by Brett Clemmer, VP, Man in the Mirror

Can we really reach every man? It is easy today for visionary statements to become mere slogans. Ad campaigns come and go. Where’s the beef? Political slogans captivate for a moment, then fade. Compassionate conservatism. Hope and change. 

But one visionary statement has stood the test of time. Three sentences spoken by Jesus 2,000 years ago has, as Pat Morley says, “mobilized more millions of people and billions of dollars” than any three sentences in history:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.   Matthew 28:18-20

All authority. All nations. I am with you always. Can we reach every man? We are commanded to go by the sovereign creator of the universe. The effectiveness of our actions are His responsibility. 

If you haven’t experienced discouragement in pursuing your cause, you’re not a leader. Men’s discipleship is no different. We are in a constant struggle with the world, the flesh and the devil (Ephesians 2:2-3). Not just in our own hearts, but in the hearts and minds of the men we are trying to reach.

Reaching every man isn’t about numbers, it’s about faithfulness. The disciples, having received their marching orders, dispersed across the known world, adding to their number, growing the church, expanding the influence of the gospel.

What about you? Are you reaching every man? You don’t need to stand on the sidewalk with a sandwich board. Just be faithful. Start with a prayer and then invite that guy you know out for a cup of coffee. Let us know how it goes.

Adapted from First Things First in Equipping the Man in the Mirror magazine, Vol 11, No. 2 (April/May/June 2016)