In case you haven’t heard it recently, here is the passage containing the Great Commission.
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had
told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
Metric #1: ‘Go’ My grade ‘C-’
I went on a mission trip to Germany. That’s not as cool as going to Haiti or someplace desperately poor, but it counts for something. Other than that, I live a pretty insulated life; ‘going’ to work, ‘going’ to church, ‘going’ to venues of entertainment, etc.
Metric #2: ’Disciple’ My grade ‘B’
Maybe I’m going too easy on myself, but I have engaged in a considerable amount of spiritual conversation this year, some of it mutually transformative. Some others would give me a ‘D’ or ‘F’ because I didn’t lead a Bible study, I didn’t preach, I didn’t persuade anyone to read the Bible more , pray more or to give more money to the church, and I didn’t walk anybody through Evangelism Explosion, or ABC, or the Bridge, or whatever soul-winning plan is hip right now.
Nevertheless I say with confidence that I have been heavily engaged in spiritual dialogue, almost none of it within the context of my local church.
Metric #3: ’Teach’ My grade ‘Incomplete’
I don’t do any formal teaching, but if in the course of my interactions, someone reshuffles their worldview even a bit, then I suppose I have taught in a collaborative ‘iron sharpening iron’ sense.
Metric #4: ’Baptize’ My grade ‘F’
I’m not going to pretend that I have initiated anybody into faith in Jesus Christ. Heck, I don’t think I have had a meaningful interaction with a true nonbeliever in years. I intend to do somethng about that - namely broadening my interactions to not be so churchy. Sometimes nonbelievers are far more charitable than the church crowd…I have the bruises to prove it.
Here’s a prayer for what it’s worth:
“Father, I’m sorry that I have for so long outsourced the Great Commission
to the professionals, as if I can pay someone else to do the going, discipling,
teaching, and baptizing. Please help me find a way to bring that ‘F’ up to at
least a ‘C’ in 2009. Give me your wisdom and grace, that I may reflect you.
Thanks for understanding.
Later,
Billy”
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