You have been commissioned to participate in the Great Commission. So have I.
It’s the commission (“go and make disciples of all nations” Matthew 28:19) we are all aware of, but few take seriously.
Our fruit is meager.
Our guilt is real.
My daughter, Anna, at the ripe ol’ age of 6 nailed it on the head.
“Mommy, is the most important thing about being a Christian telling other people about Jesus?”
“Yes!” I announced. My internal dialogue kicked in. “She gets it! I’m doing a good job.”
My self-affirmation was short lived.
“Well then, (long pause) why don’t you do it very often?”
She called a spade a spade.
Anna had heard me “preach to the choir” a hundred times in her short life. But she was right, she had never once heard me share my faith with someone who did not know Jesus.
Go
It was one of Jesus’ last words and it’s a word, a commission that needs to be taken to heart.
It’s not about distance, however. Going overseas is not better than going across your backyard.
“Go” is about determination and it takes intentionality.
It’s all about love.
But love takes time and most of us live in the red. We “have no time.”
Programmed church activities are a great use of gifts and a part of our calling, but left unchecked they require enormous amounts of our “free time”—leaving little margin to commit to the time consuming work of getting to know and loving another human being or family.
Programs don’t bring people to Christ.
People bring people to Christ.
Programs are predictable. (Be there from 6-8 pm)
People are messy and unpredictable.
Nine times out of ten, being a part of the Great Commission is about developing intentional friendships. It’s about taking the time to get to know someone. It’s about sharing life over the long haul, on the soccer field, at work, in your neighbor’s garage. It’s about earning the right and the opportunity to share your heart and ask life-changing questions. It happens quite naturally when love is established and the time is right and ripe.
Operation Go
It’s a matter of love, not obligation.
It takes time. It takes margin. Embracing the rhythm “Run hard. Rest well.” is a great place to start.
Who’s on your radar? A cousin. A co-worker. A neighbor.
Make love, with no strings attached, your aim. Set your sites long. Stay on your knees.
Want a game plan?
-
Who is God laying on your heart? Commit them to prayer. If appropriate, invite your kids to pray as well. Include them in on the commissioning.
-
Rest well.
-
Pick up the phone, send a text, walk across the street, get together. Regularly.
This summer might be a great time to start.
If time allows, click to read a great, short article for sharing your faith. It’s called 5 Simple Steps for Sharing Your Faith by Gary Cobb. The 5 steps are located at the bottom of a thoughtful article by Kristin Driscoll.
Is This Your First Time Here?
Welcome!
Run hard. Rest well. launched in March 2013. We’d like to invite you to subscribe to this weekly blog. The information to do so is located on the right hand side of this page. I’d also like to encourage you to read the first 11 weeks of posts on the right hand side. (But no rush. Go slow.) Start with Week 1. Each post is numbered and lays an important foundational insight into the life-giving rhythm Run hard. Rest well.
God’s richest blessings.
Brenda
Brenda, I have taken a personal retreat, open to God; I dug deep into your blog. I am at a cottage by a small lake on this windy (and “birdy”) day. I have sat at a table with your words and my Bible open. I have read through every one of your entries and read every one of the Bible references. And….I am tired, raw, satisfied, yet tingling with stimulation. I feel full and yet want to know more (of God’s will in my life). I thank you for your insightfulness. In the past I had read snippits of your lessons. Today I completed them, beginning to end. You have stepped out in faith to teach others and I have learned so much. Thank you for serving me. God continue to inspire your ideas set forth online. –Elaine
Elaine,
I can’t even begin to express what’s going on in my heart right now as I read your words. The tears are brimming. Joy is rising up. God is good. Spectacularly good! Faithful beyond measure. He reveals himself to me most thoroughly through very hard and frightening places. The message of the last 12 weeks came through the years wrapped up as gifts (gems and treasures!) while living on the anvil. Meeting with God in quiet places does a work of wonder in my soul beyond what I can ever express.
Onward, dear friend. We have a race to run. And rest to enjoy.
Love, Brenda