Then
the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had
told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped
him—but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in
heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit. 20 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.”
God knows it
all and when we are afraid. He knows when darkness is surrounding us and
we are paralyzed by fear and anxiety. Having
someone we trust with us makes all the difference.
Jesus taught
His followers about the power of presence. There are times when having
some one with us makes a difference. Think about the change when a parent
is present when their child is scared. When we feel alone, we need
confidence that we have a protector and encourager. We ought to know the
presence of God and what this truth to us.
Move
forward. Take it to the next level with the last words Jesus shared
before leaving the planet. He had already gone to the cross and endured the
pain of death. Jesus had been in the tomb and walked out of the grave
alive. Even in His last sentence is vital to that fact, to knowing that
the power of presence, the presence of God in particular, is life changing
personally now and forever.
In what we call
“the great commission” we find facts that God gives us that ought to renew our
confidence through His presence:
FACT: the people
closest to Jesus even doubted even when they were with Jesus. (Verse 17)
FACT: Jesus
has and shares all authority. He is completely God, and what He says is
100% true. (Verse 18)
FACT: As we live,
Jesus said, we make disciples of the people we meet. (Verse 19)
FACT: Jesus
reminded us that He is always with us. (Verse 20)
What was it like for the disciples? They were
the people closest to Jesus. They knew Jesus very well. But they
were still men, like us, with fear, joy and more. They went where Jesus
told them to go and where He took them, and this was not the first time that they
went where Jesus led them to.
Like many other times they had doubt. I am
talking about the life giving that Jesus gave to us and to others. What
they heard and experienced would suffice as proof as well as direction for all
the future.
This is our future as it was the future of the
disciples. God gave us the power we need
to be disciple makers and to make a difference. Nothing can change that
fact.
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