Dear Family
Does the Christmas tale align with the Great Commission?
Perhaps we can put discipleship and disciple making on hold while we concentrate on Mary, Joseph, the wise men, the angels and the birth of Jesus. Or perhaps not. Is it possible that the Great Commission plays a significant role in the Christmas story?
One of Jesus’ greatest missionary acts was His birth. He visited us. God became tangible. He came down from Heaven to live among us.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 NIV
Incarnation is the theological term for this. Simply put, it means that God became a person like us. That is what happened the day of Jesus’ birth.
The season’s message is one of missionary endeavor! Christ set the example for His disciples to follow when He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” The “Go” part was Him coming to earth.
Doing like He did is one of the best ways for us to enjoy Christmas. We enter the lives of others at this time of year who are seeking and lost. Let the life of Jesus in you flow to those in need. We interact with them, eat with them and start to comprehend (and even go through) their difficulties. We make His presence known there. God appears in us and in their world. This is being carnational. It is the main purpose of Christmas.
Christmas is a go-not-come season.
During this time of year it is more common to focus on inviting people over instead of going to them. We organize gatherings and parties and provide invitations to guests. And frequently they come. Compared to other days of the year, Christmas has the highest attendance in churches. Without a doubt, these things have an effect. But many leave after Christmas and never come back. We extend invitations to our events. That’s all well and good, but discipleship is something else entirely. Could Christmas evolve to focus more on developing disciples than just extending invitations to church?
Make disciples at Christmas, not churchgoers.
The Great Commission cannot be accomplished by just inviting people to a Christmas program at church. It’s decent, but not sufficient. Most individuals choose to follow Jesus as a result of someone sharing life with them and then discipling them.
Even at Christmas, let’s equip our churchgoers to be disciple makers! They must make the transition from attending a program once a week to actively seeking the lost. Help them realize that making disciples is part of being a disciple.
The “Go” of the Great Commission can and must be taught, demonstrated and practiced also around Christmas time.
Include the Great Commission in your Christmas story this year. Encourage everyone to “Go” and enter the lives of those who need Him, following Jesus’ excellent example.
May you have a blessed time with family and friends and may you experience the fruit of a go-life!
Kingfisher thank you for the journey together.
Grace and Truth unto you!
dirk