The Commission (3)

Scripture records that Jesus gave his disciples a commission to go to every people group in the world, and make disciples from every people group.

Scripture, giving us a sneak peek of heaven, proclaims that representatives of every people group, will worship together before the throne of God.

It is obvious the Commission is not a command that the Twelve are going to complete by themselves. Too much area to cover … especially by foot. Too many people groups. Too much time for each people group. It is a command to every disciple.

The goal of disciplemaking is to instill obedience to the commands of Jesus in the hearts of every disciple. All the commands. Every command. Including this one.

It is also obvious that this will involve crossing borders, both geographic and cultural. And it is the cultural kind that will probably be the most difficult. One person getting inside the mindset, the perspective, the values, the motivations, of another person takes time, patiences, and stubborn persistance.

For a natural point of view, this close understanding is required to position the gospel in a way that speaks to the heart of a new people group.

For example, those following Jesus from the West tend to understand sin in terms of breakinjg standards, guilt, and punishment. Those form the East tend to understand sin in terms of honor, shame, lost relationships, and lost value. I do believe that Scripture speaks to both, but the message giver and the message receiver need to see the same perspective.

Generally, except for those inside the people group, those who understand a people group the best are those from a different, but close, people group. Next door neighbors, so to speak.

I sometimes think that God intended each people group to impact its "next door neighbor," setting off a chain reaction of "going next door" and a ever-growing tsunami of disciple making.

The political situation does not seem to allow that today. There are governments who will not allow the necessary freedom for political reasons. There are governments who will not allow the necessary freedom for religious reasons.

I suppose there are people planning, and strategizing, about how to impact the people in those countries. And there is also testimony about God himself, taking initiative, by sending dreams to people in those countries. My focus at the moment is on the "every man" follower of Christ -- though I may broaden the scope of this picture in the future.

What can I do, right now, in my context, to create disciples in every people group?

Obviously, we can give financially. I don't want to give the impression that giving is bad, but I also don't want to give the impression that is the only thing. But there are people positioned (culturally, geographically, and politically) better than we are, but may not be positioned financially as well. As we are all part of the same kingdom, we can certainly support thos on the "front lines."

We can pray. There is an entirely spiritual component to this work, as the enemy seeks to keep millions in darkness. We can pray to bind the enemy, to open eyes, to send dreams and visions, and to open hearts. There are web sites that list unreached/unengaged people groups. We can pick one to engage in prayer. Lastly, Jesus specifically command us to pray for workers in the harvest.

Lastly, we can reach across cultural lines in our current context. In the US, there are cultural lines all over. There are different racial communities. There are ethnic communities. There are the unchurched. There are the immigrants and the internationals. Right now, at a university, not even a mile from my house, are several thousand Chinese, attending class and doing research. And there are students from other countries as well, including Muslim majority countries.

Finally, we must remember that we are not citizens of our country only. We are citizens of God's kingdom. Whenever, we walk out our door, we are crossing cultural borders, to act as an ambassador, and represent our King. In every personal encounter, we can present God in a positive light. We can illustrate his character, act out his values, and his message. And maybe even speak that message.