I hope you and your family had a wonderful time of thanksgiving this past week. Our family enjoyed a good times of eating, visiting and just "hanging out." It was good to have our daughter and son-in-law here from Tulsa, and always fun to be around grandkids. But most of all, it was good to take time to realize just how much we truly do have to be thankful for. Even though the past months have been the hardest of our lives, we realize that God has blessed us with loving family, wonderful friends and so many people who have kept us in their prayers. I know these prayers have made, and continue to make, a difference in our lives as we slowly, ever so slowly, make progress in this healing process that we will continue to go through. And most importantly of all, we always give thanks that we have a Savior who, out of His love for us, took all of our sins with Him to the cross, died and through the power of God the Father, rose again. Because of His testimony, we are assured of eternal life where we will never suffer the pain of death. Hallelujah...that is cause for THANKSGIVING every day of every year!
Now, back to the Great Commission...remember our last verse? It's been a few days since we've practiced it, so...do you remember? Remember that before we can accept a commission, we need to be assured of the authority of the one issuing the directive! So Matthew 28:18..."Then Jesus came near and said to them, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'"
We are following the One of supreme authority. Are we ready to receive His commission to us...it follows His statement of authority in the very next verse:
Matthew 28:19 "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."
Jesus entrusted the message of salvation to a band of uneducated nobodies, simply telling them to "Go"...if we stay seated, if we don't get up and move, if we stay in our comfort zones, we will miss the opportunities to make disciples.
It is very easy for us to avoid the commission to be makers of disciples, excusing ourselves by saying that "evangelism is not our gift"...but Jesus didn't put that caveat in His commission. He didn't say, "For those of you gifted to evangelize, you go and make disciples...." No, He said it to every one of His group of vagabond followers who would "Go" and who would turn the world upside down. None of them ignored His commission to them. None of them failed Him. They did it. They went.
What's your excuse? It doesn't count. "Go!"
Now, back to the Great Commission...remember our last verse? It's been a few days since we've practiced it, so...do you remember? Remember that before we can accept a commission, we need to be assured of the authority of the one issuing the directive! So Matthew 28:18..."Then Jesus came near and said to them, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'"
We are following the One of supreme authority. Are we ready to receive His commission to us...it follows His statement of authority in the very next verse:
Matthew 28:19 "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."
Jesus entrusted the message of salvation to a band of uneducated nobodies, simply telling them to "Go"...if we stay seated, if we don't get up and move, if we stay in our comfort zones, we will miss the opportunities to make disciples.
It is very easy for us to avoid the commission to be makers of disciples, excusing ourselves by saying that "evangelism is not our gift"...but Jesus didn't put that caveat in His commission. He didn't say, "For those of you gifted to evangelize, you go and make disciples...." No, He said it to every one of His group of vagabond followers who would "Go" and who would turn the world upside down. None of them ignored His commission to them. None of them failed Him. They did it. They went.
What's your excuse? It doesn't count. "Go!"
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