A Commission and a Promise

If you would like to view the video instead, here's the link: https://youtu.be/PYjybHmdnq0

Happy Wednesday, Everyone. 😊 It’s hard to believe we are nearly 40 days after Easter already. And ten days after that is my favorite festival of the church year – Pentecost. 😊 As this is being posted on a Wednesday, we will be celebrating the Ascension of Jesus tomorrow. This is not a widely celebrated festival. In fact, many churches of all denominations barely acknowledge this anniversary.

But Jesus made it clear during His ministry that He needed to return to the Father so the disciples (and all of us) could receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So, in the grand scheme of things, it is a pretty important day.

Jesus had instructed His disciples to meet Him in Galilee. So the disciples found themselves on a mountain in Galilee with Jesus. They worshipped Him and He let them know that all authority on heaven and earth had been given to Him. Then we come to our passage for this week.

Jesus commissions the disciples to spread the Good News of the Gospel to the entire world – all nations. This also means all people – not just the ones we think should receive the Good News. They were to baptize them in the name of the Triune God and teach all that Jesus taught them.

I love the word “commanded” here. Remember when Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God and love each other. At another point He even told them that they were to love others as He had loved them. That may or may not have been the commandment that Jesus was talking about here, but it sure fits, doesn’t it?

Like the disciples, we are all commissioned to teach the world about Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel. One way we do that is by spreading love around like it is in infinite supply – because in Jesus it is. We will get much farther loving people to Jesus than thumping them over the head with our Bibles.

And then the promise – a promise to the disciples in that moment, but a promise for us, too, in this crazy world we are living in. “I am with you always,” Jesus says to them. Hear those words for yourself, too. Jesus promises that as we go about the work of living out our faith in Him, He will be with us. That means in good times and not-so-much good times. It means in joy and in sorrow (remember last week?). It means when we really are passionate and on fire for Jesus and when we are more subdued in our work. Jesus is always with us., He loves us. He encourages us. He supports us. He provides all we need to fulfill His purpose for us on this planet we call Earth. For me, that is great comfort, indeed.

I know that I am not alone in the mission. Not only are there others who share the mission, but Jesus is there, too. He drives the mission. He leads the mission. He is the mission.

When you hear the words of Jesus commissioning you to go to all the people how does that make you feel? A bit scared or apprehensive maybe. If so, then remember the promise – Jesus will be with all of us always as we seek to bring the Good News of the Gospel to each and every person on the planet.

Blessings and Love, 😊 Ceri