“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19, NIV)
Spend any amount of time in Sunday School or an Evangelical Church and you know this verse. It’s the fundamental command for Christians, and it begins with the word “Go.”
But it seems like the church has adopted a different strategy today. We call it the attraction model – we want people to come to us.
Jesus didn’t tell us to go and not go himself. I counted over 20 times the gospels tell us something like “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” (Matthew 9:35, NIV)
Of course, there are plenty of examples where the people came to him, too: “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.” (Mark 2:13, NIV)
But even this attraction is predicated on incarnation: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.“ (John 1:14, The Message) In other words – Jesus left heaven to go to the people. He was present among the people and they responded.
That’s why our Good Friday service is so significant this year. Rather than inviting people to come to us, we’re going to them. We will proclaim the greatness of Jesus in the public square – literally. We will sing, we will testify, and the good news will be proclaimed. I want you to join us. Your very “incarnational” presence – being in the neighborhood – is important. And I want you be a part. Don’t just come – sing. Greet lonely people. Hug sad people. Pray with hopeless people. Tell them what Jesus has done for you.
Friday night, go.
. To get an idea of the service, check out www.dentongoodfriday.com
