Making Disciples, Being Available

 

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV).

 

This last installment of Morning Devotionals around the them of making disciples requires a confession. Before that, let me give you a bit of context to the attached picture. Mary and I were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, having finished a delightful lunch at the Apple Barn Restaurant and decided to sit down on the bench among the fall decorations just off the porch. The weather was pleasant and it was not very crowded. As we were sitting for a bit a lady, whom we did not know, walked up to us and began to talk to us. She stayed for a bit after asking some questions about where we were from, whether we had been to the Smokies before, how was the food, and other benign conversation starters. Well, here’s the confession, I’m not that interested in having conversations with strangers. However, it happens all the time. My family has often teased me asking if I was wearing my sign? The “sign” is the imaginary one that reads “please talk to me.” I promise I don’t ever do anything to encourage people to randomly start talking to me, but they do. After a bit, the stranger complimented us on how we looked like such a “nice old couple,” and then offered to take a picture of us together with our camera.

 

I was thankful for the photo. We don’t often get to take those photos since we typically travel alone. However, talking to strangers is a bit more than I want to do to get one. That is the opposite of what God desires from us as we take on the act of making disciples. Jesus often stopped to talk with and care for people who had needs or questions—people who were poor, ill, or doubtful. This took a lot of time and energy. Jesus understood self-care and made time for prayer and quiet away from everyone, but he also made himself radically available to whomever he met. That should be our focus as well.

 

Even as he prepared to ascend to heaven, Jesus promised to be with his followers. When Jesus gave his parting instructions, he did not abandon his disciples to the task, but rather said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus has given us his Spirit to walk with us through whatever challenges we face. The Spirit is always here, God with us. Of course, we can’t match the 24/7 availability of the Holy Spirit, but we can choose to give people high priority. Jesus made time for people and reminds us that whatever we do for others, we do for him (cf. Matthew 25:40). In the Spirit of Christ, we should make ourselves available to help others along the way. This is how we can serve, guide, redirect, encourage, confront, teach, share, testify, question, understand, listen, advise, and teach others as Jesus did. Be available. It will amaze you how often people will read “your sign” and give you the opportunity to share with them.