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!"

 

Day 1 - Week 82 - On to the Great Commission!

We finished up our twelve verses of faith, and now we embark on the next leg of our journey.  It's a short leg - just four verses - all centered on the commission that Jesus gave to all who follow Him in faith to spread the gospel throughout the world.   I don't know about you, but I am feeling a greater compulsion than in the past to speak of my faith.  Maybe it is a part of getting older and not being as concerned about what people may think of you, and maybe it is growing in conviction of faith and realizing the urgency of letting people know that there is reason for hope, and that reason is named Jesus. 

What holds us back from sharing our faith?  Fear?  Fear of what?  Disapproval?  Well, would we rather have the disapproval of people or of our God?  Jesus has commissioned us to spread the Word...it is our job as His followers.  How are we doing?  How am I doing?  I know I have missed many opportunities, and that makes me very sad and it also makes me more determined not to miss future opportunities.  So maybe I'll become known as a "Jesus Freak."  I hope so!  Reminds me of the dc Talk song....

What will people think
When they hear that I'm a Jesus freak
What will people do when they find that it's true
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguising the truth

 

Let's throw away our fear and let's get bold in our witness.  Time is running out for someone you know, for someone I know.  Let's not miss the opportunities we are given...we have no assurances that we will have others.

 

We'll drop off the sections of verses on the Holy Spirit and on Joy to make room for our verses on The Great Commission:

Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."
Ephesians 2:9 "Not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns
 and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:17 "For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will trust in You."
2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."
Hebrews 11:6  "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18  "Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."

I can hear you saying, "That does not sound like a verse on spreading the Word to the world to me."  Well before someone accepts a commission, they need to know that the person sending them out on the mission to be accomplished has the authority to do so.  We need to be confident that Jesus is the One with the authority to send us forward.  When we have that confidence, we will not hesitate to do what He asks of us.  He is our commanding officer...we are His foot soldiers!  Let's march!