Meditate on Jesus’ words after His
resurrection. What it is that Jesus is asking His disciples…and you? How do His
words impact you?
Jesus came and told his disciples, "I
have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I
have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the
age." Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus told His disciples to go make
disciples, baptize them and teach them. He is giving all His followers the same
command. That means Jesus is telling each of us that that is what He wants us
to do…that is what He expects us to do. Go get them. Train them up.
What does it
take to go and make disciples of all the
nations? I think we first have to surrender
to God’s will. We must be sure we are totally and intentionally focused on God.
Our lives are typically centered on “me” and as a Christian we have to put God
first--Seek the Kingdom of God above all
else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33. What we need is to make disciples—to lead others to knowing
Christ, our Savior. It is kind of a cycle…know Christ…make Christ known.
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| Baptism in the Jordan River - Israel |
Then once you
have made disciples…then what? Baptize them. That is pretty straight forward.
Find a body of water and “splash” in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. It has to be a conviction of each new disciple when to be baptized—it gives
them that opportunity to “confess with their mouth” that Jesus is their Lord
and Savior. If you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9.
The next thing
that Jesus expects of us…Teach. Teach
these new disciples to obey all the commands…. To teach something, you have
to know it and live it. Do you know the Commandments that Jesus is talking
about? Do you live those out? Love God…and
love your neighbor as yourself. Live it. Teach it.
Of course, the
best part of the Scripture passage today, I think, is Jesus’ promise…I am with you always, even to the end of the
age. What a great promise…Jesus is always with us. This is echoed
throughout the Old and New Testaments. I
will never leave you or forsake you as in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews
13:5. See how many other times you can find this same theme in the Bible. Jesus
is there for us…actually He is here for us in the form of the Holy Spirit.
This is my command--be strong
and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with
you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
Hang onto
that promise today…and all through this time of isolation and social
distancing. Do not be afraid…God is with
you. Can you claim that promise for yourself today?
Prayer
~ Lord God… You
said, Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the
battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15. Thank You, Lord that You
are fighting this battle for us and that You will always be with us.
©
2020 Text and photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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