The Commission that Compels Us

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:44-49).

Jesus was about to return to His Father in heaven. He wanted to prepare His disciples to launch into the ministry that was going to establish and grow His kingdom and change the world. Time was short, the task was great, and they needed so much. He had to choose His words carefully. As disciples, we too need to hear the final instructions of our Master. The responsibility to follow Christ and to share His gospel today is no less compelling for true disciples than it was on that long-ago day of His ascension. Can you sense the Holy Spirit stirring your spirit with the same exhortation and instruction that Jesus shared with the first disciples? We can grow in the faith and become more effective witnesses whenever we trust and obey the three admonitions revealed here as Jesus commissioned His disciples. Through His words, our spirits are excited and energized to share Christ today by the commission that compels us.

Persevering disciples are persuaded by the promise of the Word that encourages us. The commission Jesus spoke over His disciples was founded on the truth revealed in God’s Word. He spoke of two great promises revealed in God’s Word. First, He told the disciples that God’s promise about the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Messiah was about to be fulfilled… “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed... they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death... when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:5, 9-10). Then Jesus added the promise that willing witnesses in every age will be participating in the fulfillment of His promise that “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations”. Be encouraged to share His gospel with someone today!

Productive disciples are provoked by the promise of the witness that engages us. The commission of all true disciples is a call to witness. Jesus reminded the disciples that would soon be witnesses of the fulfillment of every promise required for salvation. What they experienced would propel the disciples out into the world with a driving compulsion to share the gospel that had transformed them with a world that desperately needed transforming. Because we are born again, we have had the same transforming experience and therefore, we have the same call… “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Let your salvation experience provoke you to engage your world with the transforming power of the gospel today!

Potent disciples are propelled by the promise of the wait that empowers us. The commissioning words of Jesus were accompanied by an admonition to wait for the promise of power. Jesus promised an anointing directly from the throne of His Father that would clothe true witnesses in every age with supernatural power for the task of sharing His gospel with the world. Jesus affirmed this promise after His resurrection… “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Don’t start your day without seeking the fullness of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to share the gospel!

As we grow up into Christ, we are encouraged to engage our world with His gospel by…

The Commission that Compels Us.