Go!

Go!

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, Matthew 28:19 NIV

The world teaches about goals; they have to be SMART: Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Realistic. Time-bound. These are indeed familiar words, yet have an unfamiliar message, considering the times we are in. What goals have you set for yourself this year? Are these goals SMART only by the way the world weighs goals? Does God factor in the goals you have set yourself? Let's see if we can define today's extract in the same light.

There is just one goal that Christ has defined for all who seek to follow Him, and it is what today's extract details above and is called the Great Commission. It is the assignment of a lifetime, from which none who enrols in it ever graduates until death or rapture. This goal was spelt out as the final assignment given to us just before Jesus went back to heaven. It is the only goal defined for us, and I believe it flows along the SMART model. 

It is SPECIFIC: I am to GO, not sit down and mope about my lot in life. I am not called to be complacent in comfort and close my eyes to the realities around me. No matter what kind of hand life deals me, I am given a mandate to leave my comfort zone and launch out in obedience to God's command. And it is MEASURABLE and ATTAINABLE, because God does not give us an assignment that He will not support or provide the required resources for it to succeed. 

And the resources are divine and personal. Jesus asks me to go out in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, with the full power and grace of the Trinity backing me up. And He gives the message, which is about Him. It makes the message REALISTIC, as I am not asked to promote an idea, concept or theory but to teach and preach about the Presence and Power of Jesus. This is not about making anyone afraid of the future but to prepare men for the future that is ahead: a future that is secured in Christ. 

The assignment requires the making of men, not the promotion of self. I am not called to talk about myself and my achievements but about the One who is able to make men disciples. And men are to be made disciples of the One who is both the message and the commissioner of the message. It is not about my charisma, carriage, qualifications or prestige, but about the One who is the message. 

And the assignment is TIME-BOUND,  because I don't have forever to do this work. I am put down here for a season; it may be for 30 or 100 years but one day, it will all be over. I don't know how it will end, but God makes it clear what is to come at the end of the assignment. 

I am always a disciple, never master of the craft. I don't wake up one day, thinking I have known all there is to know about Jesus. I am sent to preach the gospel of Christ to all nations, leaving out none. I don't hold the key to heaven, but I am a citizen of heaven with a duty to tell others how to get in. The owner of that kingdom has made it clear what His terms and conditions for citizenship are, and all who will obtain citizenship must comply with the rules. This is not a kingdom you can overstay in, force your way into or lie to obtain benefits. It is a kingdom of absolute truth from start to end. Am I really a citizen of that kingdom? Do I know what He requires of me? Am I living in line with the requirement and bringing in others too? We don't have much time anymore; let's get to it. His time of favour is here.