The Commission
As we prepare for Easter Celebration, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we think on the joy of a risen Savior who is very much alive! Praise God, hallelujah! He has delivered us from our sins and into eternal glory! I praise the Lord for this good news. It doesn’t stop here though.
Matthew 28:18-20, ESV, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-18, ESV, “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Luke 24:44-48, ESV, ‘Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”’
I share these three accounts with you because they are the same but different. There are things we NEED to know and be aware of in these passages.
The first thing I want to point out is the repentance for forgiveness of sins. It was Jesus Christ who died for our sins. It is Him who we seek forgiveness. If our hearts aren’t clear before our Lord and Savior and our Father, we must do that first thing! Carrying sin only opens the door for our adversary, the devil, to attack. The Scripture from 1 John 1:7, ESV comes to my mind. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
After our heart is made right, I want us to focus on the command Jesus gave. We were commissioned to do great things! He instructed us to go out and make disciples, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to teach them to obey the commands of Jesus! That is huge! And it’s a blessing that the Lord would include us in His ministry until He returns!
Let me assure you that He does not send us out on our own or in our own strength. He instructs Hid disciples to wait in the city until they are clothed with power from on high. When we go out, we have the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. 1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own.” When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. I also noticed this in the account of Luke that the Lord had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. I love this! If the Lord can open their minds to understand the Scriptures, why couldn’t He do that for you? For me?
I want to encourage us to walk by faith and walk in faith! Let us remain surrendered to the Lord and have a willingness and readiness for when the Lord tells us to move. Let us listen and obey! Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
© 2022 Leslie Wittenmyer—All rights reserved