“having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them — to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days — till the full end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 (Young’s Literal Translation)
In under two days, I will be taking my eighth trip to the Czech Republic within three years. To be sure, that is a whole lot of trips. It’s so many, that you may think of me as the guy who is always going to the Czech Republic. If I’m not there, I must be planning to go back soon (actually, that probably isn’t too far from the truth). The most common question that I hear related to our work in the Czech Republic is “When are you going next?” Going is exciting.
Let me suggest another question to ask though. How about this: “Where have you gone lately?”
What? Yes. “Where have you gone lately?”
The great commission as it is translated into most English versions puts far too much emphasis on going. Many say “therefore go!” making it look like a command. But in the Greek, the flashy “go” is a simple statement of past tense fact. The going has happened. I can apply this simple statement to all the places I have been in the past week. ASU – “gone”. Church – “gone”. A friend’s house – :”gone”, These are all places that God has taken me.
But why does that matter? Because the command that our Lord gives us is make disciples – the going has already taken care of itself! Some of us may go farther than others in the mission to make disciples of all people, but we have all gone somewhere.
So next time you find yourself at the store, or the doctor, or a neighbor’s house, be thankful that you’ve already gone. Be bold and take courage, knowing that Jesus is with you as you step out and make disciples. Of course I am looking forward to seeing what amazing things happen in the Czech Republic over the next week, but don’t be surprised if I ask you “where you have gone lately” next time we see each other. Your story could be just as amazing because we serve an amazing God.