The Authority and Power of “Go”!

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And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19a, ESV).

When Jesus revealed that “all authority” had been given to Him, the next thing he told the Apostles was to “Go!” Most Christians agree that we need to share Jesus; however, we forget the authority that comes with going in His name.

My father-in-law was in a nursing home suffering from kidney failure with little time left before passing into eternity. Though he was a good man and a great father-in-law, the family had never heard him profess Jesus as Lord and Savior. I knew it was my responsibility to ask him about his relationship with God, so I left my house one morning to drive over and talk with him about Jesus.

It’s difficult to discuss the topic of salvation with family members, but it’s also necessary. If not us, then who? On the drive to the nursing home, I prayed for two things: first, that no one would be in his room to interrupt the conversation, and second, that I’d know the right words to present the gospel.

As I entered the nursing home, I felt confidence that overpowered my nerves. No one was in the room that morning, and though I’ve prayed with hundreds to accept Jesus, I spoke words and thoughts I’d never used before. About 45 minutes after entering the room, I prayed with my father-in-law to accept Jesus.

I was walking in the “all authority” that Jesus promised to us when we obey and “Go!”

In Scripture, we find another “Go!” command in the Gospel of Mark…

Then He (Jesus) said to them in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Yes, another emphatic “Go!,” but the word “authority” isn’t used; instead, we find in verses 17 and 18 how we can expect this “authority” to manifest when we obey and “Go!”

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Being the picayune scholastic type, some English translations of these verses are considered suspect because they aren’t found in two of the most important early manuscripts of the New Testament. However, as an obstinate conservative with Scripture, I’ve always accepted them!

Because we walk in the authority of Jesus, I believe in miracles, which often occur when we “Go!” As a pastor for 54 years, I’ve often heard testimonies of the Lord speaking, dreams of Jesus or angels, and healings occurring in the lives of those just before they accept Jesus. These signs caused the tipping point from non-believer to a follower of Christ. 

Craig Keener, in his massive book Miracles, documents thousands of miracles over the last 2,000 years of church history and connects the intensity of miracles flourishing during periods of revival with missionaries entering previously “unreached” areas of the world.

Authority, power, and signs become our companions when we “Go!”