Green Light to Go: Embracing the Great Commission

Matthew 28 opens with the risen Jesus meeting the eleven in Galilee, where worship and doubt stand side by side. Jesus does not wait for a perfectly certain group before sending them. Jesus comes near, declares that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to him, and gives his people their assignment: make disciples, baptize, and teach obedience.

The Great Commission puts the command on making disciples, while “going” is already assumed. Jesus has made a people on the move. The church was not made and then given a mission to fill its calendar. The church was made for mission, because Jesus is redeeming the world and calls his people into that work.

The green light image presses the point home. A green light is no time to sit in park, stare at a phone, or let the opportunity turn red. God has opened doors, raised leaders, changed hearts, baptized young people, and moved the church forward across Brookfield, Lake Country, Español, and around the world. The call is not to protect comfort, but to floor the accelerator where God has given a green light.

Matthew’s note that “some doubted” gives courage to people carrying real questions. Jesus commissions even the doubtful. The MKE Ask God initiative flows from that same confidence, inviting a city full of hard questions to bring them into the open. Doubt does not need to become distance from Christ, because Jesus meets questioning people and sends them into his work.

Jesus also sends disciples across every cultural and ethnic boundary. “All nations” means all peoples, all ethnicities, and no stopping place when another worldview or race appears. Global partnership, mercy in disaster, care for mental wellness, special-needs ministry, and the sharing of personal stories all become ways of carrying Christ’s presence into broken places.

Jaime’s story shows that Jesus can take a heart bent on money, violence, grief, and vengeance and release it from hate. Christ’s renewal is not a vague improvement. Christ can remove the anger that has ruled a person for years and create a new home, a new family, and a new future.

The SS United States stands as a warning against forgetting why something was built. A ship designed to carry people into places of need became a luxury vessel, stopped moving, rusted, and lost its purpose. Jesus will not allow his church to become a docked cruise liner. Every people, culture, home, and heart belongs to Christ, and his promise to remain with his people makes the green light a call to go.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus sends people with real doubts.
  Jesus does not make certainty the entry fee for participation in his mission. Doubt can become a place of honest pursuit rather than a hiding place from obedience. Christ comes near to questioning disciples and gives them work that requires dependence on his presence. [51:32]
• 2. The church was made for mission.
  Mission is not an optional department added onto church life after everything else is in place. Jesus gathers, forms, and empowers his people because he is redeeming the world. A church that loses its sentness can retain activity while drifting away from its reason for being. [47:32]
• 3. Green lights require forward movement.
  God’s open doors are not invitations to remain comfortable or distracted. The green light calls for courage, participation, and a willingness to move when the moment arrives. Faithfulness often means stepping into a high-stakes assignment rather than staying safely in park. [49:21]
• 4. Christ breaks the power of vengeance.
  Jaime’s story shows that resentment can become a whole way of living, feeding on grief and demanding repayment. Christ does more than tell wounded people to try harder at forgiveness. Christ can reach into the heart, take away its rage, and make room for a life no longer controlled by hatred. [1:01:18]
• 5. Jesus claims every corner of life.
  Christ’s authority reaches further than private spirituality or church activity. Every people, culture, action, home, and heart falls under his rightful claim. The church goes with confidence because the One who sends it already holds the deed to everything the enemy contests. [1:09:20]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [39:13] - The Great Commission
• [40:43] - Ignite Sunday and the Fall Launch
• [41:34] - Camping Is Worth the Discomfort
• [44:35] - Critical Things Are Often Uncomfortable
• [45:26] - The Church Is Sent to Go
• [46:36] - Make Disciples in Your Going
• [48:19] - God’s Green Lights at Elmbrook
• [50:59] - Jesus Commissions the Doubtful
• [51:57] - MKE Ask God
• [54:45] - Disciples of All Nations
• [57:19] - Jaime’s Story of Renewal
• [1:03:50] - One Church, One Common Cause
• [1:06:22] - The Warning of the SS United States
• [1:08:29] - The Green Light to Go

1. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. [39:30]
2. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. [39:37]
3. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” [39:46]
4. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” [39:52]
5. “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [40:10]

1. Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
2. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” [56:11]
3. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

1. Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. [47:22]
2. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
3. Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4. Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
6. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
7. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
8. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9. Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—
10. no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.
11. Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.
12. As you enter the home, give it your greeting.
13. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.
14. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.
15. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”

1. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [56:37]
2. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1. In Matthew 28:16–20, what do the disciples do when they see Jesus, and what surprising detail does Matthew include alongside their worship? [51:09]
2. What three ongoing actions does Jesus name as part of making disciples: baptizing, teaching, and what comes before them?
3. In Matthew 10, what practical limits and instructions does Jesus give his disciples as he sends them out, especially regarding possessions, homes, and rejection?
4. What examples show the church moving toward people and places with real needs—across cultures, after disasters, in mental-wellness needs, and in special-needs ministry? [54:49]

1. Jesus gives the Great Commission to a group in which some worship and some doubt. What does this reveal about the kind of faith Jesus requires before a person can participate in his mission? [51:30]
2. Jesus grounds his command to make disciples in his authority over heaven and earth. How does his authority change the way believers can approach difficult conversations, unfamiliar people, or places of deep brokenness? [01:09:10]
3. Jesus commands his people not merely to gain converts but to teach people to obey everything he commanded. What might faithful disciple-making look like over time in a home, friendship, workplace, or small group?
4. Acts 13 shows a church worshiping, fasting, praying, and then sending people for God’s work. Why might a church need both spiritual dependence and practical action when responding to an open door for mission? [56:11]

1. Jesus sends people who still carry questions. What question, uncertainty, or doubt have you been carrying? What would it look like to bring it honestly to Jesus rather than allowing it to create distance from him? [51:32]
2. A green light is an opportunity to move rather than remain distracted or comfortable. Where might God be giving you a “green light” right now—perhaps to serve, invite someone, share your story, repair a relationship, or step into a need? What is one next step you could take this week? [50:19]
3. Jesus says to make disciples “of all nations.” Who are people in your daily life whose culture, ethnicity, language, background, or worldview differs from yours? How could you move toward them with genuine curiosity, respect, and the love of Christ? [55:10]
4. Jesus has authority over every home and heart, including places marked by grief, anxiety, illness, family conflict, or disaster. Is there a person or family you know who is carrying one of these burdens? How could you offer a specific expression of Christ’s presence this week? [01:10:18]
5. Christ can break the grip of hatred and vengeance, not simply ask wounded people to manage it better. Is there anger, resentment, or a desire to “make someone pay” that has been taking up space in your heart? What might it mean to ask Jesus to meet you there and begin renewing you? [01:01:46]
6. A church can become like a docked cruise liner when comfort and self-protection replace its purpose. What habits or priorities could tempt you to treat faith mainly as personal comfort rather than joining Jesus in his mission? What would help you stay spiritually “on the go”? [01:07:31]