The Heart of Missions

Matthew 28:18-20:

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.”

I am sure you have heard this verse more than once in your life. You may even own a piece of clothing with this verse written out. My friends, this verse is one that challenges me in my day to day as I am hoping it will challenge you differently after you read through this.

Hear me say, I am no Bible scholar and I am learning along with you. I want to share a few things that the Lord has shown me about His commandment in Matthew 28.

Holly had asked me a few months back to share my heart for missions and for those who know me, they know I love a good adventure. I love to travel and experience new cultures. I have a heart for the world, but I often have to ask myself do I have heart for all people to know the hope found in the gospel message? Not just the people I meet in another country but the people I work with. The people I serve with at church. My friends. The people I run into at the store. As much as we may want Matthew 28 to be the verse that gives us permission to go to all nations, we cannot miss what Jesus is really asking of his people. The commandment in Matthew 28 has everything to do with perspective and the condition of our hearts rather than simply “going.”

As you may have guessed, Matthew wrote this passage of scripture that we are dissecting. Matthew was a well known, hated tax collector in his time and one of the few disciples who could read or write. Matthew wrote this text in the greek language. Matthew 28:18-19 is jammed packed full of instruction to followers of Christ. Jesus has instructed us to go, to disciple, to baptize and to teach. (Warning- I am about to use some grammar terms that you heard in high school and have probably long forgotten, hang tight with me.) The idea in this scripture for the word “go,” doesn’t mean, go on a mission trip, or to go somewhere on a trip. In the original greek language of this text the word “go” implies that is a continuous action that is already happening and which continues to happen in the future. The great commission is not a verbal command to simply go but rather a command to disciple as you are already going. The going in the great commission is a commandment to disciple and share the hope of the gospel NOT ONLY for people among the nations but for the cashier at the store, your coworker whom you sit beside, the homeless man that stands on the corner you pass every day, and the person that you serve alongside in your church on Sunday. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t go to the nations- we should. We should go to ALL people because the gospel isn’t exclusive. We are all involved in the great commission because we are all walking different paths. As you go to your what seem ordinary places, those are the very places you carry out the great commission laid out in Matthew 28, which is to disciple.

We disciple by baptizing and teaching. I was recently given a book named, Disciples are Made- Not Born. As I began writing this blog I thought about that book. We aren’t born disciples, we are learned disciples. We learn from others who have decided to disciple us. I can think of several people in ministry who have discipled me and who are still doing so by pouring out Godly truth and wisdom on a regular basis. Through prayer, encouragement, quality time and guidance. As followers of Christ, we have to learn how to effectively and consistently disciple others. We make disciples, as we go.

As we go and disciple our families, friends, co-workers and neighbors our reach begins to expand to the nations. For so long, I used these verses as a crutch to go to the nations but I was overlooking the people in which the Lord had set before me. I was overlooking the instruction and commandment to make disciples out of the people around me. Friend, I hope this challenges you to think differently, to serve differently, and to go differently.

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Blake Glover is the foreign missions coordinator of Revolution Church. After spending several summers serving in other countries, Blake knew that the Lord was calling her to ministry. Blake is grounded in the simple fact that Jesus commands his people to “go and make disciples,” whether that be at your workplace, your kids soccer game or in an orphanage halfway across the world. The Lord commands his people to draw hopeless, broken people to himself. Ultimately, she desires all believers to take the words of Jesus and serve the local Church with a global perspective.