Go!

It is possible to be told “Go!” with the speaker’s desire to send us away because they simply want us out of there. “Go!” “Get away!” “Get out of here!” Each of these could convey the desire to have us to leave and get away from them. They may not care where we go or what we do, they just want us gone!

Other times we might be told “Go!” because we are being sent to do something; being sent to fulfill a specific task. Perhaps the “Go!” in that context is easier to accept.

If someone tells us “Go!” -- meaning “Get out of here!” -- AS WE GO we might wonder what we did to make them so mad that they didn’t want us around. To be treated in such a way could cause all kinds of things to go through our mind causing us to not feel good about the situation. However, when told “Go!” with a specific task in mind, AS WE GO our mind may begin pouring over ways in which we can fulfill the purpose of our going and our eyes may be watchful for the opportunities that arise to do so.

Jesus told His disciples to …
“(19) 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, (20 ) TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ( Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

When Jesus told His disciples to “Go!” it was not for the purpose of getting rid of them. In the text above He told them He would be with them “always, to the end of the age.” (vs.20) Jesus told them “Go!” because He was sending them on a mission. The Greek word “poreuomai” translated “go” (according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) means to go on one’s way or proceed from one place to another. Strong’s Lexicon notes its meaning being “to pursue the journey on which one has entered” or “to continue on one’s journey.” The tense in which the word is used in this passage seems to convey the sense of “AS YOU GO.”

AS WE GO! While going through the journey of life there is to be for us a continuing mission of observing all that the Lord had commanded the disciples to do. That would include making disciples by teaching them of Jesus, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe what Jesus had commanded, and the cycle continues as it began with the Lord’s disciples. AS WE GO may we keep our eyes open and minds prepared for the opportunities along the way.

Have a great day GOING WITH THE LORD’S PURPOSES IN MIND!
Carl

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