*Photo cred: Rachael Wise
When do you feel like you grow most in your relationship with Jesus Christ?
All of us encounter Yahweh at different times, in different ways, in different places & spaces. Having an encounter with the King of kings & Lord of lords is holy. It’s sacred. It’s a landmark event we always look back to & remember.
It seems to meet that one place people often have these encounters with Yahweh is when they give themselves away. Recently I was reminded of this quote by David Platt from his book, Radical:
“…when God chose to bring salvation to you and me, he did not send gold or silver, cash or check. He sent himself—the Son. How will I ever show the gospel to the world if all I send is my money? Was I really so shallow as to think that my money is the answer to the needs in the world? If we are going to accomplish the global purpose of God, it will not be primarily through giving our money, as important as that is. It will happen primarily through giving ourselves. This is what the gospel represents, and it’s what the gospel requires.”
[Tweet “”…when God chose to bring salvation to you and me… he sent himself—the Son.” -Platt”]Jesus said it this way, “…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.” Matthew 28.19-20
Jesus said, “Go.” He didn’t say to open the doors & invite everyone in to come to you. If all we’ve done is go to church all our lives then maybe we haven’t gone anywhere. Jesus was on the move & to FOLLOW him requires that we be in motion – going where He’s going, moving where He’s moving.
[Tweet “Jesus was on the move & to FOLLOW him requires that we be in motion. #go #carryyourname”]I think this much is true:
When we GO, God GROWS.
1. When we Go, God grows us. Something happens is us when we go. If you’ve never gone, if you’ve never stepped outside of your comfort zone, if you’re never been a part of a short-term mission locally or abroad then you may not know what this is like. But when you do go, when you follow Jesus into the margins God does something inside of you. It’s called growth. Yes, sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes it makes us come face to face with the reality of the world around us & our response, or lack of response, to it. But when that happens growth happens. And this is a work of God, by God, for our good & His glory.
[Tweet “When you follow Jesus into the margins God does something inside of you. #go #carryyourname”]2. When we Go, God grows others. Something happens in those we go to serve. They feel loved. They feel valued. We restore worth to them when we establish relationship with them. The only way to do this is by being present among them. Again, this is precisely what Jesus did for humanity when He came from Heaven to Earth! His presence among us told a story that revealed our worth, our value & the extent to which God would go to restore relationship with the people He created.
[Tweet “When we go those we go to serve feel loved. They feel valued. #go #carryyourname”]3. When we Go, God grows the kingdom. We don’t build the kingdom. God does that. But we get to participate in building the kingdom. We get to play a role, have a part in the greatest story ever told. As followers of Jesus it’s not our job to build God’s kingdom here on earth. But as we do good for others, love our enemies, turn the other cheek, befriend the hurting & so on… we are building for the kingdom. We are doing the small work that contributes to the building of something great. In our story, we’re participating in building for the kingdom of God.
[Tweet “When we #go we get to participate in building the kingdom. #carryyourname”]Give Yourself Away
If you given but never gone then maybe you’ve never given. If you’ve given your money but never given yourself then maybe you’ve never known what it is to give. What it is to see God grow. When you Go, God grows. He grows you, he grows His church, he grows his kingdom. When you go God grows. When you go you plant, you water & God gives the increase.
So go! And watch what God grows!
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