"Go"- The First Response To The Great Commission

In their book "Building a Discipling Culture" Mike Breen and Steve Cockram argue that the mission of the Christian Church today is to "make disciples" (Mt.28:19) not build the church. They wisely reason that if we focus on building the church, we may get some disciples out of it. But if we focus on making disciples and succeed, the church automatically gets built. The formation of a church is always the automatic and natural result of having made disciples of Jesus. Wherever disciples are made a church is formed. For this reason we must make it our focus to make disciples not build the church.

Ask the average Christian gathering, however, how to go about making disciples and the response will be, "I don't know". At our Christian Community FG last Saturday we asked the same question; "How do we make disciples?" We wrestled with this question. By the end of the night we surely did not answer the question conclusively but we did arrive at this point that I think is important: In order to make disciples we must first respond positively to the command to "Go".

The first part of the Great Commission is to "Go..." (Mt.28:19). I believe many disciples have been made in the history of the church simply by members going and making themselves available to be used by the Lord;

• We spend extra time outside during the summer so that we can talk to our neighbors.
• We join new social clubs just to be among new people.
• We eat in the breakroom at work because we hope to be present for people who need to talk.
• We make our presence felt in the worst sections of town just to shine some light.

I have found that so much of making disciples is going and being present in the places where God could work. It is going but not always knowing what you will do when you get there. It is listening but not always knowing how you will respond. It is interceding for those who are mistreated all the while uncertain of what sort of fight others may pick with us. Being used by God requires that we first "Go". If we do not go we cannot be used.

I want to close by thanking a couple members at BCC for positively responding to the command to "Go".

Thank you Ron for going to help your non-Christian friend in Linden who was going through a tough time. I know you didn't know exactly what to do besides loan money but you went anyway.

Thank you Joann for going to sit with your girlfriend who lost her husband recently. I know you did not always know what to say to her but you went anyway.

What about you today? How are you making yourself available for the Lord's use on a daily basis? Are you going to be with people or are you isolating yourself? Are you going to listen to people or do your conversations revolve around you? Are you going to those you know are struggling and praying with them, or are you expecting someone else to do it instead?

How can you respond positively to the command to "GO and make disciples..." today?

What I Love About Our Fellowship

We have a student from Princeton Theological Seminary doing his Field Education with us in the Fall. We are excited about the opportunity to help a future Minister learn the ropes of shepherding. As a preamble to the Fall semester I was required to attend a Field Education Supervisor Orientation at Princeton Theological Seminary. For those who are unfamiliar with Princeton Seminary, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian denomination and has been for more than 200 years now. Simply walking the campus is a humbling experience to think of all the influential men and women of the past who have learned in those buildings. However, when I left the Seminary that day after the Orientation was finished I did not feel out of my element. I did not feel inferior to the many learned people I was around. I did not feel like I was just a young lad with nothing of value to add to the conversation. Instead I felt grateful for the spiritual platform I had been given in the fellowship of the Churches of Christ.

My renewed appreciation for our fellowship was set off by the response I received to a question I asked in the orientation. A stretching part of my full-time work with BCC over the past 7 years has been learning to create ministry when ministry is not coming to me. People come to a minister for counseling, prayer, clarification on the Scriptures and a number of other things. However in new churches and smaller churches the minister must also learn to create ministry when ministry is not forthcoming. Some days there is no one on my schedule to minister to or meet with. It is in these times when I have to go create ministry opportunities. I cannot sit back and wait for ministry opportunities to arise. I must go find them. Some days my efforts fail. But other days great things happen simply because I went. This has been a deeply stretching part of my responsibilities as Minister and likely a stretching part of any Minister in the fellowship of the churches of Christ.

With this in mind I asked the orientation class a question. I asked, “In your opinion, is it ok to allow students some unplanned, unscheduled time to go create ministry for themselves?” One gentleman who was a former supervisor of Field Ed students answered that with the student’s coursework and field work responsibilities there is very little time that is unplanned or unscheduled for them. The question, however, he thought was a great one. One lady at lunch referred to it as the "million dollar question" of the day. But why?

I think I later understood why. I think it has to do with our theologies. Many reformed theologies conceptualize ministry as that which the Priest or Pastor does at “church”. They believe people go to "church" to be ministered-to by the Priests and Pastors but do not heavily emphasize the church leaving the building to go and minister as a whole. Some church traditions have put so much effort into training their Priests and Pastors to "do church" correctly that the outward obligations of ministry have been neglected. Ministry definitely happens within the church, but it must also happen outside of it. The Great Commission was performed by those inside the church in order to bring those outside the church into the Kingdom of God.

Don't get me wrong even the Churches of Christ have fallen into this inward-looking trap. However I think it has happened with confident irregularity. As a member of the Church of Christ I have always understood ministry to be that which happens both inside and outside of church gatherings. For this reason it has been natural for me to think that part of my responsibility as a Minister is to go and create ministry when none is there.

I was really grateful that day for a fellowship of believers who have helped me accurately conceptualize what ministry is. I felt free of stifling tradition and liberated to “Go” and make disciples. Thanks church!