October 29 2025

Wednesday October 29

Go and Make Disciples

Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Welcome to Pastor's Chat today. Yesterday, I promised I'd give an update on my brother Mark and his triple bypass surgery at the UVA hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. The surgery went extremely well, according to the report of the surgeon to his family after he came out of surgery. But last night we heard that Mark was in excruciating pain from the surgery.  Also, we were told that Mark will be in intensive care for at about five to seven days. You can continue to pray for him. Thank you so much for your prayers. Pray for his wife Renee as she ministers to him and his family during this time and as he recovers and recuperates from this surgery. Again, we are so thankful that the surgery went well, and I know he'll appreciate your prayers very much. God bless you for your prayers.

Yesterday we also mentioned the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Go Center that's going to take place in the Bonsack, Roanoke area of Virginia this Saturday morning, November 1^st, at 9:30am. Again, if you live in that area, we invite you to come. If you don't live in that area, I want you to pray for the Go Center. I remember when I became a believer, I felt the Lord was calling me to missions and that He wanted me to go overseas. I surrendered my life to ministry under a missionary thinking that that's exactly what was going to happen. But the Lord had other plans and led me to stay in America as a pastor. Yet at the same time, the Lord gave me a tremendous burden to do all I could to facilitate missions, to encourage people to pray, to give, and to go.

Over the last 50 some years in ministry, we've watched God do amazing things. One of those things is that my heart has been moved and blessed by the fact that my family is very involved in missions. And especially my son Jonathan who is the head of Global Partners in Peace and Development. The Go Center Out was born out of this humanitarian organization by the great passion Jonathan’s and his wife Heidi has for missions and the unreached peoples of the world. This is the central theme of Go Center.

I love what others are already saying about the Go Center. The mission’s director of the Parkway Church on the Mountain wrote after visiting it: "The Go Center has the potential to spark the fire for a movement of young people to engage in a great commission. This incredible unique discovery experience will enable families to actively participate in learning about God's plan for the nations and the unreached people groups of the world. You'll leave the Go Center in awe that you just made your way across the globe without setting a foot on an airplane."

Jeremiah Hambrick, the lead pastor of Bedrock Church Roanoke, wrote this: "I've had the unique privilege of witnessing the transformation of the Go Center from a rundown church building into a place full of purpose and potential. It's more than just a building. It's a launching pad for global mission right in the heart of the Roanoke Valley. The Go Center isn't just a place to visit. It's an experience that draws you into the story of God's heart for the nations, taking you on a journey to the world's unreached people groups and inviting you to play a part in His global mission.”

Again, I want to invite you to come this Saturday for the grand opening starting with the ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:30. If you can’t attend this Saturday, at a later date bring your family and a group of young people. Help let them see what missions and really what the heart of God is all about. That's been my heart for over 50 some years and I’m so blessed to see it now just blossom into this great Go Center to continue to facilitate and to excite people about doing what God has called us all to do. That is to go into the world and make disciples of all the nations. All the nations, even those who've never heard of Jesus, need the opportunity to hear.

I really want to encourage you to help us with the Go Center. Even if you don’t live close by you can pray and you can give.  And if you live close you can participate by volunteering. You can visit the Go Center website at: https://www.gpartners.org/gocenter to learn more about all these opportunities.

Thank you for letting me share this with you today. I'm sorry I didn't get to my devotion in Ephesians chapter 2, but I wanted to take time again today to really emphasize visiting the Go Center and praying for it and giving if God so leads you.

God bless!