Go

“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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.’” 

- Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) 

For someone like me who has had to work really hard at dealing with an introverted default posture, obeying the command to “go and make disciples” almost feels especially mean of Jesus to say to me. He knows how He made me. He knows that I prefer “staycations” to being out of the comforts of my home. He knows that at a party, I will find a few close friends to have a deeper conversation with rather than be at the center of the action. He knows that after a day of heavy social activity, I come home and crash like a triathlon runner after the Ironman World Championship. Nevertheless, when I read this command, I know I am not exempt. I know that I am called just as much as any disciple of Jesus to make disciples who love and obey Jesus. 

For those of us who deal with the anxiety of meeting new people and getting out of our various zones of comfort, there’s hope. Have a look at Luke’s account of the Great Commission in the book of Acts:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

- Acts 1:8 (NLT) 

Jesus promises His followers that as we go, we are not going in our own power, but in His. If you follow the account of the church’s growth in the book of Acts, you will see the disciples, who never seemed to get it right in the Gospels, do amazing things with the power of the Holy Spirit. They are given the power to be understood supernaturally; they are given the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, and start an unstoppable movement through the sharing of the Gospel, despite persecution and opposition… He is more than capable of reinforcing us as well. 

In fact, Scripture is story after story of God moving and working through the sin, inadequacy and poor choices of His people, to bring about redemption and salvation, revealing that no matter what we lack, God is able. This is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he wrote:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” 

- Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT) 

This weekend, we will put our focus on Jesus to give us courage to “go.” We will sing Build Your Kingdom Here to ask God to do that very thing in our hearts, home and city. We will sing Salvation’s Tide to remind ourselves of what God is up to, lastly, we will end our set with Jesus Saves to declare that truth over our city.