By Christin Ditchfield Lazo
Feast of the Ascension
A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Meditation
What keeps you from sharing your faith with your friends and neighbors? Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus said to spread the good news of the gospel everywhere. And this “Great Commission” is for all who believe, not just those with the “gift of evangelism.” In Acts 1:8, Jesus told his disciples, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It’s such an awesome privilege and responsibility to carry on his work, his ministry in the world! So what keeps us from doing what Jesus said?
A lot of people admit they’re afraid they might “do it wrong” — they’re not sure they know all the right things to say. It’s easy to forget that at the most basic level, to be a “witness” means to tell others what we have seen or heard.
It turns out that one of the most powerful ways to share the gospel is to follow the instructions Jesus gave to a man he had just healed in Mark 5:19: “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.”
To be his witnesses, we don’t have to quote the words of noted scholars and theologians. We don’t have to have memorized the right verses, cleverly constructing a persuasive argument or engaging in a debate.
We just need to be open and willing to share our story. To simply and honestly express what we have experienced for ourselves — to introduce others to the wonderful savior we have come to know and love.
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Christin Ditchfield Lazo, M.A. (Bible and Theology), is a best-selling author, conference speaker, and syndicated radio host, passionate about calling believers to a deeper life of faith.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Waco, Texas
The Diocese of Busan (Anglican Church of Korea)
