Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Mission Minded

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Farther and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe  all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 25:19-20

Growing up as a missionary kid (mk) these verses were very familiar to me. Many have come to think of these as a "missionary commission" since "all nations" are mentioned.  I've been asked by others if I'm "mission minded." This confuses me.

These are the very last words Jesus spoke to his followers on earth. They matter.

This is a command - not a suggestion. It's for all of us - not a chosen few. Christ followers are all to be mission minded.

Jesus says to GO...as we go we are to make disciples. I note it doesn't say "make converts." Disciples are ones who  follow and enjoy abiding fellowship with Jesus. I think sometimes we put a lot of emphasis on making converts, but  fail to make disciples.

If we are to make disciples, it would follow, we have to BE disciples.

As we make disciples we are to keep on BAPTIZING them and keep on TEACHING them to observe ALL Jesus taught and commanded.

As we do all this - we are guaranteed Jesus will be with us, always. We can't claim the promise if we aren't obeying the command.

We do have a mission - to make disciples.

This makes me evaluate my relationship with Jesus. Am I following Him closely? Am I a disciple?  Are we making disciples of our children? Are they growing in their fellowship with Jesus or are they simply learning a list of dos and don'ts. What am I doing to help others become disciples? What am I doing well and what could I do better?  What about our church? Is it making disciples? Am I helping in this endeavor? Is there someone I need to talk to on church staff about our church's discipleship efforts?

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...