I love Arizona! It's become a second home to me since I've sent so much time here throughout high school. Now normally my family and I are pretty healthy. We are very highly conscious of what we eat, how we exercise, and just generally how to keep ourselves as naturally healthy as possible. I even work at a health-food store/cafe in Michigan! However, my weakness comes in two forms that I indulge in every once in a while: DQ blizzards, and In-N-Out Burger. Luckily, In-N-Out is exclusively located out west, so I'm only tempted by the blizzards for most of the year. But when we get to Arizona, I hear my order of "animal fries no American cheese" calling my name! I definitely make sure to stop by at least once while we're in AZ. This past time, my sister and I noticed something that maybe you already knew: In-N-Out is helping play a small role in the Great Commission! (Read to the bottom to see how:))
These past few weeks, I've joined a mini small group with a missionary agency to learn more about mission work. In our meetings led by a wonderful missionary couple, we've been discussing the Great Commission in depth. To be completely honest guys, it's been really heavy on my heart lately!
The Great Commission is the term commonly used to refer to the final instruction that Jesus left his disciples before ascending into heaven. It is the life purpose of Christians.
As we've been diving into the topic of disciple making, I've learned so much. The more I think about this great purpose for every Christian's life, the more I'm realizing the IMPORTANCE of the Great Commission. It's hard to know what to do though, so I've spent much time in thought and prayer. Just two Sundays ago, our Pastor randomly took a break from his sermon series to discuss the Great Commission, as it had been so heavy on his heart. (That was a major Godwink.) He challenged our church body to stretch way out of our comfort zones and start taking up our life purpose! "Coincidentally," the church youth group reached a chapter in the study book that same Sunday that talked about...... you guessed it! : the Great Commission and God's will for our lives.
All this to say, this topic is one that we should start taking more seriously. We need to. The world needs us to. It's the biggest priority! We have been given the gift of knowing Christ, but it isn't one to be taken for granted.
"To whom much is given, much will be required." Luke 12:48
We live in America. We can talk freely about Christ. Pretty much everyone here knows who He is. We all do, even if we aren't born-again. We have been given so much! It's time we start living our purpose of disciple-making. Take the time to seriously sit, pray, and ponder on this. Jesus is directly telling you what to do: (Go make disciples of all nations) will you do it?
How do we live a life of Great Commission service? We follow the steps God lays ahead of us, little by little, one by one. An overarching summary of the steps is this:
1) See the need.
2) See the call.
3) Act with trust and obedience.
4) Seek after God.
Today we can start!
Seriously set these two goals today:
What can I do to evangelize this week? (Who can I share the Gospel with this week?)
What can I do with my life long-term to live a life completely centered on the Great Commission?
We shared this idea of weekly evangelism with my Nana. As she got warmed up to it, she had a unique opportunity that she only saw now that she was seeing the world through eyes of the Great Commission. It that enabled her to influence a whole piece of her community towards Christ. When we let God work, He NEVER disappoints! There are literally endless examples.
Start warming up your mind to the idea of not just living a life of knowing God, but one of making Him known in the Great Commission. The world is dying to hear what God did for them; they need YOU to tell them today! You can make a huge difference. You can show somebody Christ that might never have come to Him if not for your witnessing. That's ETERNITY CHANGING. How awesome is that!? It's also a huge responsibility that God gave to us. There is a space and future in God's plan for the Great Commission that only you can fill. Are you ready to start trying?
We'll be covering this topic more in the future as we all dive into the Great Commission. We'll go through the steps listed above and talk about the real obstacles and joys! Let me know in the comments or through a DM if there are specific questions, comments, praises, or prayers that you have! I pray you will let God direct your life and inspire your actions and future.
As you're starting to think about the Great Commission and how it applies in your life, be inspired and entertained by these great pics of In-N-Out playing a small role in the Great Commission! :)
Thanks for reading! I hope you seriously consider this task before us.
-Grace
🥰🥰🥰 from your Nana,
I loved spending time with you in AZ and sliding out of my comfort zone for the greater good ✝️
AND ofc I loved being mentioned in your amazing blog post, keep up the good works.
Not only by words but by actions as well ❤️
This is a great post and wake up call, Grace!
I think there’s an urgency right now to evangelize and preach the gospel to the lost like never before. Our pastor just did a sermon about how the fields are white for harvest and we need to be going out and sharing the gospel. Another pastor I know of has said that God told him to train people to evangelize like never before. Recently I started memorizing Bible verses specifically to equip myself for evangelizing and was immediately under spiritual attack. I 100% believe it‘s time for Christians to rise up and obey the Great Commission! 😄
-Chloe
This is such a great wake up call to share the Good News! I have felt burdened lately with my lack of evangelism. Thank you so much for this reminder to open our eyes towards the opportunities that the Lord gives us that we may over look every day. I will look at my week in a different way now 🥰
Grace, i love when you do the videos, i think you should consider doing a youtube of just reading scripture, its so challenging! thanks for always taking time to put godly encouragement in our email boxes! -Selah