Covered
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
It’s a great verse, an inspiring charge to us as Christ’s disciples. If I hear it coupled with an adventurous mission story, I’m ready to hop on a plane to an unreached people group, and I don’t even like flying!
A few weeks ago at our staff retreat, our discussion revolved around a few key passages and how we as an organization could be intentionally living out those truths. Having a heavy emphasis on mission programming, of course we covered the Great Commission. I’ve read it so many times, even memorized it, but God opened my eyes to a new facet of it that morning.
I’ve always been taught to study Scripture in context, to find out what the “therefore” is there for. As I reviewed the surrounding verses, I suddenly realized what we all know but seldom bring to our consciousness when it comes to taking Great Commission action.
Verse 18 reads as follows:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
And verse 20 concludes the entire passage (and entire book of Matthew) with:
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
If you’ve been involved in missions long enough, it isn’t new information that we can go, make, baptize, and teach only because Jesus has all authority. Any mission done in the name of Jesus and His Kingdom will also have experienced His presence, regardless of outcomes. But what we do and how we do it isn’t what God wanted me to look at that morning.
A recent training conference made and repeated the point, “God is both the subject and the object of our worship.” Somehow, God used that to trigger in my vision the fact that Jesus is the subject of verse 18 and the object of verse 20. Behind that little grammar fact, I felt He wanted me to really own this truth: whatever goes on between those two sentences is all wrapped up in Jesus. The Great Commission ultimately isn’t about “saving souls” or even self-perpetuating discipleship; it’s all about Jesus.
His personal message to me hit pretty hard. How could I have missed it for so many years? The focus has always been on verse 19 as the actual command we are released to fulfill — the actual commission – even as more than enough people have told me Christian discipleship from start to finish is dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit in us. But even as I do a mental grammar check on the previous sentence, I realize we are the object and subject: we are charged to fulfill, the power of God in us.
There is a sense of competition and an inexplicable urge to prove myself through what I do in spite of all I know to the contrary, even — or even more so — when it comes to “ministry.” Especially when my salary now depends on the generosity of others, I willingly put myself under more pressure to perform, to report numbers and success stories, or at least to put a positive spin on disappointment and unmet expectation. No one has directly put that on me; I’ve gladly (pridefully? foolishly?) taken it upon myself. Accountability is one thing and is a valid concern. Prideful striving is another. But God, in His compassionate mercy, has chosen not to condemn me for trying to take His place. Instead, He took a passage of Scripture that I love, deepened my interaction with it (and ultimately with Jesus, the Living Word) and ministered His relief from unnecessary striving.
How will this change things? Short answer: I’m not sure. The biggest change is the peace in my spirit, but will things look outwardly different? I don’t know yet. It’s (for me) a paradigm shift in approach, but the task, our resources, our skills and experiences, even our tactical strategy remains the same…for now.
I can pretty much guarantee I will forget this in the near future, which is why I need to post it here. Not only do I hope you are encouraged by it as you give your best to live out this incredible Commission, but I also need you as a fellow child of God to remind me Jesus doesn’t need me to prove to the world He is King. Following his final mandate is not an option, but it is my privilege as His co-heir. The truth is, Jesus has already got it all covered. The icing on this cake? As we follow Him in His Commission, He’s got us covered, too.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28.18-20
