A backed message

Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

All authority - those words carry so much meaning. ALL power, ALL wisdom, ALL we need. The smallest word in that statement has the BIGGEST meaning! In heaven, or on earth, ALL authority exists in Christ Jesus. If he has a place in our heart, then ALL authority exists in us! 

What are we to do with that authority? Make disciples of all nations. Too many times, we think that 'duty' is solely the responsibility of those who fill our pulpits. We ALL have been given the commission and the authority to back it up. We may not fill the pulpit, but we can influence those around us with our testimony. 

Help the people to learn of me, believe in me, and obey my words. All authority is given to take the message of grace to those who have not heard it yet. We won't 'convince' them of the reality of grace until they see us living out grace every day in our own lives. As grace-agents, we carry a pretty important message, don't we?

The message may seem simple - believe, trust, and obey. Yet, we know just how hard it can be to have our belief influence our trust, and even more difficult to put what we have come to learn in relationship with Jesus into actions of obedience. Yet, we are called to be messengers of faith - helping others to come to faith in Christ, believing in him, then seeing how life begins to be transformed step by step as they come to trust him more and more. 

All actions on our part to 'take' the message to the world are backed by the authority of Christ. All obedience on our part is really faith in action. When others see the 'message' backed by the 'actions' Christ produces within us, they might just be encouraged to listen more intently to the message we bring. Just sayin!