Commission

Matthew 28:16-20
16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The account of Jesus' life in the book of Matthew draws to a close as He commissions the Disciples to go into the world and tell His story. Christians have taken these verses to heart since the day they were spoken and have actively sought to follow through with the instructions. What we know from the book of Acts is that the Disciples, after receiving the Holy Spirit, do exactly as Jesus instructed them to do. They went out into the world and taught others what He had taught them. We are a part of that legacy still today.

 This passage contains four points that we need to take into account:

 1. We have been given Jesus' authority to build His  
    Church.
    Throughout the entire Bible the Church is seen as the Bride of Christ; that position of honor and place of being cherished above everything else. This is an amazing way to be seen by God.

2. We are supposed to "Go". 
     We don't just sit around and wait for Jesus to return. Instead we go out and show the love of God to the world. We have something important to do.

 3. We are told to "make disciples".
    Our role is specfic. We are to make disciples - those who follow Christ as their Savior and Lord. Discipleship follows no ethinic lines. Jesus erased all of those line. Everyone is welcome into His Kingdom who embrace Jesus as their Savior.

 4. Jesus will be with us always.
     Jesus didn't leave us here along to make our own way. Instead He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and accompany us through life.

 These words become important to the Disciples as they flee back into the city of Jerusalem after Jesus' Ascension. They await the Holy Spirit, who comes to them 10 days later. After His arrival, everything changes and the Kingdom of God begins to take root in the world.

 On Monday we will begin a study of the Book of Acts as it is a natural follow-up to this study of Matthew. The Church is about to explode onto the scene and the stories are exciting and inspiring!

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