Go: A 40-Day Journey To The Never ReachedSample

Go with God

By: Chris Carter

For Christians, there are no lone rangers. The women came to the tomb together, were sent to the disciples together. The disciples encountered Jesus together, hearing Jesus’ call together. The church waited for the Holy Spirit and received empowerment together. From its inception, our mission required unity and teamwork.

The communal nature of our Christian calling to go and tell saturates the New Testament. Paul traveled and worked with teams. The church received its marching orders together, and it largely obeyed together.

Teamwork is ideal, but reality falls short. Personality conflicts split teams, and missionaries regularly list other missionaries among their difficulties. Remember Paul and Barnabas’ partnership-ending disagreement over John Mark? Sometimes obedience leaves us alone. Paul was alone in Athens when persecution separated his team. Just before his execution, Paul wrote: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16 NIV). 

Yet, Paul was not alone. In his next breath he wrote:

“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (2 Timothy 4:17 NIV).

Even if we are alone, we are never lone rangers.

Remember Christ’s words: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV). This sentence begins with the Greek word ἰδοὺ, the imperative form of the verb to look.

Next, Jesus said: “I am with you.” This takes us back to Matthew 1:23: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).” It also reminds us of Jesus’ prophetic words about the church “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20 NIV). Matthew—beginning, middle, and end—concerns the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about Immanuel. Leading to one concluding statement: “I am with you.” This is no solitary mission but one for the whole community; thus, Jesus used the plural you (ὑμῶν). He promised to be with all who respond to his commission. 

Go Together

Read Matthew’s Gospel, tracing evidence of Christ going with his followers. Then evaluate your own life. When have you seen affirmations of God’s presence?

Pray for Never reached People Group: Indonesia’s Bajar 

Ask God to send more workers so that no Bajar man, woman, or child will remain never reached by the gospel.