How to Live Into the “Wherever We Go” Mission, Everywhere We Go

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Buy-in. There’s very little we will live into if we don’t first buy into the notion, hold it is as true and good and worthwhile. So when Jesus called us to make disciples “wherever we go” (Matthew 28:19 TPT), He knew we would need buy-in. We would have to see how it’s a get to, not a have to—how the adventure it beckons us to is worth the risk, worth the heartache, worth the times we are rejected, worth the courage we choose while also feeling small and afraid. And He knew we would need Him to show us how to live it.

Identity shapes action

There is something interesting about buy-in. Whether it’s our full-embrace of the vision of an organization, our all-in channeling of our focus in a sport, or the see-it-through-to-the-end attitude that rises within us, we buy into the things that align with how we see ourselves.

Perhaps you are familiar with James Clear, author of New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. As a big-time advocate of baby steps, I find his book intriguing, practical, relevant, and empowering. Here is what he has to say about the importance of who we believe we are:

Your behaviors are usually a reflection of your identity. What you do is an indication of the type of person you believe that you are—either consciously or nonconsciously.

James Clear

Scripture weighs in on this too. According to Proverbs 23:7a, “For as [we think] within [ourselves], so [are we]” (TPT). What we live into is spurred by who we believe we are. Not surprising, then, is that in order to buy into the life of a disciple-making-disciple we must first believe that it is who we are.

Am I one who “[makes] disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, [teaching] them to faithfully follow all that [God has] commanded [me]” (Matthew 28:19-20 TPT)?

Am I one who “[believes] in [Jesus] so that rivers of living water will burst out from within [me], flowing from [my] innermost being” (John 7:38 TPT)?

Am I one of Jesus’ “most intimate and cherished friends” (John 15:15 TPT)?

Am I one who lives “in union with [Christ] as [my] source [so that] fruitfulness will stream from within [me]” (John 15:5 TPT)?

Then I must first believe it, then follow Him as He leads me into it.

Because until I believe Jesus’ words about my identity and mission, discipleship will simply be something I try to do. I may try to turn the activities of discipleship into a way of life, but ultimately, I will fail until I flip the script.

Have we gotten it backwards?

Do you ever feel the disconnect of just “going through the motions” of something? In our head we know this is what we should do, even should be fulfilled in doing, but our heart is not in it. Doing the thing when there is little buy-in value is like trying to convince ourselves we are partial to ill-fitting clothing or being a slave to check-marked lists is soul-satisfying. We create an endless cycle of having to do more to impress, earn value, gain approval.

I’ve walked the ups and down of this story, and I can tell you it leads to burnout. Eventually you stop caring because at no point can you rest assured that you have given your best. When we constantly compare ourselves to others or this ideal we’ve created of all we should say yes to and do well, we spin our wheels but make no headway.

Perhaps it’s time to stop—the trying-with-all-our-effort, the obligated yeses, the unsustainable pace we’ve set.

I read in scripture how the disciples bought into the mission so fully that they lived into it until the very end. And I read too, how Jesus emphasized over and over again who they were. He taught them to root themselves deep into Him—that that’s always the answer because He is always the Answer.

This morning, I paused to savor a few verses nestled in Ephesians chapter 5:

 . . . but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light! And the supernatural fruits of his light will be seen in you—goodness, righteousness, and truth.Then you will learn to choose what is beautiful to our Lord.

verses 8b-10

It’s not up to you to create the light the shines through you. Your mission is to believe you are His child and be a conduit of His light. We are the adopted, not the adoptive Father—the vessel, not the source.

As 2 Corinthians 4:7 explains so beautifully, “We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours” (TPT).

It’s not about us, and that takes all the pressure off.

Living into the “wherever we go” mission, everywhere we go

When we flip the script and approach mission as who we are versus what we do, it naturally overflows everywhere we go. There is no starting and stopping, but a constant leaning in and letting Him.

It’s a story of the loved learning to love, as we read in 1 John 4:7 TPT:

Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him.

It’s also a story of us living into who we know we are in Christ, always and everywhere:

“Delightfully loved ones, if he loved us with such tremendous love, then “loving one another” should be our way of life!” (1 John 4:11 TPT)

When we believe we are abundantly loved by God, we buy into His disciple-making mission. Only then, rooted in Him and following His lead, can we live into the “wherever we go” disciple-making mission, everywhere we go.

A prayer for the disciple-making-disciple

I’ve tried too long to live like You on my own, Jesus. I’ve felt intimated by the Great Commission, felt it was up to me and I was always failing. Thank you for being patient with me and leading me gently. Thank you that it is Your love that invites me to this way of living. Help me to love others the way You love me. Teach me to believe that I am Yours and that Your mission to make disciples all throughout the earth is now my mission too. In Your precious and holy name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Change your actual life in less than 5 minutes per day!

You can change your actual life in less than 5 minutes a day because baby steps truly can change the trajectory of your life. If you want 2021 to be the year you actually start living on mission in your neighborhood, this little book (available as a paperback and on Kindle) will help you get there. Each of the 30-day devotions takes but a few minutes to read, but they will lead to lasting life change.

If you’d like to check out Part 1 of the devotional FREE and also gain access to the rest of the missional living resources I’ve created for you in the new For You library, let me know here where to send the unlock code!