When Jesus stood on a mountainside with his disciples, his command was simple and clear: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). However, many of us have heard that command so many times that we no longer hear it. It’s helpful to identify what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t tell them to establish a religious system. He didn’t instruct them to build buildings, create programs, or even host worship services. Jesus’ mission for them was to become and make disciples.
Every time we gather together as the church, we participate in the mission Jesus set in motion 2,000 years ago. The mission was given before the church was created and it exists to move the mission forward. The church exists because of the mission Jesus gave his disciples on that Galilean hillside. Without it, there would be no reason for us to gather. Christopher J.H. Wright stated this poignantly and provocatively when he wrote, “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” This is important because it shifts how we think about our purpose.
The church doesn’t own the mission; the mission owns the church. Every sermon we preach, every song we sing, every small group that meets – these are not ends in themselves. They’re tools to equip us to step into God’s mission. Because of the way the church has grown and developed over the last 2,000 years, it can be easy to think that church services are the mission of the church… but they are not. Discipleship is still the mission and we gather together so we can “stir one another up to love and good deed” (Heb. 10:24), and so that we can be “built up” (1 Cor. 14:26). But it’s all about living out the mission.
As I consider this truth, it means the mission is not just the responsibility of pastors, missionaries, or church leaders… and it means the mission happens everywhere, not just at church. It’s your mission. It’s my mission. It’s our mission to make disciples – as we are going, wherever we are going. This might look like having a meaningful conversation with a coworker, mentoring someone, or loving your family in a way that reflects Christ. Jesus didn’t call us to be spectators; he called us to be participants. The Great Commission isn’t a task we check off a list – it’s a way of life. It’s the privilege of joining God in his work to restore a broken world.
Take some time today and prayerfully ask God to help you live out this mission as you go about your normal day.
Pastor Ryan Paulson