In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said “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 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In Matthew’s Gospel the Great Commission is presented with the assurance, “I am with you.” When it comes to Jesus and being a Christian, you can be rest assured, you are never alone!
The Great Commission comes with many challenges. I remember a number of years ago, sharing with my Great Aunt, a real God fearing woman, some of my struggles in the ministry and she said “The Apostle Paul was stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, spent many years in prison for the Gospel, you’ve still got a long way to go before you’re matching his struggles, stay true to your call!” Now I don’t know if she was trying to encourage me or discourage me at this point; but it always good to be reminded that those that have gone before us, haven’t always had it easy!
In those moments in life where we struggle it can very easy to feel like we are struggling all alone. That’s why Jesus gave us this reminder – “I am with you always – you are not alone!” Knowing you are never alone is a powerful and wonderful assurance! A very encouraging thought! Knowing God is with you and for you fills your heart and life with courage to attempt great things for God.
The Great Commission is a daunting task. The International Bulletin of Missionary Research 2014 update indicates that 29.2% of the world is unevangelized and that the world’s population will surpass 7.2 billion people mid-2014. So just about 2.1 billion people in the world are unevangelized. A simple calculation (150,685 people who die per day times 29.2%) shows that 44,000 people perish each day without hearing the Good News.
God knows the need is great, the hour is late and the laborers are few. He reminds us that He’s always with us because there are times it can be discouraging making the decision to preach the Gospel. And today in your life, maybe you have taken some steps to reach out to those who don’t know Christ and you’ve become discouraged. You may be faced with some challenges leaving you feeling like you are all alone. I want to encourage you, you are not alone, Jesus will never leave you! God is with you, He is for you and He will make a way for you!
