Calling Part 4: Where Do We Go? The Gospel Story at the End of the Gospel
To pursue our callings, or run the race, we must know where we are going:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
In the previous post, we looked at the race directions given to us at the end of creation. Those directions boil down to this: we pursue intimacy in marriage, we pour our lives into others, and we wisely steward creation. In short, our lives are to be a testimony to God and his redemptive work.
Our starting point for calling is at the end of creation. Similarly, to discover our mission in calling, to tell the gospel story, we need to explore the end of the Gospel. These directions are found in Matthew 28:18-20, the “Great Commission,” which calls us to this:
Be disciples – Make disciples – Go
The more I study this passage, the more it appears to be an extension of our earlier calling found in Genesis: to fill the earth, to multiply a godly heritage. Let’s look at this New Testament extension of our Old Testament calling to better understand our three directives:
“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)
Be Disciples
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus is speaking to the eleven disciples remaining after Judas’ death. These are his friends, his core group, into whom he has poured his life. The main qualifications for being disciples include knowing Christ, following him, and having other godly people pouring into you. We are called to be disciples because in so doing, we become more like Christ and his mission of redemption becomes our mission.
Make Disciples
We are called to make disciples by teaching what we ourselves have been taught. In other words, living as we have seen other believers live. Just as Christ intimately walked with his disciples in their fears and doubts, we are to authentically walk with others in their faith journeys. Jesus prayed with his disciples, opened the Word of God with them, comforted and encouraged them, and invited them into his darkest days of the crucifixion. My wife often refers to this as investing in “intentional friendships” in which others get to see you learn and grow, overcome temptation and repent of sin, rejoice in gratitude, rely in utter dependence, struggle and suffer with endurance, and love the Lord in all things.
Go
Go to every nation? For some of you this means literally yes – start packing your bags! For others, it means to keep going where you are going – school, work, home, church, the store, vacation, etc. It also means going to those with specific needs with dignity and grace – the underprivileged, the refugee, the single mom, the lonely, the imprisoned, the different, and the outsider. But take the gospel with you always and in all situations. You have an audience wherever you go.
Where do we go? Everywhere! In our relationships, our vocations, and our world, we go with a message of redemption; we go to tell the gospel story.
© 2016 Mark Dawson