The Great Commission- A Sitting-Church or a Going-Church?

 “Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…" Matt 28:19 (TLB).

Friends, the church of Jesus Christ are commanded to go and make disciples in all nations. Our mandate is making disciple for Christ. We are NOT commanded to raise “members” but make disciples. A disciple has a sense of belonging; buys and runs with the vision of the house and follow wherever the Master goes. But not so with a member.

The first step to making disciple is to “go” where the people are and preach the good news of the Kingdom to them. Refusal to “go” is failure of duty and a lip service to the mandate of making disciple for Christ.

Friends, we have a mission to “go”. We are saddled with a mandate to “go”. Go where? To go into the whole world; starting from the immediate environ to the uttermost preaching the good news of Christ Kingdom to the not yet believers in Christ.

It is rather unfortunate that many of the Churches of today have assumed a sitting position. Instead of the church going to the world as commanded, are now waiting for the world to come into the church. So many churches and the ministers in particular have become so complacent and cold towards the matching order of “go…”

The many churches of today seemed to me so satisfied with the few disciples raised; build their empire around these few disciples as long as they feel very secure with their loyalty and interest towards the church and their calling. They never burred again about the remaining straining sheep outside the fold. It seemed also to me that we have left the work of soul winning entirely to the Lord of harvest- the Holy Spirit. As though the work of soul winning has no human figure involved.

The church is suppose to be the apostolic base where men and women are groomed/ trained and launched out into the field to reap in the ripe harvest. The church in addition to its status of been a going-church is also a sending-church. The Apostle, having understood this were constantly reaching out to their world and sending out trained disciples to fulfill this great commission.

“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.  And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away”. Acts 13:1-3 (KJV).

The church then, had no difficulty training and releasing men into their callings and ministry, but only few are doing this today.

We are the going-church and the sending-church. Not a sitting-church.

This is what the small group ministry as laid down by Jesus Himself and by the Apostles wants to achieve. Jesus “go” i.e. went out in search of souls in the likes of Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip… Afterwards trained and commissioned them to function as His disciples. The Apostles in like manner followed this pattern from Christ after He left.

Brethren, if only the church of today could return back to the basis, embrace the principles of small group ministry into the main stream of our church activities; we will see greater result in the body of Christ. Many things are calling for our attention BUT one thing is needful- making of disciples. And this process will start and continue with obedience to the matching order- “go”. And will be best carried out through the small group activities.