From Content to Conversation
If Jesus wanted us to build an empire, He picked the wrong friends.
Think about it: He’s standing there post-resurrection, handing off the keys to a crew that recently abandoned Him.
No business plan. No brand. Just one wild invitation:
“Go. Make disciples. Baptize them. And teach them to observe everything I’ve commanded.” (Matt. 28:19–20)
But contrary to the weight people have placed on this passage, this isn’t some divine checklist handed down by a boss with KPI anxiety.
This is a friend of sinners saying: “Pass on the relief I gave you…because that’s where you learn to keep living free.”
Because let’s be honest—
God doesn’t need us to get the word out.
He’s spoken through donkeys and threatened to use rocks. (See Numbers 22. And Luke 19 if you're still skeptical.)
This isn’t pressure. It’s permission.
Permission to walk in the freedom we’ve received—and help others see it too.
And if you take a closer look at what Jesus actually said?
It’s way freer than what religion made it out to be.
Let’s Break It Down:
First:
The word “Go” (Greek: poreuthentes) isn’t a command.
It’s a participle: “As you are going.”
This isn’t a drill sergeant shouting “Move out!”
It’s a Friend saying, “Wherever life takes you, be a friend…like Me.”
Second:
The phrase “make disciples” (mathēteuō) doesn’t mean to recruit converts or build a church brand. It just means:
“Help others learn who Jesus already is for them.”
You can’t manufacture faith.
You can’t mass-produce trust.
And you definitely can’t manage grace.
So discipleship isn’t a classroom.
It’s more like introducing a friend to the world’s best taco truck.
You found something worth savoring—and you just had to share it.
Third:
“Baptize them” isn’t about ceremony or control.
It’s what happens when someone wakes up to the God who’s always loved them—just as they are.
It could happen in a bathtub, a beach, a stock tank, or a hotel hot tub.
Whatever’s nearby. Water is water.
And fourth:
Here’s the line religion twisted:
“Teach them to observe all I’ve commanded…”
Most people hear “observe” and think “obey.”
Like Jesus left us with a spiritual rulebook and a new standard to uphold.
But the word tēreō doesn’t mean obey.
It means treasure.
To keep.
To hold close.
Like a letter that makes you cry every time you read it.
Or that song that still wrecks you in the best way.
Jesus isn’t saying, “Teach them to follow the rules.”
He’s saying:
“Help them hold onto what I’ve shown you—because it’s a treasure worth keeping close.”
We naturally share what we truly treasure—it doesn’t take effort, just joy.
So if it’s not being shared, maybe we haven’t seen the treasure clearly yet.
That’s why teaching exists: not to make us perform,
but so others can finally see what’s worth treasuring too—with us.
So What Does It Look Like?
Not leading services.
Not launching communities.
Not pushing outcomes.
Just living in the freedom Jesus gave—and being a friend who helps others find it too. Not as an expert, but as a fellow mess wrecked by grace.
Because that kind of grace?
It has nothing to prove, no image to protect, and no gold stars to chase.
So it makes honesty feel safe.
And that kind of honesty—
it does something to a room.
It opens hearts.
It starts conversations—right where you are.
And over time, it draws in the curious.
Freedom’s hard to ignore when it walks in wearing love.
No clipboard. No five-step plan.
Just stories, meals, walks, questions—
and the occasional baptism in a weird place.
Because the more we share what Jesus revealed,
in everyday conversations about what we’re learning,
in all our limited understandings,
the more it sinks in.
This truth isn’t a task to master,
it’s a treasure we get to enjoy—together.
How Do I Do That?
This world is starving for relief. And you’ve tasted it.
Here’s a simple way to pass it on wherever you are:
Be Present
Show up like it matters—because it does. Faith doesn’t need a program; it needs a friend who isn’t trying to fix you, just walk with you.
Listen
Every story is sacred ground—so take off your shoes. People don’t need your clever answers; they need your undivided attention.
Share
Good news spreads best through honest stories, not bullet points. You don’t need a sermon—you just need to be real about your struggles as you share what you’re learning to be true.
Invite
Don’t push people to believe—just show them the treasure found in Jesus and the beauty of trust. You’re not inviting them to “get serious”—you’re inviting them to let go.
It really is…
That simple.