Jesus told his disciples they were to, “Go.” The Great Commission, as it has come to be known, was an assignment to take the knowledge and experience of the saving grace of God and go to furthest corners of the world to share it. Such a task requires action to complete. There is no room for passivity and apathy, this is a mission of passion and purpose.

Sometimes, it seems as if the nature of this call upon the church is lost behind a myriad of programs and good ideas. If we look carefully, it seems that we are more inspired by the classic Field of Dreams quote, “If you build it, they will come,” than we are by Christ’s call to, “Go into all the world.”

We wait inside our building, our services and events for people to come to us. We make our buildings larger, more accessible and more attractive so that people will notice and come running to join us. Sadly, when they do not come, we tend to blame them or the culture, but we rarely consider that we may be the problem.

King Solomon wrote,

“Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on the top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech.” (Proverbs 1:20-21)

The wisdom of God calls aloud in the public square, on the top of the wall and at the city gate. It is vocal, reaching out to others, and it is certainly not meant to be kept to ourselves. Our experience of God is immensely personal, but it is never private. Our faith is meant to be shared. The Gospel is meant to be proclaimed, not only within the walls of our churches, but in the midst of the daily lives of others.

Jesus’ very ministry reflected his view of the Great Commission. Most of his ministry recorded in the gospels did not take place in the synagogues or the temple. Rather, he was found teaching on the hillside, conversing with people on the streets, near the shore, and even beside community water wells. Jesus made himself available to people wherever he was, and clearly proclaimed, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

There is certainly a place for church buildings, worship services, and special events. We need Sunday School classes, Bible studies, and fellowship. But, the call upon our lives is not to live within the walls, waiting for the world to come and visit. Instead, we are to go into all the world and share the Good News of the love of God and salvation in Jesus Christ.

Today, let’s take up the call of Christ to go; to get out there. Let’s go out to where broken, lost and hurting people are and be the city set on hill that cannot be hidden and the light that is placed in the open so that everyone can see. Instead of waiting for others to find us, let’s go to find them so that we can share the gift of God in Jesus Christ and see the world transformed through him.