Listen

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

Think

This text is often called the Great Commission. Jesus makes this pronouncement with great confidence, acknowledging the authority he’s been given. There is no ambiguity in what he orders us to do.

But look closer, and you will notice that something is missing. Jesus gives us the “what” but not the “how.” Billboards? Door to door evangelism? Radio programs? Personal invitations? How does he want us to go about “making disciples?”

There is a deep wisdom at work here. In this text, Jesus calls us to an insurmountable task made only more complicated by the changing world we inhabit. Technology changes. Trends come and go. Communication methods evolve. While the message is unchanging, how we share it must evolve. Given the difficulty of the task, perhaps the whole point is to turn us back to Jesus for guidance, inspiration, and strength.

Let’s embrace this challenge as an opportunity, a gift, because it reminds us to turn to the Holy Spirit for guidance. And as it turns out, that is the only “method” that never changes.

Wade Griffith

Pray

Sharing my faith can be scary, Lord.

How do I authentically live out the Great Commission without alienating people or turning them away from you?

Remind me to come to you each day for guidance on how to faithfully and sensitively point others to you.

Amen.

Go

To be saved is to be sent.