Thursday, September 28, 2023

Listen to the Word

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:18-20)

In the great commission, Jesus calls us to teach people to “obey everything I have commanded you.” He doesn’t just tell us to teach people what he said. He instructs us to teach them to do what he said.

The church’s mission is not merely to inform people that Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Its mission is to help people actually practice love for their actual neighbors. The church’s mission is not just to let people know that Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” but to equip them to live increasingly free from destructive anxiety. Jesus doesn’t just want folks in our churches to be able to quote him accurately – he wants them to live as he instructs them to live. He wants them to be his disciples. He wants our churches to be places where people are trained in his way of life.

Live the Word

Take a moment to pray for the teachers and leaders in your church. Pray that God will empower them for their mission of training others to live as disciples of Jesus.