Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was. His response was this: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22)
At the end of his time on earth when Jesus was telling his followers what their job was after he had returned to heaven, he told them: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt(Ma(Matt (Matthew 28)
These two statements have often been referred to as the "Great Commandment" and the "Great Commission" and they form the blueprint of what every church is and should be doing.
First, we are to Love God with all our heart soul and mind. This means we have to KNOW God. This only happens when we spend with him in prayer and reading his word. We are to learn from him, know him and who he is, and let him adjust our lives accordingly. This includes both our personal time with God as well as involvement together in training provided by spiritual leadership. We need to be taught by others, regularly listen to God and be in community together. So we must encourag and hold each other accountable to the regular study and application of God’s word to our lives.
Second, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. This means we must CONNECT with each other. The church is not a set of buildings but a community of people who know and serve God together. We are children of God who interact with each other and care for each other as family. We disciple, butrue and hold each other accountable to this life together. This can happen through large groups meetings, small groups meetings, one-on-one relationships and so on. In every case, Christ calls us to be vulnerable to each other, ready to put their needs before our own.
Third, we are to make disciples. This is making an IMPACT on the world around us. We cannot become consumers of God and the church, looking to have our own needs met and moving on when we feel they are not. God called us to serve and to proclaim his name while doing so. Jesus came to restore people to a right relationship with God. In the same way, all believers and churches are missionaries, sent into our culture, to restore people to God through Jesus. This means intentionally building relationships with people who don't know Jesus. It means re-shaping our priorities to connect with those people who don't yet know Christ. It means involving ourselves in their lives and them in ours.
Jesus did make these either/or commands. We do not get to pick and choose what we do. We cannot love God without making disciples. We cannot honestly love each other without knowing and loving God. We cannot make disciples if we decide to live completely apart from Christ's community. The forms may differ from culture to culture, place to place and even church to church. The way these things are done may not be the same. That's OK. But we cannot escape the command and commission of Jesus.
Love and know me. Love and connect with each other. Make disciples by getting in the world.
