Go Ye Therefore

Matthew 28:18-20; The Great Commission is not a mere request.

Be Not Afraid To Share The Good News

Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." 

                                                                        (Jer 1:4-10 KJV)

It has often amazed me that when we leave the sanctuary after hearing the word of the Lord we don't talk about what we have heard. The talk is about things like our latest ailment or fishing or football.  We talk about everything except our excitement for the love that God has in us in Christ Jesus. 

If we cannot talk about Jesus with our brothers and sisters in Christ then how do we expect to talk about what he has done with those who we see during the rest of the week? We are after all called by the Great Commission to go and share the Good News of the Kingdom to all people. 

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

                                                                               (Matt 28:19-20)

Are we so afraid that people will not like us; that they might even persecute us for speaking about Jesus that we dare not mention his name? Are we afraid that we won't know what or how to proclaim God's Kingdom through Jesus? God told Jeremiah that he was putting his words in his mouth. He would know what to say. When Jesus sent his disciples out to proclaim the Good News he did warn them that they might be persecuted for what they would say. He knew that they were uncomfortable not knowing if they would know how to speak or defend the word of God so he assured them that it would not be out of their own minds that they would be speaking but the Spirit of the Father would be the one speaking through them. He said:

"But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." 

                                                                   (Matt 10:17-20)

God had called you into his Kingdom. Share that Good News! Trust that he will put the words into your mouth and be not afraid of the enemy for the Lord is with you always! You are a child of the most high God.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Empowered By The Spirit

Zeba, MI; United Methodist Camp Meeting

 

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

                                                                                      (Act 1:4-11 KJV)

Just before he ascended into heaven Jesus informed the disciples that they would be baptized and empowered by the Holy Spirit to go out into the whole world to be witnesses of Jesus. And, so they were. And, so they did.

What do you believe you were baptized for? Baptism is a gift from God. It endows us with many gifts. In baptism we are forgiven our sins. We are born again as children of God most high. We, as the first disciples were, are anointed by the Holy Spirit and empowered to go out into the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Do we use that gift? Do we go out? Do we share the marvelous things that God has done and continues to do through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit?

"May God fill us with the desire to go forth '...and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.'" 

                                                                                        (Matt 28:19-20)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Unity Cannot Be Legislated

 

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 

                                                                                    (Acts 4:31-33 KJV)

Everyone being with one heart and of one soul! Imagine that! How can that be possible? 

It is fallacy to think that we can legislate peace. Dictatorships do not bring about harmony among the people. Ordering people to think and act of one accord will only  bring about opposition and dissension. 

Our God is not a dictator. Yes, he gave us rules to follow. But, he also gave us the freedom to choose whether we do or not. He gave us the freedom to serve Him or reject Him. Dictators do not give the people that choice.

The early followers of Jesus were of one mind not because of any legislation. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit. They were cleansed by the blood of Christ and became new men and women in him by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit empowered them to live together with one heart and one soul with a desire to share the word of God with boldness so that others also might know the great grace bestowed upon us through the life and death and resurrection of  Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

"Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:"

                                                                                               (2 Cor 3:2-4)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Repent and Receive Forgiveness

Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,

Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

                                                                        (Luke 3:2-3, 7-8, 15-20 KJV)

Now John baptized people for the forgiveness of sins. According to Luke, he admonished people to repent of their sins. It does not appear that he was a light-hearted jokester. His words were not meant to please any one's itching ears. He appears to have been a pretty serious character and an unafraid character, as well. The people who came to him to be baptized, he called a "brood of vipers." He rebuked Herod Antipas for divorcing his wife and marrying his brother's wife. He was not afraid to be a truth teller. He was thrown into prison for it. He was eventually beheaded for it.

People flocked out to be baptized by John; yet, he was hated by many. And, so goes the way of the those who strive to speak the truth. The truth and the purveyors of truth will be accepted by some. Others will do all they can to destroy the truth sayers in hopes of destroying the truth with them.

Repent and receive forgiveness. Let your sins be washed away. Repentance is not as easy as some may think. Because, before we can repent of our sins, we must first acknowledge them. If we cannot recognize our sin, our brokenness, then what is it that we think we are going to repent of? How are we going to change if we refuse to acknowledge that maybe there is room for change in our lives?

John's words may sound harsh to our ears at times. “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (Luke 3:7-9)

Change and live life in Christ!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Go And Tell!

Go and Tell!

Upon arriving at the tomb, the Mary Magdalene and the other Mary encounter the angel of the Lord sitting on the stone that had been used to seal the tomb. The tomb is no longer sealed. Jesus is not there. He is risen and on his way to Galilee! The women are a bit fearful, but filled with joyful excitement, as the angel tells them to go and tell the disciples what has happened. The guards are also there. They appear to be in some sort of shock at the sight of the angel and the empty tomb.

Mary and Mary meet Jesus as they hurry to tell the disciples what they have heard and seen. “Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” (Matt 28:10 KJV) Go and tell!

The two women go and tell the disciples what they have just seen and heard. The guards go and tell the chief priests what they have seen and heard as well. The chief priests were not happy and told the guards they should lie about it. But, the first two women who were witnesses of Jesus' resurrection also went and told what they had seen and heard. 

According to the gospel of Matthew, "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt 28:16-20)

Go and tell! We all share stories of our lives, of our loves, and of our fears. What is the story you share with others? Without sharing the story of Jesus life on earth; his gift of life to us; how can disciples be made? Go and tell!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Temptations and Faith

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

                                             (Romans 5:1-5 KJV)

To be honest, I do not always glory in tribulations.  They can be pretty tough. Tribulations have definitely given me more patience though. They have given me a lot of experience and overall they have taught me that there is hope in the love of God for us. There is  also hope in what God's love can do through us.

I get a lot of prayer requests. Whenever anyone asks me to pray for them to have patience, I ask them if they are sure they want God to answer that prayer. Patience does not come without tribulation. God works patience in us through trials. 

I have a friend who, when her children were teenagers, was having a tough time with their choices and life styles. She confessed that she had asked God for patience and everything went really south for her. She has had quite a challenging life. Today, she is the epitome of patience. But, that patience did not come without a lot of tears.

God answers prayers. Go ahead. Ask him to give you patience. But, at the same time remember to ask him for the strength, the courage, and the wisdom to meet the days ahead. Ask him to grant you faith in that he will be with you and your loved ones no matter what might assail you.

God does answer prayers. Ask wisely for the gifts you desire. Patience is worked through much tribulation. But; with faith, you will know the peace that comes from living in Christ no matter how tough life gets.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matt 21:22)

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Great Commission

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt 28:18-20 KJV)

If you ask your children or grandchildren to help you with some household chore, you do not expect the reply to be "no." If your boss asks you to do something for him or her; that also would not typically require a yes or no response. They are simply being polite. Not all requests are meant to give you options. They are politely phrased commands. Now, of course, the child or the employee can say no if they choose. They can also suffer the consequences if they do. 

Likewise, we often tend to take Jesus' words "Go ye therefore..." as optional. For the Christian, they are not. They are a command. They are what is known as the "Great Commission." The words of your lips may very well lead them to baptism into the Body of Christ. 

Sharing the Good News; sharing what you know about Christ, is not optional for any Christian. It is a command from Jesus, himself. It is a command with a promise: "..and, lo, I am with you always."

God's Peace - Pr. J

Speaking the Truth in Christ

"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost," (Rom 9:1 KJV)

This verse never fails to bring a smile to my face. I find it a bit bewildering and amusing that a man of St. Paul's faithfulness would have to defend his integrity. 

Yes, before he knew Jesus, he hunted down Christians to put them to death. Even in that, as horrific as it was, he was ferociously dedicated to what he believed was God's will for the good of the people. But, once he met Jesus his life changed. He was convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah and was totally dedicated to proclaiming the truth in Christ.

It is good when we one say with Paul that I am speaking the truth, my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit. But, sadly that is not always the case. The truth of Christ Jesus is often tainted with personal desires. It is difficult to know when someone is truly speaking the truth and so we must depend upon the Holy Spirit within us to help us discern the truth.

Paul's truth in Christ, sometimes hurt people. The truth is not always pleasing to hear. May we always speak with integrity for the good of those whom God loves.

God's Peace - Pr. J.