Go Where You Go to Share the Gospel
The Great Commission doesn't tell us as to where to go; Jesus just commands us to get going (Matthew 28:18-20).
An incredible miracle takes place in Acts 3. Peter and John meet a lame man at one of the Temple gates. At the end of the story, the lame man walks away!
Miraculous stories start on mundane days. The story begins with Peter and John doing what they would be doing on any other day.
Now Peter and John were going up to the Temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
Acts 3:1
While that sentence sounds incredibly religious, you have to understand that in the cultural context, it was normal. Peter and John were going to a daily 3 pm prayer service at the Temple. It's much like saying that you're meeting a friend for lunch at 12. It's something you do every day.
Our Great Mistake with The Great Commission
We make a mistake with the Great Commission. We believe that when Jesus says, "Go" that He's calling us to go somewhere else. But notice in the Great Commission that Jesus doesn't tell us where to go. He just commands us to get going.
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.
Matthew 28:19
The tense of "Go" in that passage is "as you are going." It means, go where you've been going and make disciples along the way.
Why is "where you go" so important? Because in the places you go, people already know you. They've been watching you. The people in the places you frequent are the most likely to open up in conversations with you.
You and I may not head to the Temple for prayer every day at 3:00 pm, but the people in the places we frequent should know who we are and what we are about.
You may not have gone to the Temple today, but did your server see you pray before you devoured that sandwich?
Your neighbor may have never been to your church. But do they see you go to church?
When you come to the customer service desk, is it only to complain, or can those people behind the counter tell that your conversations are different?
Praying in a cafe is not a prideful display of your religion; it's a way of life that lets others know that you're available. Your server may not pray, but he or she may appreciate prayer.
Going to church doesn't make you better than your neighbors. But your faithfulness is a testimony to them that there is another way. And there may come a day that they want to know more about where you're going.
Given the cultural context, this was probably not the first day that the lame man saw Peter and John. Their familiar coming and going was perhaps the conduit for the conversation.
Don't go somewhere else to share the gospel. Share the gospel as you are going.
Bible Study
Read Matthew 28:18-20
- List the commands to be obeyed.
- What are the promises in the passage?
- How can you apply this passage today?
Challenge
Keep a list of all the places you go today. Mentally take a count of how many people you see. Add it up at the end of the day. Add it up at the end of the week. If you make disciples along the way, notice how significant of a disciple making movement your life could become.
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