Going

The first command of the Great Commission is to "Go."  This is both temporal (while you are going) and a command: get Going! Staying in the bubble is natural and easy. Going creates the need, the opportunities for proclaiming and teaching - making disciples - and desperate need for Spirit. Let's "Go" on purpose, celebrate "Going" as faithfulness and see what God does next!

A Moving Car

Drew got his license this week, and a new-to-him car. Hallelujah and STAY OFF THE ROADS! And to add danger, I have been teaching Dylan how to drive.

Nowadays with power steering it isn’t impossible, but have you tried turning the wheels without letting the car roll a bit? But even just a little bit of roll, a little motion, and it gets WAY easier.

As the expression goes, “It is easier to steer a moving ship.”

There is some fundamental physics at play here. An object at rest want to what? Stay at rest. An object in motion wants to??? Stay in motion.

When we call Jesus Lord and Savior… we give the “wheel” of our life. So the worship team is going to sing “Jesus, take the wheeeeeeeel!” Or not.

I have this image of Jesus trying to steer us, and we are just parked. Gas pedal doesn’t work if the car is still in Park, right Dylan? Steering wheel won’t turn, or barely turns, if the car isn’t moving.

And so pretty much our whole sermon today is on the first Word of Jesus’ Great Commission.

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Are we going? How do we go? What did He mean and are we missing out?

If you are going to preach a sermon on mostly one word, you gotta dig deep into the language. So it’s time for some grammar. Stick with me, it’s time for Participles.

Participles

In particular, that first sentence: “Go, make disciples, baptizing, teaching”. There are 4 words there that look like verbs… but they are participles.

In English we usually recognize participles by adding “ing” at the end, and we see some of that here in “baptizing” and “teaching.”

And translators are figuring out how to use them in the sentence. Most translators, as the ESV does here, focus on the “imperatival” participle… the participle picks up the imperative from the command.

And that’s great. I agree. It is a command.

But there is another possible sense, and I like both. The other great option here is “attendant circumstance” or (similarly) temporal participles: while you are going.

While You Are Going...

While on the journey...

While you travel...

Make disciples.

You cannot drop the imperative bit, it is NOT the Great Suggestion it IS the Great Commission. But there is this ongoing, heads up, while you are going aspect.

This is what the disciples did. Everywhere they went from then on, they are making disciples. If they end up in Rome? Making disciples. If they end up in Northern Africa, Eastern Asia… making disciples.

Not just as the big travel trips, the big mission trips, the big moves. The disciples go out, but then live in one place for years at a time, sometimes for the rest of their lives. But the whole time they are there, like Peter in Rome. By tradition, he lived there 25 years… and he continued “making disciples” all the while.

Here is one of my favorite stories of “going”

Acts 8:26–30 ESV

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Now we can get hung up on the “angel” part. I have never had the experience of an angel telling him the road to take… but I am absolutely open to it.

“Here I am, Lord, send me!”

He obeys, it’s the 2nd moment on the road I want to focus in on.

This Ethiopian eunuch, almost certainly a slave, but there reading a scroll.

And “the Spirit said to Philip.” Maybe that was an audible voice.

But I’ll put that in my experience, when I feel the “Spirit tell me” things, it’s in quiet nudges, directing my attention, opening my eyes to see...

Oh, that dude has a scroll. What is that scroll? I’ll get closer so I can hear him.

and he heard him reading Isaiah...

And he asks the question, “how’s that coming?” “You get it? Huh? Huh?”

I love this one, because it is so natural, I can see myself understanding each step.

I see someone in the coffee shop reading a favorite book, maybe one that points to Jesus. Lord of the Rings. Narnia. You know I am starting a conversation: “Hey, I love that one.” “Do you get it??!!”

“Aslan, am I right????”

But that ONLY happens if my eyes are open “while I am going” to the opportunities the Spirit is leading me into.

If my spirit is open to the whisper of the Spirit.

I believe their are opportunities all around us.

I’ve shared this before, but the Spirit has trained me to be on the lookout when I get in an Uber. Almost every time I have ridden in an Uber I have had the opportunity to have a really significant Jesus conversation with the driver. Sometimes ending in us praying together for healing, for restoration.

Last time, both KK and I expected it… and there was nothing. Dude had a few phrases of English and that was it… and that was fine.

We were faithful in looking for it, listening for it… and when there was no opportunity, we didn’t make it weird.

While we are going, we are looking for the opportunities to proclaim the gospel, to make disciples, to teach the commands of Jesus.

And it leads to crazy cool moments like this:

Acts 8:39–40 ESV

39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

God can move us wherever and whenever He wants, and if we are faithful with the opportunities He gives us, I think He gives us more.

Philip had reached “teleport around” status. I. Want. In. Send Me!!!

Get Going!

Why was Philip even out of Jerusalem? Everyone seemed pretty happy just being part of the growing disciples there in Jerusalem.

Acts 8:1–4 ESV

1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

While they were going… they were making disciples. God made them GO further, farther, directed their steps, even through persecution and the murder of their friend.

God used this to wake them up. To get them up and out! What the enemy meant for evil, He turned for good, again and again. We can moan and bemoan the state of our country or the state of our world… or we can Go!

Oh, and while we are going… what are we doing? What are we looking for, listening for? The Spirit-directed opportunities to proclaim, to disciple, to baptize, to teach.

Going on Purpose

Homes, Synagogues, and Marketplaces

Now, we could leave it there… but I won’t.

We could just wait for an angel, and when an angel doesn’t show up, we write it off as “I guess I don’t have to obey Jesus today” and move on.

Jesus was more strategic than that.

In Luke 10:1 when he sends them out 2 by 2, first the 12 in chapter 9, then the 72 in chapter 10. The picture I had was them going door to door, but that isn’t what is described.

In a culture of hospitality, he sent his disciples out to go stay at folks home. That was great in 1st century Palestine with a culture and command of putting folks up. Stay there and start a conversation with that family. He actually says there “Do not go house to house” (Luke 10:7)

That is not going to work quite the same today, but the principle applies. Where can we encounter, engage folks, as human beings, person to person, in conversation, when people are actually listening. He

Similarly: when Jesus visited a town, he almost always went to the place where folks in town were open to, inviting spiritual conversations. He went to the synagogue...

And the early church disciples picked up this model too. They thought about where in town can I go where folks are open to conversation.

Paul in Athens, starts strategically, and I love this when it comes to a model for proclaiming the gospel… but watch how he “Goes on Purpose.”

Acts 17:16–21 ESV

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Here we see both. Paul goes On Purpose to the best places he knows to go to engage folks in real conversation, deep, spiritual conversation. The synagogue and the marketplace. And the folks there drag him to an EVEN BETTER place to engage in some real talk.

And Paul is Going, and He is ready, and God gives him one of my very favorite sermon, the Sermon on Mars Hill. He proclaims the gospel to listening ears.

This wasn’t happenstance. Like 20 times in Acts, we see Peter or Paul going on purpose to the synagogue to “reason with the Jews.” It is intentional, it is purposeful. It is Going on Purpose.

What About Waiting?

In many of the “Great Commissions” Jesus talks about waiting to be clothed with power by the Holy Spirit. That was a special time of waiting ending at Pentecost. Note: the disciples are “Going” for the rest of their lives.

That DOES NOT mean there aren’t seasons of “Waiting on the Lord”, those are important. Or even Wandering in the Desert - that’s real. And you should always be getting “filled up” with the Spirit on the regular, poured in so you can pour out.

There seasons of healing.

And Sabbaths, and Celebrations, and REST is a crucial rhythm of your spiritual life.

But “wait on the Spirit” can be translated as “sit on your butt until God kicks it.” God has already given you His Spirit, His Message, and His Command. Go!!!

Where are you Going?

Go on Purpose.

The expectation is that the regular, frequent experience of every disciple of Jesus is that they will GO in the Spirit… and while they are going, wherever they are going, they will be discipling, baptizing, teaching the commands of Jesus.

We want to be a people who do that, live that, teach, encourage one another to do it… and celebrate it as a win.

What is the “win” for us, church? May it never be the Big B’s “Building, Budgets, and Butts in seats.”

I know that isn’t your heart, it isn’t my heart, so how do we count the “wins?”

One way is this: I want to hear your stories of “Going on Purpose.”

This isn’t bragging. The reason we know about the ways in which the disciples “went” purposefully, strategically, and how it did or didn’t go well… they told us. And others celebrated it, preserved it, copied it, and sent it to their friends.

This is bragging on God. How He is moving, shaping us, sending us.

And just sharing the story of how you went with your eyes and heart open… that teaches us how to do it, how to live it, ideas about where to do it and when.

Where is that for you high schoolers? Middle schoolers? When and where are folks open to some conversation about the real. About the nature of the world, right and wrong. Lunch? Locker room? I’m not saying be weird. I am saying keep your eyes open for opportunities, invitations, to bring a little Jesus. It is going to take courage, it is going to take boldness… but first it takes Going.

I know what this used to look like at some of my workplaces. Eating lunch in the breakroom, or ping pong breaks, or “walk’o’clock” where we would take walks around the building instead of smoke breaks. Learning that those are “sent” moments, and “while I am going...” I am watching for Ethiopian eunuchs with questions.

Now I get those on video calls. Someone brings up a little bit of real life in a video call, I am asking questions, digging in. Someone asks for advice, I am sharing some Jesus teaching. They asked!

Some of you are retired. I know many of you retired folks that Go on Purpose to the park. There are some folks to love, there are some opportunities to share Jesus left and right. All day, with the added bonus that they are expecting it.

But that isn’t the only option. At the Adult Center, at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office, at the gym, on the phone, probably not on Facebook… but who knows!?

Be thoughtful, be creative, be strategic about when and where to go… but Go on Purpose!

We aren’t to the “what to say” bit yet, though, just the going.

Here’s my vision for this. I want to hear from y’all on the regular, about where and how you are “going on purpose...” even if nothing then happened. “I went to the coffee shop, I prayed before I went in that I would see opportunities. I ordered my coffee, sat, drank, and all the while I watched and prayed with each person I saw… them Lord? There? Nothing that day, but I practiced in faithfulness, I went in expectation.”

I want to celebrate that story as a “win” alongside the “and then everyone repented and I baptized them all in a vat of coffee.”

I don’t want to hear a story about when you “went” faithfully 10 years ago, but this week. At least for the next few weeks, I would love to hear enough of those that we run out of time. As a gift to others, keep your story under 2 minutes, and we could get a lot in.

I hear this command from the one we call Lord. And I’m starting from the Beginning. He says Go… and I go.

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”