Discovering the Values of Gem City through the Great Commission
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A disciple of Jesus is becoming like Him and doing the same things Jesus did. If you believe in Him, it also means you must follow His teachings and commands. How can one believe in Him and not follow Him? Belief is simple, but the commands are costly. One such command, which applies to the Church (all believers), is found in the Gospel of Matthew.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
-Matthew 28:18-20
There are four values of the Kingdom that one can observe from this commission.
“Go…” While the weight of the command rests on the imperative to “make disciples,” the “going” nature of the Church applies to every believer. While an argument can be made that this should be translated “as you go,” all of us are called to “go” regardless. The question is: where and to whom are we going? For some, it is overseas. But for the vast majority of us, it means going where we live, work, and play. “As you go” recontextualizes the words of Jesus for every believer wrestling with their “sentness.”
The value of “As You Go” is the mode of operation at Gem City Gathering. We want everyone to realize their missionary nature. It is our organizing principle.
“…Make disciples…” This is the heart of the command. The whole purpose: helping others become like Christ. This is deeply relational and not simply meeting someone to discuss the Bible over a cup of coffee, but being on mission together. Look at how Jesus discipled. Our discipleship should look more like His.
The value of Making Disciples is unavoidable if you are a follower of Jesus. This is the mission.
“…Of all peoples…” This means we are to cross national, cultural, ethnic, social, and economic boundaries. We should not expect those who are far from God to come to us, but rather we “go” to them! It seems insane to me that we have asked the lost to cross all the unseen boundaries to come to a church service in order to find God. It is not your pastor’s job to reach your Muslim, homosexual, or unchurched neighbor. It is yours.
The value of Boundary Crossing means we are the missionaries. We cross invisible boundaries to reach those far from God, not expecting them to come to us.
“…Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded…” The purpose of all teaching is obedience to Christ. So the disciple is not only becoming like Him, but also doing the same things Jesus did. Christ calls us to love God and love our neighbor. Love is a verb, an action word.
“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
-James 4:17
The value of Obedience means we teach and encourage people to obey Jesus’ words, which includes the Great Commission.
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