CAUSE CIRCLE

These verses were all spoken by Jesus during His time on Earth, and the Matthew 28 passage was said after He’d been resurrected and was getting ready to ascend back to Heaven. Imagine if you were leading a group of people for several years, and you knew it was the last time you’d ever see them. You’d probably make sure those last few words described the most important hopes and dreams you had for the people you were leaving. Jesus used His parting words to tell His disciples that their (and our!) top priority— our main cause—should be to go and make more disciples. This concept is a strong common thread in all of the above verses and throughout much of Jesus’s teaching. Jesus is sending us to help others know about Him, but what does that look like in our modern world? In real life, it can feel pretty scary to think about telling people about Jesus, and yet we see that this is the most important thing God has asked us to do. It’s no accident that He gave you the relationships you have in your school, your teams or clubs, and your neighborhood. But it’s tough to know how to lovingly introduce your friends and family members to Jesus if they don’t know Him. What are some fears or barriers you have in thinking about doing that? Are you scared of how they will respond?

Take three minutes (set a timer on your phone) to ask the Lord to help you answer these questions and give you courage and insights into your fears, hesitations, and barriers.