“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV). Go! The Greek verb translated “go” is actually not a command but a present participle (going). The only command in the entire Great Commission is “make disciples” (“teach all nations” KJV). Jesus essentially said, “While you are going, make disciples of all the nations.” No matter where we are, we should be sharing the message of Jesus Christ and seeking to win others to Him.
“Go” is a commitment to growth. New Testament growth was phenomenal (Acts 2:47; 5:14; 6:7; 9:31; 11:24; 16:5). If we are going to experience the same phenomenon, there must be absolute commitment to Christ (Luke 9:23; 14:33; Matthew 6:33; 10:37). Are you personally committed to Jesus Christ?
“Go” is a commitment to love, unity and peace. Jesus said that love advertises Christianity (John 13:35), and He prayed for unity so that the world would believe (John 17:20). When love and unity exist, there is peace (1 Peter 3:8-12). Unfortunately, much of the strife in the church is not over Bible truths. Strife is usually the result of gossip, personality clashes, selfishness, etc. We must learn to accept the reality of our differences and weaknesses (Romans 15:5-7).
“Go” is a commitment to evangelism. Statisticians tell us that there are more people born in two hours than the church converts in an entire year. Are we bothered by lost souls anymore? There are only two reasons for not evangelizing: either we are not convinced that the world is lost unless they hear the Gospel, or we are not convinced that we are lost if we do not tell them (Ezekiel 3:17-21). It is God’s will that we care about the lost in this world.
Go! This one word has the power to save the whole world by prompting us to share the Gospel.
