As Jesus followers, Christians have an obligation which is simultaneously simple and difficult…

To go.

Before He left earth, Jesus told His disciples that they must go into all of the world and make disciples. They were to follow His example – declaring freedom and life to people in the most trying circumstances and speaking hope to those who didn’t traditionally deserve such hope. He told His disciples to go into communities where liberties were daily refused and tell the people that liberty was available to them despite appearances. These disciples were being given an instruction to tell people in difficult circumstances that they had reason to find joy.

These disciples who had left their stations in life, who walked away from all of their achievements to follow Jesus, placing their reputations at risk and attracting accusations of all kinds of outrageous behaviour, now had a choice to make. Would they follow through with what they began, despite the cost, or walk away to restore their old lives and maybe their reputations as respectable individuals?

This is a confrontational thought. This is a question that every Christian must answer: will we choose to follow the One we claim with fervour to believe in, or will we display a far shallower truth that what we said is not what we meant? Will we choose risk to reputation, to life, to security of livelihood and safety, and endanger our dearest relationships; or will we choose to avoid difficult discussion, avoid risk to status in social and work circles, avoid making waves? The former will prove itself as “works” described in James’s letter to believers. The latter will describe us to those watching (in greater clarity than words could suggest) as lacking depth of conviction, of lacking strength of character, and of hypocrisy of the most egregious nature.

So despite the inherent difficulties, we’re compelled to choose to embrace an exciting prospect. We go.

The work of the gospel takes on a different dynamic when you’ve gone despite reservations – when your eyes are no longer on what you “want” to do, when you lift your focus to things outside yourself. While it is sometimes less fun, less comfortable, and certainly not easy, it is the most logical thing in the world to give a broken, messy, irrelevant life for the sake of a creator who gave His ALL to ransom that same life.

I found myself in this situation in the late stages of 2017 to an extent I had not experienced before. I had been serving in a challenging yet rewarding capacity in Vanuatu for years, and had seen the Lord raise me in stature and influence in ways only He could. I had seen Him provide for me in remarkable ways, and I had no doubt that He had planted in my heart a love for Vanuatu which was for the long term. I had seen Him grow me from an immensely insecure young missionary into someone who understood the differences between skill, strength, and willingness. I had made an open declaration of my intentions to continue working in Vanuatu (that’s a story for another time), and had no interest in backing away from that.

Into this context came an unexpected request. I was asked to assist with establishing the ministry of our relocated ship, M/V Pacific Hope, in the tiny Caribbean nation of Dominica. My answer was, “no, I’m busy working to establish another ship for Vanuatu…but I’ll pray and ask the Lord.” In the prayer which followed I had a feeling that the Lord was, in fact, asking me to say yes, even if only for a limited time. I protested – explaining to the Lord that I really have no interest in the Caribbean, that I had commitments to fulfil in the Pacific, and that I quite simply “don’t want to go.” Despite my protestations, He continued to invite me to GO…He didn’t appear to be swayed by my interests or opinion, despite me explaining them to Him very clearly.

This was not a question of ability, of experience, or of call; I knew that I had enough experience and ability to achieve the basic goals of the task I was being called to, though I had no doubt I’d face challenges and difficulties I hadn’t seen before. This didn’t seem to be about my personal interests, passions, or feelings of long-term calling. Despite commonly held current Christian rhetoric, God didn’t seem to be following the theory that He should have built a passion in my heart before calling me to the thing.

This was a question of willingness: would I go even though I really didn’t want to? Would I make Jesus ‘Lord’ in a very tangible and immediate way? Would I be obedient to what He was asking me to do despite not “feeling like” doing it, not having a “burden,” or a “passion” for it? Would I simply heed the call and go?

With reluctance and a very distinct awareness of the challenges I would be likely to face, I made a simple choice. I chose to say yes. Despite my own reluctance and my strong reservations. I decided to go, even though it was hard to choose obedience over my plans.

I chose His priorities over my own.

——

I went in February of 2018, landing in a region I had never set foot in, with my only contacts being the names and numbers of two strangers who had never heard of me. I landed in a context very different and yet in some ways remarkably similar to the one I had been in for five years. In the following weeks and months I rode a rollercoaster of excitement, frustration, hope and disappointment. I saw Him open doors I could never have anticipated, and I walked a heart-rending path of losing friends I never intended to lose. It has been a bittersweet journey to say the least.
Six months on, it is clear that He has been right here with me in the difficult times and the good. He has put me in the unexpected position of sharing the leadership of a ministry I once served in a purely operational capacity. He has challenged me to trust Him with far more than I ever have before. He has swiftly grown my vision and hopes for ship-borne ministry beyond one vessel in one nation; I now find myself praying and working to see multiple ships released globally. He has provided for each and every need I have, right on time.

The “go” was hard to hear. Many days it is even harder to act on. Yet every step of the way He proves Himself to be my “…ever present help in trouble.”

When He calls us to go we rarely have a clear view of where it will lead or what will be involved. We usually only see based on where we’ve been before, and we often judge the call based on what we assume He has called us to previously. We hear Him call, and we peer into a looking glass making judgements of what we see, often failing to recognise that the glass is clouded by our own breath.

What sets Christianity apart from other religions is the reality that we always have a choice. We always have a free choice when we hear His call: will we GO, though the “go” is hard to hear? Will we embrace the unknown for the sake of a Creator God who wishes to be known by us? Will we GO, despite ourselves, for the sake of a Sovereign Saviour?

Though we may not see reward in the immediate action His promise is that it will be worth every tear, every heartache, and every discomfort.

So we are confronted by the question: is our faith and love for our Saviour deep enough that we will choose to say “yes” and risk everything with no hope of immediate comfort, blessing, or reward?

I pray that I will continue to say yes, especially when the “Go” is hard to hear.

How will you respond?