in my pace of business, at my job, at my school… How do I do that? (Until I know that, I don’t feel liberated at all! I feel panicked because now it’s imminent and I’m clueless!)

 Here’s the good news: There is no formula, no class to take, nothing to rehearse. It’s about making friends, showing hospitality, meeting needs as they arise… It’s about letting people know what God thinks of them! It’s about being who God made you to be, about representing God in our neighborhoods, being an encourager, a healer, a comforter, fighting for justice, showing mercy – doing what you see Jesus doing. And when people really get a hold of that, when they really know how much they are cherished by God, when they don’t feel condemned by God or by us, they will likely want to get to know this God we follow and follow Him too. That’s what we’re commissioned to do. And it’s pretty great.