“Why Evangelism Cannot Be Our Focus” - Alan Hirsch

When I was first introduced to the incredibly important passage in the Gospel of Matthew called “The Great Commission,” it was made very clear to me that this is Jesus’ command for his followers to actively engage in evangelism.

But the passage does not say, “Go evangelize.”

It says something else.

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 28:18-20)

What is the difference between “Go evangelize” and “Go make disciples"?

Alan Hirsch offers his thoughts here (courtesy of The Verge Network).

When we consider this as it relates to The High Calling, we see all the more the importance of our daily work: We are discipling people every day in our work—as we treat a customer with respect, help out a coworker with his or tasks, respect the boss even when others grumble behind his back, seek justice in the way we do our business, make the workplace a more peaceful place to be, offer to go the extra mile to get the work done and done right, etc.

How are you making disciples by the way you do your work?

Image by Horia Varlan. Used with permission. Sourced via Flickr. Post by Bob Robinson, Faith Editor for The High Calling and the Executive Director of The Center to Reintegrate Faith, Life, and Vocations. Follow Reintegrate's tweets at @re_integrate or Bob's personal twitter at @Bob_Robinson_re