The Church | a 4-Day Skate Church Movement Devotionalنموونە

The mission of the Church

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19

Just before Jesus’ ascension to Heaven, He tasked His followers with the mission to make even more followers until His return someday. The only tips given were to teach the new followers just like He had taught them, and He promised they would be filled by the Holy Spirit to do so with power. That word “power” in the original language of the New Testament is the Greek word “dunami,” from which we get our English words dynamic and dynamite. Indeed, if the disciples went forth in divine spirit and supernatural enthusiasm, they would have dynamic, explosive results. The opposite is true, too! If they went out without conviction and drive, there would be little, if any, results.

I once heard a professional skateboarder say that if someone wants to become pro, they have to go through a period where they totally nerd out on skateboarding, eating, breathing, and living skateboarding. Skating for eight hours a day is what that pro said it takes to get good enough to skateboard professionally.

So, what did the disciples do? Acts 2:42 says that the believers in Jerusalem devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, sharing meals together, and to prayer. That’s standard good church activities, but their devotion was far more than just meeting the standards. That Greek word for devotion has as its root in the word “kratos.” You may already be familiar with this word because of the PlayStation game, “God of War,” in which the main character’s name is also Kratos.

His name was carefully chosen because he is supposed to be the personification of what the word means: power, might, strength, and domination. And that is exactly the kind of devotion the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem were putting forth toward their mission–powerful devotion! Had they slacked in their enthusiasm for their mission, it would have failed!

If you could commit the same time, energy, and devotion to better God’s mission–just as others have in climbing the ranks in skateboarding–lives would be changed. Even if you put the same amount of devotion in His mission as you did in learning your first kickflip, lives would still be changed. All it takes is for you to be powerfully committed to learning more from God’s word, to fellowshipping with other believers, to sharing God’s love with any and everyone, and to praying. Now do what God has called each of us to do and go make disciples!

Pushing further

1. In Acts 2:43-46, how did the followers of Jesus continue carrying out their mission devotion?
2. In Acts 2:47, what were the results of the powerful devotion of the disciples to their mission?

Want more content like this? We adapted this Plan from a 52-week Skate Church Movement Devotional Book. Get your book at skatechurchmovement.com.