I remember the cool feel of the wooden pew in the church of my childhood, that little hop I needed to get my seat onto it, the shimmied push to the back until finally ruffles surrounded me in a half circle. I still can see the way my feet stuck straight out in front of me with white patent leather shoes and more ruffles that circled my socks.
I remember missionary slides on a Sunday evening. They held me spell bound. I saw pictures of people dressed in unique robes, long curled sheathed fingernails, and eyes so different than my own.
And in the background of the projected film, I saw idols. The Sunday School story kind. Big, ornate, and commanding. After that day, Bible stories, like Aaron and the golden calf or Elijah vs. Baal, had new context, a different backdrop and emotion.
So strange. So unfamiliar. So scary.
My mom gently pulled me from where I’d taken refuge under the pew in front of me, and placed me on her lap for the remainder of the presentation. I’m not sure when I opened my eyes again.
I’ve been reminded of it because our congregation has been going through Exodus on Sunday mornings. We read about Egypt’s gods and Israel’s exodus from Egypt. We challenged one another to consider our own idols, those things we place in positions of higher importance or value than God Himself.
And it’s been good for us. We can relate to those, while those other kinds… I mean, what do they even have to do with us, right?
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He met on a mountain with His disciples and gave a command that propelled the gathered group to change the world.
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV)
Unfortunately it’s not difficult to point to many things in my life that occupy too much importance, embrace too much of my passion, and could be deemed as idols in my heart.
But is “Go” to all nations, outdated?
The disciples crossed borders, languages, ethnicities, religions, political and social empires for one purpose. The gospel of Jesus Christ was unknown. They were commissioned to carry the good news to all.
Its message turned the first century Christians from worshipping carved images to the worship of One Invisible God. It produced radical transformation. For many, it cost their lives. And even today, some who “Go” will lay down their lives of flesh and blood, for the sake of eternity. Throughout history, the words Jesus spoke on that mountain in Galilee, has lain a foundation for missionary work around the globe.
In our comfortable world, let’s not forget the other gods. For they, like as in Bible times, are real and worshiped.
I’ve seen many kinds of tangible gods in countries I’ve visited. Rough, smooth, chiseled, poured, and painted. I’ve watched homage paid to them with food, candles, and incense. I’ve seen great processions filled with shrieking pleas, flagellation, and loud cries.
I’ve seen shrines where incense, food, and flies gather, and watched anguished souls beg for miracles at sacred sites. I’ve walked through great monuments, carved and layered in gold. I’ve seen pieces of human flesh preserved in jars kissed, caressed, revered and adored.
My heart has broken for the extraordinary efforts people go through to purge their souls and gain what cannot be earned.
Perhaps we are blissfully unaware, naive, or uninformed, but it seems to me we need to open our eyes not just to what is around us but what is not, to the millions who do not have the message available in their backyards.
How did Jesus see the world when He instructed a group of men to “Go and make disciples?”
Is “Go to into all the world” outdated? Share on XThey obeyed, and it turned the world upside down. (Acts 17:6)
May we see through His eyes that going into the world applies to us today. It is not outdated.
God still calls us to gaze farther, see beyond, to serve Him where His name is unknown. “Go,” pushes us across waters, over mountains, into cities and jungles, wherever there is no gospel witness.
May the gods of a worshiping world bother our souls and anguish our hearts so that we cannot shut our eyes and stay under our pews.
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