#obedience #waterwalkinggirls
“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 NLT
This week as I have studied about Christian obedience and looked for uses of the word obey in the Bible I was drawn to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 NLT “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always even to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission never loses the power of its conviction for me. Every time I read it my heart is pierced by the weight of our duty as a Christian. We have a responsibility to do more than just go to church every Sunday and be fed by the message and music. In education one of the buzz word topics of late is that you are to “unpack” standards. Unpacking a standard entails breaking it apart to pull out the verbs/action, analyze what it really means, and then find ways to teach and access the standard. So let’s take a moment to “unpack” the Great Commission.
First of all the main verbs used are go and make. Those are the action words that tell us we are to not just stay put in our seats at church or our comfy chairs at home. We are to be a people of action. And when we go we are to make. What are we making? Disciples.
The next part is to determine how we are making disciples? As a less mature Christian I used to say that I didn’t feel comfortable talking about my faith to others so I would use my actions as my witness. That is a first step. As I have become more mature in my faith I have become braver in sharing Christ with others. I don’t remember the exact point that I felt led to share a Bible scripture on my Facebook page but I remember vividly how my heart raced as I typed out the scripture and pushed the button to post. Anyone who knew me well knew I was active in church but I had never been brave enough to post it on Facebook. Often we allow social media to be a fake façade instead of an instrument for making a difference. As you know my courage grew and Julie and I ventured into sharing our faith through a blog and now through our Water Walkers Facebook page. Each step of this journey has taken a little more boldness.
This is part of my story of attempting to “go and make” disciples. What is your story? Are you intentionally looking for and acting on ways to make disciples? Does the way you live every day represent Christ to others? Are you a person that others come to and ask you to pray for them or for a situation? Do you participate in a ministry at your church that affects others or teaches others about Jesus Christ? Do you use social media as a platform to share The Good News?
I opened with the following scripture: “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 NLT
As Christians we are commanded to “go and make disciples” and this command should not be burdensome but it should be convicting. As an act of obedience to God, every day we should wake up ready to be intentional in ways to fulfill our commission. Rick Warren asks the question, “How many people will be in heaven because of you?” Today prayerfully examine your obedience to the Great Commission. Are you doing something today that will show Christ to someone else through your words or actions? Are you “going” and “making disciples” in His name?