This passage is known as the Great Commission. Many present-day churches have latched onto the word “GO” in particular. Believing that GO is the answer to all the church's ills. From what I have observed, the intended movement has fallen flat. In my opinion, it’s because we have given so little direction or led people at all through this. We just expect people to know the how, when, where, and why of GO. I dare say that the church has been guilty of this in many areas in the 21st century. I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I have learned something that may help. So let me direct you to the Old Testament equivalent to the Great Commission.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “GO from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. -Genesis 12:1
These are the very first words God ever speaks to Abram. Again we see that word GO. However, this is a classic example of "lost in translation." In the original Hebrew, it’s Lech Lecha. (לֶךְ לְךָ) It can mean Go for yourself. But it can also be heard as Go to yourself. Ancient Hebrew scholars recognize both as valid simultaneously. God is not only sending Abram outward, away from everything he knows. He is also being led inward, toward the person he was destined to become.
We can be really hesitant concerning church work. Fearing that messing up God's call would be unforgivable. So we don’t do anything until we’re 100% confident, which never comes. All because we don’t understand that the journey is part of the growth process. Abraham himself made his fair share of mistakes. Making many false assumptions about how his promises would likely be fulfilled. Yet through those mistakes, he learned about himself and matured into the father of a great nation.
One big yet common mistake I see when it comes to pursuing purpose is making it all about fame, fortune, and validation. These are all about self, not God. They will cause us to compromise and lose ourselves. Not the personal fulfillment that comes from touching the lives of others, as the Great Commission truly calls us to.
So the next time your minister is urging you to GO with no specific direction. Remember, Lech Lecha. Go, for your own good. Go, to find yourself. Abraham didn’t know where his path was leading him either. But it didn’t stop him from following it; discipline and all.
