The Kingdom Movement

A Literary & Pastoral Study Guide to the Gospel of Matthew

The Inspiration of Matthew,

by Caravaggio

On the King's Errand

Devotional Reflections on Matthew's Gospel

The Movement:  Extending the Reign of Jesus, Part One

‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.’ (28:19 - 20)

When Jesus says this, who is he asking to teach others what Jesus taught?  Your pastor?  I believe he is asking you to do it.

After my sophomore year in college, I went home for the summer.  I was living in Los Angeles.  I got a phone call from a young woman who had just finished her freshman year in UCLA.  She was the younger sister of a friend and classmate of mine.  She said, ‘During the school year, I became a Christian.  I’m the only Christian in the family.  My parents are completely against it.  They won’t let me go to church or anything called Christian.  I called you because you’re the only Christian I know.  What should I do?’  I felt very stuck.  I asked, ‘Well, I guess I could meet with you, and I can call a few other people to see if they could, too.  Is there a time that you usually go out of the house?  So that you won’t have to lie to your parents but you don’t have to tell them either?’  She said, ‘I go rollerblading at 8am every Saturday morning in the park outside my house.’  Inwardly, I groaned, ‘Yikes, Saturdays at 8am?  This is my summer!!’  But I said, ‘I’ll make some phone calls.’  I called every Christian I knew from my high school, explaining the situation.  They said, ‘Saturday at 8am?!  That’s crazy!’  But one girl who was still in high school (we had all gone to the same high school) eagerly said yes.  So the three of us met every Saturday at 8am that summer.  We studied Ephesians because that’s what I had studied during the school year in my college fellowship.  We had a great time.  We talked about and prayed about her family, and helped her navigate the tough situation a little bit.  The next summer, I got another phone call.  The same situation.  The three of us met again in the park every Saturday at 8am.  We studied Matthew 5 – 7, the Sermon on the Mount.  And then, some Korean-American guys at the high school we all went to heard about this, and they asked me if I could come meet with them and teach them about studying the Bible.  So I went to my old high school.  My teachers said, ‘Mako, it’s great to see you!  What are you doing here?’  I said, ‘There’s a group of guys here who wanted some help reading and studying the Bible.  I’m a Christian now and enjoy that.’  So I got a chance to share my faith a bit with my old high school teachers! 

That early experience burned a conviction in me that Jesus’ kingdom movement is outward-oriented. I’m convinced that the way to keep that outward orientation strong was to invest deeply in people, especially in their knowledge of Jesus through Scripture. That means that you and I need to be prepared to disciple someone with Scripture. By comparison, what I see often in my work now as a campus minister is that Christian college students extract a seeker/new Christian from their non-Christian friends by inviting them to all kinds of church meetings. The older Christians miss the fact that non-Christians perceive that as ‘stealing their friend away.’ What if you were able to actually hang out more with the seeker/new Christian (call him Pat) in his own context? Then you would see how Pat relates to his non-Christian friends. You would hear the questions that the friends ask Pat as they observe the changes in Pat’s life. You could help Pat respond with the love of Jesus. You could help Pat deal with whatever character issues are going on inside him. Pat would become a partner in ministry. And the outward movement of Jesus would continue outward.

This series of reflections is designed to help you be prepared and equipped for just such a thing.  Are you interested in making a commitment to reading Matthew’s Gospel, and these reflections?