The last command given by Jesus before He left was the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20. The call to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching.

This command was given to all believers. It is not merely the call to go, but the call to be.

The call to be means that we are called to live out life in a certain way. We are to be about the business of making disciples. This means building relationships with the lost, sharing the gospel, watching them come to Christ, then teaching them to know of Him, His word, and His works.

This call to be is not merely about doing things, but about our character, integrity, and the call to live each day denying self and serving the Creator.

In our culture, living life dedicated to self and being inward focused concerned only with what we can get out of an interaction, is pretty common. We are raised to think this way, act this way, and live this way. But scripture shows us something different. It teaches that instead of focusing on self, we are to deny self (Matt. 16:24). Instead of being inward focused, we are to focus first on others (Phil. 2:3-4). And, instead of seeking what we can get out of a situation, we need to seek what we can give (Matt. 20:20-28).

This is to be lived out individually but also corporately in our faith communities.

What would this look like in your life? What would this look like in your faith community?

Give some thought to that. Try and answer those questions. Living daily by faith that pleases God means that you are willing to know and obey God’s word, regardless of how you feel about it, the circumstances you face, or the cultural pressures around you. This means that we have to live as scripture commands us.

Let me give you some encouragement to go and be. Go out into your community, in fact this literally means, “as you a re going.” So as you are going through your daily life, be who scripture tells you to be. Share Christ, love on others, disciple them, and then teach them to go and do the same.