Living on Mission

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.” Matthew 28:18-20

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

These are verses that a lot of people use relating to mission trips. Rightly so, Jesus did tell us to go and make disciples of all nations (to the ends of the earth). For the longest time, I thought that was all I had to do. I was good with God if I did that. No matter that the community I lived in was living in darkness, there we people across the ocean who needed saving. And, I was going to do it!

Overseas missions are important. Necessary. If God calls you, GO! However, God did not call us to wait on His call and do nothing in the meantime.

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on Biblical languages, but I did hear one such person state that the 'go' in the Matthew passage above translates as 'as you go'. As you go about your everyday routine. As you work. As you shop for groceries. As you play soccer. As you live. As you ____, make disciples. We can do this because Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, and he commands us to make disciples. Thankfully, he will always be with us as we go.

The verse from Acts ties into the 'as you go'. Jesus told them to first make disciples where they were-- Jerusalem. Making disciples radiates from where you are-- not where you want to be. Not where you dream to be. Where.You.Are.

Christians have a high calling on their (our) lives. We're not any better than anyone else, but we are saved from God's wrath to His love by His Son Jesus. So, why not  show and tell the world (your community) what He's done for you?

What does 'as you go' look like for you?

What would you give up?

My good friend, Day, recently posted a blog that made me want to steal her idea. So, I did. Her post starts out:

I've thought a lot about the question, "What would you give up in order for someone to know Christ?" Ideally, we'd all answer, "Everything." That's easy enough to say out loud (or in your head), but when you get down to naming things in particular, it gets really hard. I did this once while I was in Germany, and it really makes your wheels turn. Here are a few things that I'd be willing to give up if it meant that someone would come to know my Savior. Some may seem silly--but they're all things that, in the end, are very close to me.

Some simple things like:

• Wallace BBQ and Chick-fil-A


• Chocolate


• Brewed tea


• Coffee


• Internet


• The Braves


• My pets

Some not so simple things like:

• Music


• My hearing


• The ability to speak my heart language or understand anyone


• The chance to see my family and friends


• My comforts


• My culture


• My perceived happiness


• My pride


• ...and ultimately my life.

I have given up some of these things, and I know people who have given up even more. If you have a list like this, you know how hard it is even if you are exactly where God has sent you. Almost everyday, I am faced with the conflict of sitting pretty in my air-conditioned house with my comparatively small struggles and completely depending on God and His Word.

I have to remember that we are called everyday to make disciples at the cost of my life no matter what that actually looks like.

What would you give up to see someone come to Christ? What have you given up? Do you know someone who has paid the ultimate price to see someone or a group come to know Christ?

Remember to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters.