Obedience Is Not About Location
If you have been a follower of Jesus for very long, you have probably heard a sermon about how we as disciples are called to make disciples. Jesus gave his followers that very message. The usual passage of scripture for such a message is found in Matthew 28:18-20. Verse 19 reads:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”
Some get the idea that in order to be a good Christian I must have to “go” somewhere other than where I currently live if I want to be obedient. After all, how are we going to reach all the nations if we don’t? A better understanding of that text suggests that we are to make disciples “as you go,” and that includes staying put in the towns and cities where we live and doing more sharing of the good news with those around us.
All the way back in Genesis we see how God promised to bless all the nations of the earth through Abraham. We see that very early in the narrative of scripture God was focused not simply on one nation or people group but on all of the people across the world and over all the spans of time until Jesus returns to complete the great restoration plan.
As you continue reading in Genesis, you see God continue to make the same promise to Issac. In the first 5 verses of chapter 26, God tells Issac to stay where he is so that he can fulfill the promise he made to Abraham.
“Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
God’s blessing is not based on our location but rather on our obedience. Our obedience in sharing the good news and caring for those in need with those nearby is always multiplied in ways that we will likely not see until we transition to our eternal dwelling.
What if our obedience is staying where we are and simply loving those around us enough that they meet the Jesus who we follow? I suspect that once again God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven.
Father, today we ask that you open our hearts and minds to be obedient right where we are located today. May our going next door or down the street result in the light of Christ being seen in us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Matthew 28:19-20; Genesis 26:1-5 ESV
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