When Jesus commissioned His followers “Go and make disciples of all nations,” He promised His presence as they encountered travel difficulties, cultural differences, and language barriers. He still does!

When Adoniram Judson obeyed the commission of Jesus to “Go and make disciples of the people of Burma (today’s Myanmar),” the trip took six months, the culture was alien, and the language was unknown. Consider the difficulties of communicating with his supporters - exchanging letters would take a minimum of one year! Judson went to make disciples because Jesus sent him. He survived the trip, learned the language, immersed himself in the culture, and shared God’s good news. Our partnering Chin congregation of Myanmar refugees is grateful to this day for Judson’s faithful witness.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, you have been commissioned “Go and make disciples of all nations,” as well. Certainly, that must happen where you live - if you’re not sharing Jesus here, what makes you think you would share Him somewhere else? What keeps us from fulfilling the Great Commission?

Instead of a year to communicate, email and texting and cell phones are instant. Instead of six months by ship to arrive at your destination, it’s possible to be anywhere on the planet within 24 hours of leaving home. Instead of years of deciphering a language, new technology provides real-time translation (see“Abby Demo” by needhim on YouTube). What more could it take?

Christy Gandy serves Dallas Baptist University by promoting and providing global mission opportunities for DBU students. Facilitating mission involvement requires intentionality. Here’s how to begin “Developing a Global Lifestyle”:
• Apply for your passport
• Subscribe to a missions periodical
• Become an advocate and prayer warrior for an unreached people group
• Memorize verses that relate to God’s global purpose
• Develop relationships with international members of our community
• Fast one day a month for the purpose of focusing on world evangelism
• Connect with a missionary and become a part of his/her support team
• If you are in debt, develop a plan to get out, so you can become more involved in giving to missions

What keeps you from sharing Jesus? What will you do about it?