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.”
~Matthew 28:16-20 NIV
Go. GO. GO!! We are commanded to GO to all the nations, baptizing and teaching. The first week of August, I again answered that call to go.
I had the privilege of joining twelve others from the Nampa Lakeview Church of the Nazarene as we traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah on a mission trip. We joined together to serve the people of Salt Lake Central Church of the Nazarene. We helped with some church beautification projects and team members lead the church kids and their friends in a Vacation Bible School.
Salt Lake Central Church serves a diverse population. Paster Jeremy Johnston told us that there were over 200 languages spoken within two miles of the church. Sunday morning church attendees included people from ten Central and South American countries plus members from the Caribbean and Pacific Islanders. If one were to listen, they could hear people speaking in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Haitian Creole and possibly some other languages.
Sunday afternoon the sanctuary chairs were pushed back to allow room for the Congolese Nazarene congregation to sing and dance. Their service went on for over two and a half hours. I knew we were in for a treat when about an hour into the service they distributed bottles of water to all the congregants. Their service was exciting, energetic and contained a powerful sermon.
Each evening, all the VBS attendees and helpers were treated to authentic meals prepared by representatives of up to four of the nations that attend Salt Lake Central Church.
We traveled less than 750 miles and participated in a multicultural global mission experience.
One evening as I was preparing to settle down for bed, I read a devotion from The Insanity of Sacrifice: a 90 Day Devotional by Nik Ripken. I had previously read Ripken’s The Insanity of God after one of my trips to Kenya. The Insanity of God is an account of his life-long and very personal journey of discovery into the ways of God related to persecution and suffering. The Insanity of God reminded me of the Reader’s Digest’s, Drama In Real Life stories I enjoyed as a kid. Ripken’s devotional referenced many of the stories from his previous book.
The devotional I read that night told of a visit to a Somalia hospital ravaged by years of civil unrest. That is where they met a three-year-old severely malnourished and emaciated little girl. Soon after caressing the little girl’s face, she passed away.
“We had no way to make sense of such grievous loss when we first encountered it—and we are not sure exactly how to make sense of it now. But there comes a point when you are so changed by God that your heart simply breaks for the lost and hurting of our world.
At first we embrace the Great Commission because it is a command that has been given to us. Eventually, though, we embrace and obey the Great Commission because our hearts have been broken with the things that break the heart of God.
This question might seem unnecessary, but why is it important for followers of Jesus to obey His command to go? Is it enough to go simply because we have been told to go? Certainly, the Great Commission can be read as a command—and there is plenty of motivation in words from Jesus that are a specific instruction for those who follow Him. But ultimately, we go because our hearts are broken from lostness. Ultimately, we go because we have come to love people who are loved by God. Ultimately, we reflect the compassion of God—and that is why we go.”[1]
Each of us needs to ask ourselves, “Am I willing to go? Do I go because I am commanded? Do I go because my heart is broken with the things that break God’s heart? Does the thought of even one more of God’s children spending eternity in Hell cause my heart to ache? Am I willing to go?”
Ripken ends that day’s devotion with a prayer… “Gracious God, overwhelm us with the needs of this broken world. Then overwhelm us with Your power to makes things different. You are able. You are able to bring wholeness and hope and healing. You are able to save. You look at Your world with deep compassion. You know every name and every need. Help us to look at the world in the same way. Help us to respond to Your call, not merely because it is a command—but also because our hearts break for people created in Your image.”[2]
Pastor Vic
[1] Ripken, N., & Stricker, B. (2019). The insanity of sacrifice: A 90 Day Devotional. B&H Publishing Group.
[2] Ripken, N., & Stricker, B. (2019). The insanity of sacrifice: A 90 Day Devotional. B&H Publishing Group.
One Comment
Alisa Maloney
Thank you Pastor Vic. The prayer at the end of this devotional is so beautiful. We are to be willing to be quiet and hear God when and where He directs us to go. We may be called to go over seas, in our country, in our city, in our neighborhood, in our family, even in our church. All around us are people who need to know the salvation only offered by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There are broken and lost souls in all believer’s lives, and I believe the time is short. Go indeed. Thank you for your focus.
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