“The LORD said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you. I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing. I wiil bless those who bless you. But I will curse those who curse you. And through you I will bless all the nations.” -Genesis 12:1-3
GO..GOD is a commissioner…why His first two letters of His name is GO! As I was meditating on these verses found in the first book of the Bible, the seal of my heart opened and the Author of the tablet of my heart showed me a similar commission in Matthew 10:5-14, where Jesus commissioned the Twelve on their first run of being evangelists:
“These twelve men were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions: ‘Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. Instead, you are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid. Do no carry any gold, silver, or copper money to your pockets; do not carry a beggar’s bag for the trip or an extra shirt or shoes or a walking stick. Workers should be given what they need. When you come to a town or village, go in and look for someone who is willing to welcome you, and stay with him until you leave that place. When you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with you.’ If the people in that house welcome you, let your greeting of peace remain; but if they do not welcome you, then take back your greeting. And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet.”
Yet, it is interesting that Jesus gave instructions to His twelve disciples to go to the lost people of Israel and to preach, “The Kingdom of heaven is near!”; whereas, after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, He instructs His disciples to now “Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Why was the evangelistic and discipleship scope broaden? It was to fulfill the LORD’s promise He made to Abram. When the LORD spoke to Abram about blessing all nations through him (read Genesis 12:3), the LORD was talking about the blessing through Abram’s “seed”, who was the prophesied and promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, the One who was to take away the sin of the world. This prophecy pointed to Jesus, God’s Son.
In Matthew 28:18, right before Jesus commissioned His disciples, He declares His full authority and power to make such a commission: “I have been given ALL authority in heaven and on earth” (emphasis mine). When someone is given “ALL”, there is nothing left to give to any other. No one else in heaven and on earth has all (the fullness of) authority, except Jesus. Jesus is Supreme over everything, everyone, and every matter. What a powerful concept!
As we, Jesus’ disciples, have been authorized to GO and obey what He commanded us to do, all nations will be blessed as GOD promised Abram. The LORD will bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us. He will be with us always, to the end of the age.
