Bible Reading: Judges 1; Acts 5; Jeremiah 14; Matthew 28
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
After the Resurrection and prior to his ascension to the right hand of the Father, Jesus instructed his disciples on numerous occasions. These last verses from the book of Matthew are the Lord's 'marching orders' for the disciples and for the church.
Power - Jesus begins by telling us the authority we have for the gospel mission. All power in heaven and on earth is given to Jesus. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Can we preach the gospel? Yes, we have the authority and power of Jesus to do just that. Not only are we authorized by our Creator to preach the gospel, but we are also empowered by him for that task. He has given us the Holy Spirit who gives us power for the preaching of the gospel.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Purpose – We are empowered by Jesus to go and teach all nations. Every nation under the sun needs to be taught the Word of God. We must begin by teaching them of the fall of man and our sin debt we owe to God. We must teach them that apart from Jesus Christ, we all perish. We must teach everyone that God forgives sin based on the propitiatory death of Jesus Christ. We must teach them of the resurrection of Jesus. Then we are authorized to baptize them in the name of our triune God! This is our purpose as a church. Isn't it interesting that Jesus did not say, "Go and feed all the hungry people of the world"? He did not say, "Go and establish democratic government in the world." No, he said preach the gospel. When we do that, those other things will follow with the work of the Holy Spirit in people's lives. We are to teach all things that Jesus has commanded us. This will include work ethic, government that is fair and just and the love of neighbor.
Perpetual – This commission is ongoing. It did not end with the death of the apostles. Notice that Jesus promises us his presence even to the end of the world. Until Jesus comes again, we are to be about his business. Are you taking part in this commission?
In Christ,
Rody
