Nothing about the Mission is easy. It is not meant, intended, or promised to be. It is not words alone – it is both fueled and energized by action; by action that is motivated by love.
Look at the word usage, especially the verbs: “to go…to make…to baptize…to teach (others) to obey…” As Jesus speaks these words He is addressing those who believed, those who had received, those who had remained. The Spirit of God had not yet been poured out yet – Pentecost was to come and come in a mighty way. But Jesus had told them that “they would receive power” at that appointed time. Until then, the action verbs of the Great Commission would remain somewhat obscure. Interestingly, Jesus ushers these words as His final instructions to the community – to the church that He would empower, equip, launch, and charge.
Yesterday we examined the kairos (the times) that we find ourselves in. Amazing how each generation, each people have faced a husteros kairos (a challenging time) in one way or another – down through the centuries. Look at the historical accounts. Yet, in the midst of it all, the Mission has not changed for the Church. It has remained and it will remain until His glorious return. We have hope and promise in the second part of the Mission Statement Jesus gives us, in this: “And I will be with you always, even until the end of the age.” For those who believe, receive, and remain – we know that we do not toil, or work, or serve in vain, for the Lord has built the house.
In our lives today, now more than ever – we need to hit the streets, we need to share the hope, we need to bridge the relationships – all for Him. We need to be a people after God’s own heart, not just in words but principally, in action. The kairos demand it because people are perishing; just as it says in Proverbs: “Without vision, the people perish.” He is worthy of our very best!
Prayerfully,
Pastor Porter
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