Day 20 - Come and See, Go and Tell

Written By: Pat Hardin

SCRIPTURE
“But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)
 
DEVOTIONAL
Jesus began his public ministry by inviting a couple of John’s disciples to “Come and …see,” (John 1:39a, ESV) which led to them becoming part of His apostles that were commanded in Matthew 28, also known as the great Commission, to go and tell the world who He was and how He lived. I have heard that the best publicity in the world is through the personal endorsement of people who have sampled the product and liked it. Jesus began His earthly ministry by inviting individuals to come and spend time with Him in order to see if His way of life was worth sharing with others. Perhaps He instituted this principle? After 3 years of living with Him daily, seeing Him crucified and risen, and being filled with the Holy Spirit, these disciples were ready to tell everyone about Him. Not just friends, not just families, not just co-workers or neighbors, but everyone!
 
Jesus opens His final message to His followers  by announcing that He possesses “All authority…in heaven and on earth,” (v.18) therefore we must walk in that same authority if we are to fulfill His command. Consider that pronouncement for a moment; we have all authority to tell the world to come and see the way of Jesus. Do we know what it means to walk in the authority of Jesus? I sit asking myself that question and wondering if that includes the predisposition I have to assign a likelihood of conversion with the individual in question. Who am I to determine what the outcome of the conversation will be? The Messiah has given me His authority, which means I should expect similar results, right? Thousands of people rejected Him while He walked this earth, consenting to His death even though He was innocent. If others reject the message of Jesus as Savior that I share, then I am following the way of Jesus. I am walking in His authority when I continue to share, regardless of the number of previous rejections.

After we share with others, we may feel our work is done. Especially if our friends have started attending church with us. This may be where most of us step out of the authority of God and fail to fulfill the command of Jesus in the Great Commission. We are to make disciples, to baptize new converts, and then we are to teach them the Way of Jesus. The final command of Jesus includes a promise at the end, “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (v. 20) His presence in us, known as the Holy Spirit, will guide us through the entire process. Of course we want to know definitively how this works and how it will look, but since people are unique, perhaps the disciple-making process is also unique. We invite people to place their faith in Jesus, we encourage them to publicly declare their faith by being baptized, and then we disciple them by teaching them what we know about following Jesus. This happens intentionally as we include others in our lives, allowing them access to our daily rhythms, our spiritual disciplines, and the various opportunities we encounter every day. Let your new friend in the faith see how you handle being mistreated, being wrongly accused, being judged unfairly, or even how you handle success. That is part of the process of disciple-making. Let’s not lose sight of the One who saved us, gave us His authority, and promised to be with us.
 
ACTION STEP
If you have not yet been baptized, sign up today for our next baptism service. Invite someone new to the faith to be part of your life by inviting them to join your baptism, or by asking them to join your community group. Perhaps you can share a meal with them this week and ask them to serve with you on a Sunday morning serve team. If you are not yet part of a community group or a serve team, will you consider joining one today?
 
Prayer Time
Ask God to show you who you can begin to disciple, teaching them how to follow the Way of Jesus.

Almighty God, please fill me with Your presence and give me the boldness to speak with the authority of Jesus. Show me the opportunities to share the Gospel with others, to baptize or to encourage others to be baptized, to begin making disciples, and finally to walk in Your presence every day.