Matthew 28:18-20 contains what has become known as “The Great Commission:”
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.”
Unfortunately, too many Christians and churches think of these verses as “The Great Suggestion;” relegated to missionary presentations and long-forgotten “mission statements.” But that is a post for another day.
Today I’m struck by one particular word of this passage: the word “go.” It literally means, “as you go” in the original Greek.
So as we live our lives we are to make disciples. Our lives are supposed to be lived together, and that togetherness is to amount to discipleship done on purpose. Intentional discipleship. Lived out together.
Discipleship is not a program. It certainly isn’t a class or a Bible study. Those things can feed into discipleship, but not to the same degree of “as you go,” doing-life-together discipleship.
Leaders, one thing I think this means for us is we need to stop being such loners. We know that success without succession is failure, but we still often believe that no one else can do what we do. As a result, we lead and people watch.
That’s not leading.
Real leadership involves bringing someone else along “as you go.” Teach them, share life with them, point them to Jesus. This is the essence of discipleship, or mentoring, or whatever you want to call it.
I’m really bad at this. That is why I’m committing to do better in this area. Am I preparing to deliver a sermon? I can bring others in on the preparation and allow them to leave their fingerprint. Am I dreaming about the next project to tackle? I don’t have to dream alone. Am I visiting a student who is struggling with thoughts of suicide? I can model being the hands and feet of Jesus in real-time.
All by bringing someone along…”as I go.”
Today, “as you go” (and go, and go, and go), make disciples.