Be Brave: Week 6 - Monday

Therefore, 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

"There are two things you need to remember," my older brother, Adam, told me and my sister. He looked us straight in the eye and said, "music is always better loud and you are called to make a difference." Why was my brother telling me these things? My mom, dad, sister, and I were about to move to South Georgia, five hours away from where my brother lived in Atlanta. My sister and I were in the car with him, about to say goodbye, when he gave us these two pieces of advice. He was giving us this information that he wanted us to remember when we no longer lived in the same house, or city, as him. What if you were about to leave the people you love? What would you say to them? When Jesus was moments away from leaving earth and returning to Heaven, He faced this question. What would His last words on earth be to His disciples? Matthew 28 gives us the answer to this question, recording Jesus' last moments with His disciples.

"Go and make disciples of all the nations," Jesus said to His disciples (Matthew 28:19). That is a pretty clear command. What were they called to do? Jesus commanded them to "go and make disciples." Where were they called to make disciples? Jesus called them to make disciples "of all the nations." In other words, this was a command to tell others about the good things Jesus had done and how He conquered sin and death through His own life, death, and resurrection. Did you notice the word "all" in verse 19? This verse says "all nations." That includes every person. With His last words, Jesus made it known that He wanted His disciples to be intentional about going to new places to sharing His message, and He wanted them to share that message with everyone they encountered.

The amazing thing that happened after Jesus went back to heaven, is that His disciples did exactly what He told them to do. They went to new places and shared their faith with as many people as they could. You and I are proof! Because of their faithfulness, we are still reading about Jesus today and learning about Him and His message. Now, it is your turn and my turn to carry the torch. If we are followers of Christ, we get to carry His message until our very last breath. How are you sharing His message today?

Laura Courtney
Sagebrush Staff Writer

Moving Toward Action

When is the last time you considered just how important sharing the good news of Jesus with the world around you is to God? Do you take sharing your faith in Him just as seriously as He does? When is the last time you shared your story of what God has done in your life with someone else? Maybe you still have yet to make time to even think about your story. If not, take a few minutes to think about and write out your story right now. Once you have written your story down on paper, take a few moments to review it. As you review your story, you will be better prepared to share it with someone when the opportunity arises.

Going Deeper

Read Matthew 28:16-20 (NLT)