I was driving from my house in Roseville, California, to my friend's house in Idaho. In the old days, I would get out my map, look up the roads, highways, and freeways, and chart my route. Then Thomas' Guide came out, and I could look at the streets and side streets flipping from one page to another. This last trip, I put in an address, and my phone told me distance, time of arrival, alternate routes, and warned me when there was traffic or an accident ahead. If only life were that simple.
Today, real people are experiencing real pain. A pandemic just robbed our family of six months of time with our 95-year-old mom and grandmother. She was shut in, and we were shut out; by God's grace, we had ninety minutes together before she passed. I see families fighting, yelling, and even splitting over a presidential election, with both sides claiming some kind of moral superiority. Every day, people's anguish over racial injustice calls my heart, as many of my friends ache over their own personal experiences. In the midst of all this, millions of babies are being aborted - something that, after all these years, many of us are numb to when hearing the statistics. I could go on, and on, and on, but I won't.
Two thoughts run through my head as I write these words. First, I am sure glad we have a big God. He can handle it, he has solutions, he is wise, and he loves us. Maybe you can find a scent of the fragrance of hope with this thought. I do.
The second thought comes in the form of a question. When will we - the Church - begin taking seriously the command of Jesus to make disciples? Now, before you think I do not care about the above issues, I do. I invest hours of prayer. I engage in a ton of conversations and literally put my money where my mouth is in these issues. Let me tell you what I am saying.
Right now, I am not seeing any answers in our culture that have anywhere near the potency of Jesus' instruction to make disciples. Jesus' mission brought about the change we all desire, changing the status of women, children, slaves, and free. His instructions to do his work were not neglectful of our culture's issues that have been caused by sin. Making disciples is simply the only way to effect change.
Think with me. In 30AD, the Church was born. Slavery and infanticide were rampant. Sexual perversion was a part of worship for many religions. Governments were corrupt, taxes were high, and the everyday Joe had no voice. Women were property, the poor were shamed, and sickness and disease left people abandoned. Despite all of that, this upstart religion armed with a risen Jesus and instructions to make disciples went from obscure Jerusalem to the very throne of the Roman Empire. How? Making disciples.
When I look up the address for the Shalom of God for our hurting and fractured world, my spiritual GPS always points me to Matthew 28:18-20. When I look for directions to where the resolution to our growing struggles and issues is found, the address I am getting is Matthew 28:18-20.
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."
I am so glad my God is big. He can handle what has killed millions and is still running rampant across the globe. In his wisdom, he gave us a method. Let's answer the question, "When will we (I) take seriously the command of Jesus to make disciples?" with a resounding NOW. The 4GENetwork exists for this purpose. We equip pastors, churches, and individuals to be disciple makers. If you are ready to answer the question with "now" and are ready to make disciples, we would love to serve you and equip you. Contact us.