The Kingdom is not a message that has to transported thousands of miles before it becomes powerful and transformative. It is powerful right here, right now.
Speaking with one of my coaches we came to discuss discipling, and how the ministry Christ spills far beyond the church walls. Conversation brought us round to the commission given in Matthew 28:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations”
Matthew 28:19 NKJV
Apparently (and you’ll have to forgive my ignorance of Greek tenses, so I take this on trust) the active verb in this sentence is “Make”. The making of disciples is where the action is here, not the going.
In fact, the “going” part could well be rendered, “…as you go”.
“As you go… Make disciples.”
As you go about your daily business.
As you go about raising your family, tidying your garden, shopping for groceries, attending your class or picking up your kids from school. As you write, paint, sing or dance, account, manage, cook or clean.
And the Kingdom is not just a sliver of the whole. It is not just a nativity scene or an Easter pageant. The Kingdom encompasses all of who you are and all that you do.
The commission does not demand that you forsake who you are, run to other lands or learn another language. It calls for you to embrace your identity in Christ and bring it big time in your sphere of influence.
The other part of these commissioning verses declares that Jesus Christ has authority in every sphere, in Heaven and on Earth.
He is the Boss!
As CEO of the universe He has something to say and something to bring to every arena of life. And He fashions ambassadors for specific assignments in those arenas.
It’s saddening how many Christians live with an unspoken but ever gnawing guilt that they are not being what they think they should be. It’s a ploy of the devil to shame us for simply being ourselves.
But!
In learning to be 100% yourself, and getting comfortable with what and where He has called you to operate, you can silence the yapping demon who wants to belittle your call or try and convince you that the only effective place for ministry is a pulpit.
Your paintbox is your pulpit.
Your keyboard is your Kingdom building tool.
Your instrument is your transport to the uttermost parts of the earth.
There is no substitute for the straight gospel message. The gospel is the power of God, and God has absolutely chosen the foolishness of preaching as His primary means to bring men to Himself. But the preaching of the gospel is so much more than a 5-point sermon. It is a life lived and expressed fully in service to the King.
Jesus is so much a part of our world He fills each moment, and in living fully for Him we’ll find that conversation flows naturally as others see something supernatural at work within us.
I can’t reach everybody. I won’t be received or understood by all. But I can give my all to become who I am, and minister to my tribe. There’s a language they understand, a way of communicating that resonates with who Jesus has made them to be.
My songs synchronise with the tune that God has placed in their hearts.
When I choose to play all out, accept my limitations and embrace my unique abilities to reach a certain group of people and champion their cause, I discover the breadth, length, depth, and height of God’s call.
In not trying to be something I am not, I am freed to become what I am.
And being who I am is the best and most effective way I can turn up for others, and turn their eyes to Christ.
This message was inspired by a conversation with a new friend of mine, Rob Fischer. https://www.fischerpublishing.net/
