Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Acts 4:1-22
Unschooled, Ordinary Men Spreading the Word
1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.
5 The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
Jesus gave the Eleven disciples all the authority in heaven and on earth to make disciples of all nations, and to baptize those people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...He ask the Eleven to obey everything He had commanded...And surely He would be with them always, to the very end of the age...What a small number to start a world wide movement -eleven...But when really look at this -it started with One...
Jesus came, He taught, He died, and He resurrected...But that is one large understatement...He was the most unique Man, to ever walk the earth...He taught and said some most unusual things...His word and teachings are still around two thousand years since His death, and will certainly be around for another two thousand years...In fact, His word will be around until the very end of the age...He ask this small group of eleven men to spread the word of the Trinity...This small group of eleven would elect a fellow follower and get back to the sacred number of Twelve...The Twelve would go up against the beliefs of the officials and law of the time and confound the powerful...How could this happen?...His influence would be the most unique of any Man ever to walk the earth -and it remains with us today...
The original Great Commission would start with eleven and would grow tremendously...Jesus would also later recruit a Pharisee on the road to Damascus to be His vessel and instrument to contact and teach the Gentiles about Him and His teachings...This recruit would become a part of the early Great Commission...The word would spread, and the followers of Jesus would grow, and in looking back would grow quickly...But during all of this, for a couple hundred of years, many of these early followers of Jesus were persecuted and killed -for believing in Him...These early apostles would teach the love of God and the love of their neighbors...They helped the poor, the widows, and the desperate...Status was not in Jesus' vocabulary and teachings...These groups followed the charity and love of the early apostles and the numbers grew so quickly that the Roman Empire, which originally did not recognize Jesus (they had Him crucified as a criminal) turned to Him as the next great world religion...In 313 a.d. the Emperor of Rome, Constantine would make it illegal for those to persecute believers in Jesus, in the Edict of Milan...This Edict would legalize Christian worship of Jesus...
The early apostles and followers of Jesus were uniquely blessed...They allowed His Mighty Words and deeds to continue...Today His word is as fresh and alive as when He first gave it to the Eleven...Today we are His apostles, we are to continue to spread the word to the world...And although man still looks for status and power and wealth, followers still see that power is not found in money, position, or a throne -but from a cross...