Have you wondered what the disciples (and other believers) did the week after they witnessed the Resurrection of our Lord? Were they bold enough to share what they had witnessed, sensed and experienced? Did they go back home and share with their families and friends all of this? Were there times when they were ‘just overwhelmed by it all’?
Do you think they grouped together through the week, reliving the things Jesus had done and taught them? I do! I think the Spirit of God was so strong among them they became bonded like never before. They prayed together, shared together, witnessed to others around them, and drew on the power of the Holy Spirit. The early church was being birthed. (Mark 16:20; John 20: 19-31).
The disciples had their work cut out for them: “to go into all the world.” Now that might have posed a problem for some then as well as now! But remember if God calls, He prepares, and that means He opens doors that have been locked tightly. No boundaries were placed on this call to “Make Disciples”! And just how is that done?
We know we cannot do it ourselves. It is not like taking a cookie-cutter and suddenly you have a dozen disciples around you. No, this takes time, lots of prayer, preaching and teaching the Word, total commitment to go and being faithful to all of His commands. Often times, those who need the Good News are not willing to receive it. But when the Holy Spirit does His work in the heart and mind of those who hear the Word, the planted seed begins to grow – a ‘disciple’ is in the making.
Baptism is a ‘sealing event.’ It is an outward expression of what has already happened in the heart. It is a public testimony to everyone that a person believes “Jesus died for his sin, Jesus was buried like a dead man, but He arose from the grave and sits at the right hand of The Father.” So baptism is a picture of what has already happened: we “bury the old sinful life (when we are plunged under the water) and we are raised to new life in Christ.” He said, ‘do your homework…. all those things you have heard Me say and do, teach them to others, challenging them to obey my commands.’
Jesus concluded his earthly ministry by this everlasting, powerful promise: “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age. Amen.” (Matt. 28: 16-20). Mark 16:19-20 tells that Jesus was ‘taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God’. And the disciples did go out and preached everywhere. The Holy Spirit guided them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it. Luke 24: 50-52 tells that after Christ ascended to the Father, the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy and stayed continually at the temple, praising God. John’s Gospel records many events the Risen Lord shared with His disciples after His Resurrection.
John 21 shows Him ministering and teaching among the disciples before His ascension to the Father. As John concludes his Gospel, note what he said about Jesus and His teachings: “If all of the things Jesus did were written down, the world would not have room for the books that would be written.” What an affirmation to the Resurrected Lord.
Now what will we do as a result of Sunday’s observance of the Resurrection of Jesus? Will we go or stay put? Will we be a silent witness or be bold under the leadership of the Holy Spirit? Will we make witnessing intentional or leave it to ‘chance’?
If you are still unclear how all of this worked out in the lives of the disciples, turn to the Book of Acts and see what happened when the Holy Spirit invaded their lives and took control. In the days between the Resurrection and the Day of Pentecost, the disciples had much to think and pray about, but they had much to do as well. And the Scriptures indicate they did not sit down and wait. They selected among them one to replace Judas. They also went about seeking to fulfill the Great Commission.
This is still His mandate for us today. The Great Commission has not been repealed or overruled…yet! What will you do now that we are on this side of the cross, the resurrection and the Great Commission? Let us go, teach, reach, baptize and make disciples- beginning here in Minden and then to the far corners of the world.
Good News April 23, 2025
Bill Crider, Chaplain
Minden Medical Center