go

Matthew 28

16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

  18 Jesus came and told his disciples,

"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.

And be sure of this:

I am with you always,

even to the end of the age."

I still see the operative word in this passage as the word, “go”.

Jesus told his disciples, some of who still doubted Him, to not stay where they were, but to move forward, to something, get out there & tell people about Him.

Some still doubted Him – Jesus had come back to life – I wonder what it took for some of those disciples to fully believe that Jesus was who He said he was?

Jesus expects the same from us.

He expects us to leave the status quo, the comfortable, the safe, the regular, & get about the business of telling people about Him.

All my life I heard this passage used to challenge people to serve overseas as missionaries.

And it's a pretty good one for that.

But we miss the boat if we think that's all it is.

It is Jesus mandate for ALL of us to leave our comfort zones & reach out to people & tell them about what Jesus' life & death, & resurrection, mean.

That going could be close at hand – people we know, people we work with, people we encounter day to day.

What it does not mean is that we just bask & languish in the wonderful life we have in Jesus.

We are to “go” to people who don't connect, accept, believe, or follow Him & what He's all about.

And before we dismiss this mandate to “go”, consider this...

Where would each of us be if the people who impacted & influenced us to fellow Jesus had not taken seriously His mandate to “go”?