Here, There, & Everywhere!

We had an amazing weekend at Cokes Chapel! On Saturday, the FOCUS Youth participated in the Wesley Walk for Others around Stone Mountain to raise money and awareness for One Roof. On Sunday, we had two powerful Commitment Sunday worship celebrations, along with the delicious Boy Scouts BBQ fundraiser, and a festive Trunk-Or-Treat for the families in our church, Childcare Center, and community. And following Trunk-Or-Treat, the FOCUS Youth had a great time visiting with the local firefighters, delivering them dinner and goodies. From sunrise on Saturday to sunset on Sunday, our church was fully engaged in mission and ministry and it was awesome!

In my message this past Sunday, I taught on Jesus’ instructions from Acts 1:8 where he told his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This is where we get our Here, There, and Everywhere missions emphasis. Putting this verse in context, the disciples would have heard that they were to share the Good News of salvation in their hometowns, in the broader region, and across the world – here, there, and everywhere!

There is another message embedded in this passage, though, and that is in Jesus’ mention of Samaria. Samaria was looked down upon – and the Samaritans were literally hated – by those who were of Jewish descent, because they “diluted” the purity of the bloodlines by intermarrying with the Assyrians. So imagine how Jesus’ instructions to go into Samaria and witness to the Samaritans must have struck his followers. And this was not the first time Jesus mentioned a Samaritan…remember the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10.29-37 where the villain was the hero? Jesus tells this story in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

This is important: as Jesus was giving instructing the disciples about being his witnesses, he wasn’t just giving geographical parameters, but relational ones! Jesus wasn’t just saying to be his witnesses here, there, and everywhere, but also with the people in those locations. So to take those words and give them a relational framework, Jesus was saying to witness to people we know and love, people we do not like or care for, and people we likely will never meet. Changes things, doesn’t it?

We are called to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love self. And who is my neighbor? Everyone. Thinking back to the parable of the Good Samaritan, one’s neighbor isn’t defined by a geographical location, but by the fact that we are All GOD’s Children! And 1 John 5.1-3 teaches us that we prove our love for God by how we love God’s children.

Jesus wants us to be committed to the task of the Great Commission – to go into the world to make disciples – with the Great Commandment – to love one another. So as we think about heeding the call of Jesus, we have to take account of our commitment level. Are you willing to tell others about who Jesus is and what he has done for you? Are you willing to get involved with others by entering into the difficulties of life? Are you willing to add value to the world by being a contributor and not just a consumer? Are you willing to share the love of Jesus with people you know and don’t know, like and don’t like? Your answers to these questions – which were the themes of the four messages in this October worship series – will reveal a lot.

At Cokes Chapel, we are called to be a place for all GOD’s children, making disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere! That is our vision and mission. Commit it to memory. Integrate it into your language. Think of ways to share what God has done in your life with others and commit to share it. This will change your life. This will change our church. This will change the world.

Are you ready? Let’s get started. There’s work to be done Here, There, and Everywhere!