No lo, No go

Growing up in a pastor’s family, I was accustomed to being one of the last to leave the church building on Sundays. Many times, I would wander around the halls of the facility to pass the time.

I can remember one time, in particular, when I opened the door to the large sanctuary and took a step inside. I didn’t know the lights would be out.

I don’t know if it was because of the darkness, the size of the building, or the fact that it was a church (after all, they have funerals in there) –but something about it really scared me. The only light was the soft glow of exterior lights illuminating the stained glass (even scarier).

Immediately, I turned toward the door, pushed it opened, and ran! That was the last place I wanted to be alone.

I had walked through that sanctuary in the dark several times before with my dad. But for some reason, I was never scared as long as I was with him.

Years ago, speaking at a conference, a missionary proclaimed, “No lo, no go.” At first, the crowd didn’t understand. So, he repeated himself. “No lo, go go.” Still, the crowd seemed puzzled. So he continued several more times, “No lo, no go.”

Finally, he opened his Bible to Matthew 28:20 and read, “and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (KJV).

He said it once more; “No lo, no go.” This time the entire arena understood.

In all the theorizing and strategizing of the previous two verses in Matthew (commonly known as the Great Commission), it is easy to miss the “lo” and focus on the “go.”

Perhaps we miss the power of the “lo” in English. After all, it does sound akin to “low” or “lowly.” However, this is the same word that is translated “behold” many times in the New Testament. In fact, almost every time an angel proclaims a message to a human, they use the word “behold.” In today’s vernacular, it might be translated more like, “pay attention,” or “get this.”

In other words, just after Jesus gave us the daunting task to “Go and make disciples of all nations,” He quickly followed the command with a “hold up, don’t miss this!”

What was it that Jesus didn’t want them to miss? “I am with you, even to the end of the age.”

I imagine, upon hearing the Great Commission, the disciples were overwhelmed and feeling insufficient for the task –and that’s exactly how they should have felt. Making Christ-like disciples is not an easy task. In fact, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Through Christ’s power, your discipleship efforts will surpass anything you ever would have imagined accomplishing and reach people you would never would have dreamed of reaching. After all, He does have “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

But without acknowledging Christ’s power in disciple making, you may strive for a while in your own strength. Or, you may not even attempt such a challenging task. Either way, you will eventually become so discouraged and intimidated, that you will run away from the idea, like a scared child alone in the dark.

Behold; get this; pay attention! You are not alone.

“No lo, no go.”