And Jesus came and said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and 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
When I was in middle school, I attended a church youth summer camp for a week. The man speaking that week had the entire camp sing a different part of that verse everyday that week until we had learned the whole thing. At the end of the week, we all sang it out together. We had learned the Great Commission, word by word. It was the first scripture that I memorized. It has stuck with me since that week. I can still sing it in the same tune that I learned it in that week. It was not until years later that I truly learned what this “great commission” was really all about.
Jesus is instructing His disciples to go, set out and make disciples of people from nations all around. He wanted them to take what they had learned from living with Him intimately, and to share that with others. He wanted them to boldly proclaim what they knew to be true about Jesus, sharing it with others so that others may know Christ and the salvation that comes with that.
When I was sitting with my thoughts about this blog I kept noticing that I was saying “them”, referring to the 11 disciples that Jesus was talking to in this passage. But what do these verses mean for me? And for you? As for Christ followers it means that we must proclaim the sweet salvation that comes only from accepting Christ Jesus, to every person that we meet. Whether that person is a friend, an enemy, a family member, or even the strangers we pass everyday that have never heard the good news. Everyone that we come in contact with every single day is someone that we can share this sweet news with.
Thinking through all of this, I began asking myself, what does this look like for me right now? In the big picture, it looks like me traveling all over the world proudly proclaiming to all the people I meet about the great salvation I have found in my relationship with Jesus Christ. In a smaller picture, it looks like me playing basketball with the high school boys that we have met this month. It also looks like me and my teammates getting dinner with the girls that we have met this month and laughing with them until our cheeks hurt. It looks different with every person! In every season of life this picture could look different. The opportunities that Christ gives you could look different. Friends and people come and go. Or maybe the Lord calls us to move to a new city. Or maybe we finish college and move to start a new job. We are all in different seasons of life, but Christ has placed us there for a reason. He wants us to share the good news of salvation with everyone that we meet in that season of life.
At a young age, I knew that I loved to travel, meet new people, and I was never really homesick. I used to tell people all the time, “I don’t have these characteristics for no reason… God made me this way for a reason.” Now I am on the World Race where I get to travel all over the world and meet new people almost every single day. God definitely did not put me here by accident. He has me here for a reason, now what is that reason? As I have been spending time with the Lord everyday in Albania, this is what He has been teaching me about my purpose here.
The first thing I am learning,
My purpose here is to tell others about Jesus. Without hesitiation. He wants me to proudly and boldly proclaim what I know about Him. What I have been learning about myself in this regard is that my worldly desires tell me that rejection is far worse then not telling someone about Jesus. That I should let fear trump the sweet news of salvation. I’ve had to ask myself this month… Am I going to let my worldly feelings stop me from telling someone about Jesus? Am I going to let 5 seconds of fear hinder someone else’s eternity? No absolutely not. I am choosing to press into the awkward situations and the rejection that can come with sharing this news with others because it is all worth it if someone can find eternal salvation through our one interaction.
The second thing I am learning this month,
My purpose here is to love others. Jesus wants me to love others just as freely as I recieve love from Him. We are all made in the image of Him so we should all treat and love each other with that same regard. He wants me to go and meet people where they are. This month that has looked different with every person I have met. Whether it has been on the basketball court, on a running track, in a coffee shop, at the dinner table, or playing ping pong at a youth center. These are all places where I have spent time meeting people where they are and truly investing into their lives. The main thing that I have learned from this is that people are much more willing to listen to what you have to say when you take time to first listen to what they have to say.
I’m excited to see the people that Jesus puts into my life while on the Race. I’m excited to see what awkward situations He puts me in. I’m excited to see what opportunities He gives me to see His glory. I’m excited because in all of that I am able to share the greatest news that I am ever heard. News about eternal salvation!!!
Please join in prayer with me that my team and I can end this month in Albania well!! We are throwing a party Friday for all of our friends so prayers that it goes well and that we can love them well through that!!
With love,
Sav
I included a picture of one of the sunsets we see every night here in Albania, wow! SO PRETTY
