Day 2 - Week 82 - Matthew 28:17 "Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth."

"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed." ~ Hudson Taylor.

Many of you will know who Hudson Taylor was, but many of you may not.  Hudson Taylor was the great evangelist to the Chinese.  He was born in 1832 and went to his heavenly home in 1905.  Hudson Taylor took the Great Commission seriously, spending 51 years of his life in China, spreading the gospel.  If it were not for Hudson Taylor's passion for spreading the Word of God, the church would likely not have a presence in communist China.  But because of the seeds he planted long ago, there remain faithful Chinese Christians...many of whom have been persecuted and imprisoned for their faith. 

Listen to the true zeal of Hudson Taylor's words... "If I had a thousand pounds, China should have it—if I had a thousand lives, China should have them. No! Not China, but Christ. Can we do too much for Him? Can we do enough for such a precious Saviour?"

That's the kind of zeal we should have...to carry in our hearts the impetus that Taylor carried, knowing that even though we can never do enough for such a precious Savior, we will give everything we have to show Him our gratitude.  And since Jesus' parting words to His followers were the commission to take the message of His love and forgiveness to the world, that is what He wants most from us as His followers of today as well.  It is the one thing that we can do that truly shows Him that we have listened to His words, that we have accepted His call, and just like His disciples, we are responding to His request to follow Him. 

Jesus, through His obedience to the cross and through His resurrection from the dead, declares His authority in heaven and on earth.  He is in the glorified position of authority, with everything and everyone under His command.  We either respond in submission or rebellion.  If we have claimed Him as our Savior, why would we want to do anything other than what He asks of us? 

Then why aren't we?  I know that many of us will say that we are not gifted evangelists.  Jesus didn't seem to give anyone an exemption, did He?  We are all called to share our faith...to go and make disciples. 

 

"Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere...go tell it on the mountain,

that Jesus Christ is born!"