The statement above represents the last words that Jesus spoke to his disciples before he physically left them. For the past three years they had heard him teach, but more than that, they had lived life together... blood, sweat, and tears. They were the first people since Adam and Eve to exist in true physical community with Christ at the center of their lives individually and corporately. And now, in a moment, life as they have known it would end. This was the last time they'd hear the passionate voice of their Messiah. This was the last time they would see his face weathered and look into his eyes that were like windows into the essence of life and love. This was the last time they would feel the warmth of his embrace and smell the outdoors in his homespun cloak. The past three years had been like a musical score, building to this. This moment on this mountian. The crescendo.
What would their Messiah say to them in this unforgettable moment? What final words could he gift them with? What would transition them into the next chapter of this incredible journey?
GO.
Why "Go"?
Simply put, because we want to stay. Throughout history mankind has had a desire to stay right were they are... where it's comfortable. With people who look like them, think like them, and talk like them. We see this early in our history with the men of Babel in Genesis 11. God told mankind to go an fill the earth, but they chose to stay and build a monument to their own greatness. 4000 years later, we see the same thing. Some of us tend to call our towers churches.
Why "Go"?
Because to stay is to live life on our own terms, finding fulfillment in what we've built or acquired... stuff, relationships, anything that isn't the real thing. Just like the Jews in Number 21:8-9 and 2 Kings 18:4 we take the blessings in our lives which are simply the products of God's grace and mercy to his children, and we turn them into our own personal idols. We begin to receive meaning and self-worth from what we have and who we have... instead of who has us.
Why "Go"?
Because not only was that Christ's mandate, it was the pattern of his life. Jesus Christ is our missional example. His life is what we aspire to, but not only that, his missional life is available to us today. Christ is still on the move, just as he was 2000 years ago. If Christ is our life, we must also go.Why "Go"?
"Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." - Colossians 3:2-3 ESV
Next: "MAKE DISCIPLES".
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