“You.” It’s an inconsequential pronoun in the English language. About the only time it really stands out is in the murder mystery movies.

“You!” with an exclamation mark conveys one type of emotion. “You?” with a question mark conveys another emotion. With a period, it just falls flat: “You.”

Recently, I was listening to my pastor read John 17, and I was struck by the frequency of the use of the words “you” and “your” as Jesus prayed His High Priestly prayer to His Heavenly Father. Toward the end of the chapter, He made this request: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (17:20, ESV). Properly understood, that means all of us who have come to faith in Christ are to heed the same instructions He gave to the 12 Apostles.

What are some of those “you” imperatives? Let’s take a look.

Let’s start with some basics. Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to ministry when He “said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (Matthew 4:19).

Following His resurrection, He said this to them: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Collectively, these two verses convey a process whereby disciples make disciples who make disciples. The phrase “all that I have commanded you” includes everything Jesus taught His disciples, as well as the added instructions conveyed by the Apostles, including Paul, in their respective Epistles. As we say in Texas, it’s the “whole enchilada!”

Properly understood, Jesus’s exhortations to His first followers are applicable to us as well.

Let me relate a few commands (not suggestions) we should keep in mind.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

This implies a relational environment. It will get messy because our lives are messy. First-century Christians lived in community. There were no “lone rangers.”

Here’s a challenge from the Apostle Paul: “I urge you, then, be imitators [‘followers,’ KJV] of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

If I were to summarize Paul’s life, it would be described as “all in.” In our generation, that’s a tough sell. To be honest, it is challenging, but we are promised sufficient strength for the task.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

So, the next time you are reading God’s Word, pay attention to the “you” passages, because “you” means … you!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!