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! (dan note: does that strike you as crazy as it does me?!)

  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."

All my life I have heard this passage used as a major tool to get people to answer a call to be missionaries to foreign countries.

And we have to admit, it's a pretty good one.

Many of my friends who gave themselves to decades of missionary service consider this passage as a significant benchmark in their call.

I have thought for some time the most operative word Jesus says here is “go”.

Where that “go” may lead us is particular for each of us.

It may not mean we should become missionaries to “deepest, darkest Africa”.

{The hilarious thing about that is that Lynn & I would have LOVED for God to call us to deepest, darkest Africa! ;-) LOL)

What I have thought it means is that each of us must become active in reaching out to people who do not have a connection with God through Jesus.

And it is NOT an option to NOT do anything to point people to Jesus.

Jesus said “go” - & each of us has been mandated to actively pursue the people around us to believe in Jesus as Savior & to follow hard after Him.

This “going” is not an option – it's a mandate – it's a command.

We are not called to just live comfortable lives, drive SUV's, sip lattes, have season tickets to Disney World, & live the American Dream.

Jesus intends our singular focus to be reach people around us in the lives He has called us to – regardless of where that call locates us, or around whom that call leads us.

Where would any of us be if the people who influenced us to follow Jesus had been lax in their mandate to reach people for Him?

Yeah... I think our lives would be pretty grim without their influence.

No matter where any of us are in our lives...

...old, young, middle aged, working, retired, well off, low income, strong, weak, shy, or gregarious...

ALL of us have the same mandate on our lives – GO!

We can't hold back...

We can't be afraid...

We mustn't turn away from Jesus' directive for us all...

GO!