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 28:18–20, NIV 1978).
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV 1984).
My Musings – If you knew what you were saying to a loved one would be the last time you would say anything to them at all, what would you say? You can bet they would not be idle words. They would most likely be very important words. To you, and to the person receiving them. The sad thing is, we go through life not speaking to one another as often as we should. Leaving unsaid the things that we should be saying, and saying things we later regret and cannot take back. And when it comes to last words, they are usually not what we would have intended to say if we knew they were our last.
Jesus knew. And while all of His words are important, the above words are the last ones He knew He would speak to the ones He chose to carry on His mission – it was His Great Commission. His prime directive to His Disciples. Words that were carefully chosen and of great importance.
A commission can include the following elements. A task or matter entrusted to one as an agent for another, including the authority to act for, in behalf of, or in place of another, and granting the power to perform various acts or duties.
A task or matter entrusted – “go and make disciples.” This includes the following sequence: becoming a disciple, being a disciple, making disciples. Disciples making disciples (a person who follows another in regard to his or her ideas or belief). We do not make others our disciples. We make them disciples of the one we follow – Jesus Christ.
As an agent for another – “you will be my witnesses.” A commission is a co-mission. Co, a prefix meaning jointly, common or together with another; and mission meaning an important assignment. We are not alone in our mission.
Including the authority to act – “all authority in heaven and on earth.” The right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person to another. Let’s not miss something very important here. All authority (in heaven and on earth) has been granted to Christ, and he is conferring that on us to act on His behalf. But authority is pointless if it is not exercised.
And granting the power to perform – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” One can be given an assignment, along with the authority to act, but without the power to perform, it is merely words. We have the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have the assignment, we have the authority and we have the power. What we don’t have is an excuse.
My Advise – What is the most important thing you could tell your friends or family. Don’t wait until the last.
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Today’s musing was inspired by Lead Teaching Pastor Kevin Rutledge’s sermon on January 12, 2020. Check it out at https://www.fbcsycamore.com/sermons. If you live in or are visiting the area, come and join us Sundays at 10:30 a.m. We’d love to be partners in the Gospel with you.
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