Therefore, Go!

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. (Matthew 28:18-20)

The most important word in this passage is one that most people skip right over: “Therefore.” All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth; therefore, go. That word, “therefore,” is the hinge on which the whole commission swings. Jesus did not tell us to do something impossible and go in our own strength. He established the authority first, and then He sent you out from that authority. The going flows directly from the power behind it.

All power in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus. All means every part without exception. Jesus has authority over everything in both heaven and earth. There is no place, no principality, no government, no sickness, no situation that sits outside the reach of that authority. And from that authority, Jesus sends you out to change the world.

On your own, the commission Jesus gave us could seem scary and unattainable. But you are not going on your own; you are going as a person with delegated authority and as a representative of the One who created everything. In fact, notice that He said, "Go and teach all nations.” Not “suggest” or “invite” to see if they are interested. He said we are to teach them. The church was not called to offer the gospel timidly and hope someone would take what we are offering.

We are called to go with the confidence of people who know who sent us and what we carry into rooms. Then Jesus closed this with a promise that is easy to quote and easy to underestimate. “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Always means the easy situations where you are confident you can do something, and the hard ones where you question whether what God told you to do can even be done.

Practical Application

Is there somewhere God has been nudging you to go, something He has been nudging you to say, or someone He has been nudging you to reach, and you have been hesitating? The authority behind the commission has not changed.

Luke 10:19; Mark 16:15