At the end of His life
and ministry Jesus gathered His followers on a mountain side in Galilee and
gave them a summation of His life and a challenge for their lives. His
words there are often referred to as The Great Commission; and He said
in Matthew 28:16 - 20:
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain
where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they
worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and
said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.”
The essence of all that He taught, did, and modeled is contained in these
words. It's not a "Great Suggestion" but in the original
language it is an imperative command. True maturing followers of the Lord
prioritize their lives around bringing others into a saving and maturing
relationship with Jesus.
This week in Chicago our church send 12 students (hmmm ... sort of like the
number of key followers that Jesus had) and 5 other adults to an event called
MUVE. While here they learned how to share their faith, how to defend
their faith, had numerous opportunities to talk to a variety of people on the
streets of Chicago, and were challenged to go home and make a difference
in their church, community, and our culture.
Stats for the week (through Thursday):
- 1,024 spiritual conversations took place
- 335 people prayed with
- 274 gospel cards / tracts distributed
- 22 people made a decision to accept Christ
- 2000+ gospel letters were sent out in which students and adults shared their faith with people back home and/or arranged meetings for when they get home to talk to their friends and family about the Lord.
The followers of Jesus changed their families, their communities, their peer
group, their nation, and ultimately the world because they obeyed this simple
command. My prayer is that this group from Grace will do the same to
whatever extent God wants to use them, and they are willing to submit to His
leading.
Pray for our group ... over the next few months as they seek to follow the
command and example of the Lord. They will be meeting with some of their family members and friends to share Christ, seeking to influence their youth group members to grow and mature in the Lord, and taking an active role in our church to serve and minister.
Grant and Evan Adraianson, Alli and Ryan Hickey, Jessica and Maggie Hughes,
Jeremiah Jacobs, Heidi and Peter Krauss, Abby, Bekah, John, and Melissa Mater,
Alex Musser, Kim Ripley, Josh Sanchez, and Joel Smith.
