Go.

It is a short, simple word, but it opens major doors. It has such immense power in only two letters. It begins something each and every time it is utilized. It is the word “GO”. We have many phrases that contain this short word: “on your mark…get set…GO!”, “GO away”, “Stop and GO”, “On the GO”, “I have to GO” (which is one of the few phrases I remember from high school Spanish… ”Tengo que irme”), “GO for it”, and many others we can list.

In the life of a follower of Jesus Christ, it becomes the central word of our mission. We find it first long before Jesus was ever born.

Yes, I know you were expecting me to hit you with the Great Commission right there. Don’t worry, we will get to “GO, ye, therefore…” in just a little bit. But, we have to explore what the word “GO” means in the context of walking with God just a little so that we can all understand and appreciate more of what Jesus has called us to do.

Within our framework of faith, “GO” is not just a simple command, rather it is a word pregnant with the covenant of salvation. For example, in Genesis 7, God tells Noah to “GO into the ark”. Had Noah decided not to enter the ark, he would have been wiped out like everyone else. But, God had assured Him in chapter 6 that He was making a covenant with Noah. Then, God issues a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12. Verse 1 says this: “The Lord then said to Abram: ‘GO out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” Abram didn’t even know exactly where he was to GO, but God offered the covenant to make him a great nation. Just a little spoiler, that nation was not only Israel, but the community of faith bound by the blood of the Messiah.

Before Jesus ever commanded His disciples to GO, God had already bound the word GO in His covenant with man. Even Moses was told to GO to Pharoah and give testimony to God; later commanding the people of Israel to teach the promise of God as they GO (Deut 6:4-8). So, when we get to the Great Commission and we see Jesus telling us to GO into the world to make disciples, we can readily identify ourselves with the greater covenant of faith that God has made with man.

You and I need to see this. We hear the Great Commission and we may even understand that missions is part of the Southern Baptist identity. But, the big picture is often lost. We are prone to short side it to only Matthew 28 or the book of Acts. Those are incredible passages of Scripture, but they are built on the context of God’s great work in redemption. The import of the Great Commission and the expansion of the church in Acts is lost if we do not see that God is a God Who regularly calls His people to something bigger, something different, something that is truly redeeming. We can see the words of Christ and we can see the power of the Holy Spirit in the church and still miss the “Why?”

At FBC Fairburn, we are committed to GO. We are committed to stepping into new partnerships in Fairburn, in Atlanta, in the US, and across the world for the purpose of reaching people with the Gospel. Yes, we know that Jesus commanded us to GO. But that is NOT what it is about, primarily. We understand that evangelism drives our worship, which drives our spiritual growth, which drives our mission and outreach (Sow. Know. Grow. Go.) But that is NOT what is about, primarily.

We are committed to GO because God made a covenant of salvation with man. We are committed to GO because we have identified ourselves with this covenant. We are committed to GO because there is a salvation experience that others need. We are committed to GO because we are part of the most dynamic movement that the world has ever known. We are committed to GO because one day, God told His Son to GO to lay down His life. We are committed to GO because we stand in the service and awe of our King. We are committed to GO because we have His Promise…for eternity!

As we draw closer to Christmas, we have opportunity to give to the Lottie Moon offering. This is a special offering that enables Southern Baptist Missionaries to GO as we send them. Please pray over how you may give for them to GO.

Also, giving to the local church in your 10% tithe and above and beyond offerings provides that we may GO into Fairburn and South Fulton. It is a statement of faith when you give knowing that God will use it and multiply.

As we GO, come along. Stand with us. Proclaim Jesus!