By Dwell Pastor John Ross
As we continue the return trek to normal, it’s good to chart our course by the words Jesus left us in Matthew 28:18-20:
“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.”
The call is astounding — win a broad, multicultural world to saving faith, then disciple them to spiritual maturity. It likely stunned his poor, largely uneducated band of followers, who had witnessed the Lord’s gruesome death and felt their own persecution from Jews and Gentiles. How could such a meager workforce accomplish such a massive task?
But they immediately went to work. Why? Because what Jesus called his people to do, they should do. And the Lord promised to grant everything needed to answer the call. The one with universal authority, before whom everyone will bow, is the one who directs and empowers the mission. He has given his word, his Spirit and his abiding presence. We teach what he taught. We proclaim what he proclaimed —the truth that brought us out of darkness and into light. We share the grace, love, comfort and forgiveness we’ve been given.
Today, the global mission remains a gargantuan task. Each of us has a role to play, just like the Lord’s first followers. The call is the same. So are the promises.
The issues that have defined the past two years continue to swirl, so in some respects our return to normal feels incomplete. Maybe it always will. But there’s stability in the Great Commission. No matter the circumstances, we’ll never regret charging ahead with the good news into neighborhoods, play groups, classes, workplaces, sports teams and families that desperately need it.