“Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” (Mark 16:14-20 NKJV)
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came 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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:16-20 NKJV)
Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” (Luke 24:44-53 NKJV)
Now I am ready to talk about what I believe is the most exhilarating element of the Great Commission. As I am going and sharing I have been given the privilege of partnering with the Father to demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven as the benefits of the Kingdom begin to overtake people’s lives. It has always been the design and desire of the Father to demonstrate his power in the lives of those he created.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 ESV)
“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 NLT)
As a son of God, everything that belongs to God is within me. Everything that the Kingdom of Heaven has to offer is deposited in my spirit. The Kingdom of God is in my heart and in my hands. I have been commissioned to preach the Gospel, cast out demons, and heal the sick. I am able to keep the ministry of Jesus alive and well on Planet Earth.
“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12 AMP)
In order to jump into this element of the Great Commission I have had to take my eyes off those around me (especially from looking at myself) and focus exclusively on Jesus. I have had to look beyond the lack of power that I personally possess and look to the power of the Holy Spirit. I have had to temporarily ignore the results (or lack thereof) of my obedience and simply do what I have been commissioned to do. This has become a wonderful faith adventure.
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV)
I am able to fulfill my part of the Great Commission when I go, share, and demonstrate the Gospel of the Kingdom with power.
Let’s go, and be reminded of the adventure before us from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 399: The Great Commission – Demonstrate