ListenDaily - 10 June 2009: Matamoros, part 3: Therefore
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20 NIV (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
Good morning friends! Early this Saturday morning, I will be leaving Delaware, along with a group of youth and adults from my church, for a week of serving Christ in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico., the first of two trips this summer. The second is to Goldsboro, North Carolina. The Matamoros trip is planned for the 13 - 19 of June. During that time, may I ask you to pray for the following?
For our safety
For each of us to grow in Christ
For His Name to be glorified and His Kingdom expanded
In preparation, I thought the "Great Commission" passage was an appropriate one to study.
"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore..."
"Therefore..."
According to the dictionary, 'therefore' means; "for that reason" or, "consequently or, "because of that" or, "on that ground". So then, everything (in this passage) that Jesus says after "therefore", stands on what He said just before. So the going, the discipling, the baptizing, the teaching, and the promise of His presence rely on what He said just before "therefore".
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
You know, in human terms, we have to be careful using absolutes. When we talk about 'everything', 'always', and the like, we are often using hyperbole to make a point. But not Jesus. He did not mean 'a little authority', or 'some authority', no, He said exactly what He meant. "All authority..."
"All authority in heaven and on earth..."
So the going, the discipling, the baptizing, the teaching, have nothing to do with our authority or our ability, but that we submit to Jesus and His authority. Then we speak in and with His authority. You remember the old movie scenes, don't you? Where the policeman chases the bad guy and shouts 'STOP! IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!!!" The policeman was not the law. He did not make the law. He did not write the law. But because of his chosen path in life, he represented the law, and was allowed to do whatever the law called him to do, under the authority of the law.
And, church, so it is with us. We are not authority, we do not make authority, and we have no authority in and of ourselves. But we represent "all authority in heaven and on earth" and we can speak with that authority, and we can act with that authority. To do less is to do less than He has commanded us to do. For "all authority in heaven and on earth" has been given to Jesus.
Therefore...go!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions to ask yourself:
1. Will you pray for our mission trip? 2. Have you ever experienced being under the authority of Christ? 3. How about acting and/or speaking under His authority?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS:
"Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason---I do not accept the authority of popes and councils,
for they have contradicted each other---my conscience is captive to the Word of God.
I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.
Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen."
Martin Luther
"The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example,
not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power,
but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve."
John Stott
No comments:
Post a Comment