As You Go
(18) And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: (20) teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (ASV) Matthew 28:16-20
This is one of the greatest texts in the Bible and likely one of the most quoted in various teachings. It is this text which is called “The Great Commission.” It is considered as Jesus’ direct command to go and teach the Gospel to the world.
As a result of this Great Commission, some actually go to other places with a plan and a purpose to take the Gospel to that region of the world. Those of us who, for whatever reason, feel that God is being harsh with us wanting us to move away from our home and take up residence in other places, send a check instead as we send someone else in our place. Somehow we seem to ease our minds and relieve ourselves of the responsibility.
I want to give us a little help right here. As translated and taken as face value, this verse seems to be saying “go”, as we have viewed it with the specific nature of going into another area, country or place, taking up residence and teaching the Gospel.
The word “GO” here is from the Greek word “poreuomai” (por-yoo-om-ahee). It is the idea of going on one’s way, to proceed from one place to another, as you go, is always used in the middle voice and most often translated GO.
Now, if this be true, and it is, is Jesus telling us to uproot and go to some other place with the message of the Gospel? Or, is He telling us to take it with us as we proceed from one place to another? Hmmm…
Which would be of the most benefit? A hundred people contributing to one person to go to some place in the world or the community and preach the Gospel or the same one hundred and one taking the Gospel wherever they went? In one case you have one voice and in the other over a hundred.
Since we are a mobile society and those who would be taught would also be a mobile society, would the Gospel go all over the world with this idea?
There is nothing wrong with sending someone somewhere in the world. But, the wrong is thinking we can fulfill our responsibility with a few dollars. You can take the Gospel with you whether you are going into a hospital for care, going on a cruise somewhere in the world, on a golf course or at breakfast with a friend. Jesus made it simple to do and we have made it nearly impossible to get done.
I really suspect He knew what He was doing when He told the disciples to take it “as you go.”
Ponder this. To this we are called.