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Pray for ONE Reading Plan | Week 3 | Day 4
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. Thank God that He forgives your sins and shows you mercy and grace every day!
Bible Reading: Matthew 28:18-20
Read these verses three times slowly.
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 teachingthem to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Reflection & Questions
By Pastor Dan Chapin.
People’s encouragement to us means more to us if it comes from a place of authority. If you four year old tells you, “wow you tie your shoes really well” – let’s be real, that’s cute but it’s not much of a compliment. Why? Because he doesn’t know how to tie his own shoes. He doesn’t even know about the two bunny ears and how they go loopy, loop around each other. He is directing and encouraging from a place of no experience, and no authority.
In the great commission Jesus says “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” So basically, Jesus starts off this challenging call on the disciples’ lives by saying “I have all authority.” Meaning that if he gives a direction, you better believe there is power behind it, there is meaning greater than we could imagine, there is going to be movement no matter how scary because he has the authority. Jesus has seen it all. Literally, He sees the beginning of time and the end of it. Jesus has all authority, which means he can encourage and tell us to do anything. Not because He is a dictator but because He just simply knows better.
What does he tell the disciples to do with His authority backing them? He calls them to GO and to MAKE disciples. Jesus calls people to step outside of what they know, in order to go make disciples. To travel the earth. To travel across to foreign lands.In order to teach what it means to follow Jesus. These disciples were being called to MAKE disciples. A disciple is one who follows Jesus, and reproduces Jesus in someone else. A disciple makes disciples who makes disciples who makes disciples who… I think you get the point. Christianity is only global because of the mission Christ put that initial small group of Jewish young adults on. Jesus said, GO and MAKE disciples, and they did.
- Based on this passage, what do you think it means to be a disciple of Jesus?
- How can you live out being a disciple who makes disciples?
Prayer
God I want to follow you with my life, but I also want others to know and follow you too. Help me to live a life of making disciples.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
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Questions?
Ed Applegate
