Go: Living the Great Commission in Everyday Life

Devotional

Day 1: Worship When Doubt Lingers in the Room

The disciples stood face-to-face with the resurrected Jesus yet some still wrestled with uncertainty. Their worship wasn’t contingent on perfect faith but on the reality of Christ’s presence. Doubt doesn’t disqualify discipleship—it refines it. Even when questions linger, we kneel. The act of worship becomes the bridge between our fragile faith and Christ’s unshakable authority. What matters isn’t the absence of doubt but the presence of the One who holds all answers. [38:56]

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16–17, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you feel doubt whispering loudest today? How might offering worship in that tension become an act of defiance against fear?

Day 2: All Authority, Everywhere, Always

Jesus’ declaration of total authority wasn’t a boast but an anchor. Every corner of creation—seen and unseen—bends to His reign. This includes the chaos we can’t control and the hidden struggles we can’t name. When He says “all,” He means the cancer diagnosis, the fractured relationship, the silent anxiety. His authority isn’t a theological concept but a living reality that reshapes how we face tomorrow. [40:56]

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18, NIV)

Reflection: What situation feels outside God’s control to you right now? How might Jesus’ claim over “all authority” recalibrate your prayers about it?

Day 3: Go: The First Commandment of Faith

Jesus didn’t say “think” or “feel” or “plan”—He said “go.” Movement is the heartbeat of discipleship. We don’t wait for certainty or perfection; we stumble forward in the momentum of obedience. The disciples left that mountain with dirt on their sandals, not doctrinal charts in their hands. Faith becomes tangible in the going—the messy, inconvenient, risk-filled act of stepping into the world He’s already claimed. [43:22]

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19a, NIV)

Reflection: What “going” have you been postponing until you feel ready? How might you take one imperfect step this week?

Day 4: Discipleship as Death and New Life

Baptism’s water drowns old identities to resurrect new ones. Discipleship isn’t self-improvement but self-surrender—a daily burial of what we were to embrace who Christ is making us. Like clay jars, we crack to reveal the treasure within. The call isn’t to mimic Jesus but to be hollowed out enough for His life to pulse through our brokenness. [46:36]

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4, NIV)

Reflection: What part of your “old self” still fights against being buried? How might Christ’s resurrection life want to break through there?

Day 5: Endurance in the Company of Always

“Surely” isn’t a hopeful guess—it’s a blood-sealed promise. Jesus’ presence isn’t tied to our perception of it. He strides with us through liminal spaces and ordinary Tuesdays, through graduations and funerals, through courage and collapse. Our endurance isn’t gritted-teeth survival but leaning into the “always” of His nearness. The end of the age will find Him still here, still holding us. [49:43]

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you need to stop striving to “feel” God’s presence and simply trust His “always”? How might this shift your posture today?

Sermon Summary

Matthew sets the scene on a mountain in Galilee where the risen Jesus meets the eleven. The text shows worship rising up even as “some doubted,” refusing to pretend that faith erases bewilderment. Jesus answers that mix of awe and uncertainty by declaring, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” That claim becomes the engine of everything that follows. The “therefore” sends disciples into action that is grounded, not in bravado, but in the settled sovereignty of Christ.

Eastertide has taught that God is not pulling away. Christ’s ascension is not distance, it is nearness. The promise shifts from with to within, moving intimacy from proximity to indwelling. Intimacy becomes “into me see,” an invitation to look into the heart of God as God fills a people with God’s own life. Ordinary time then becomes the field where extraordinary interruptions keep calling the church deeper.

Jesus meets disciples in a liminal hour that sounds like graduations, ordinations, and thresholds. The powers scheme, fear tightens, and yet the risen Lord stands and speaks. Doubt does not disqualify; worship happens anyway. The authority of Christ steadies anxious hearts and unburdens anxious hands. If nothing lies outside his rule, then nothing lies outside his care. The command flows: go. The mission is not passive belief or correct vocabulary. It is movement.

Matthew’s commission is stubbornly inclusive—“all nations.” The call resists imperial coercion and grows by holy invitation. Disciples are not recruited into brands but apprenticed into a life that looks like Jesus, where self-will yields to the will of the One who sends. Baptism enacts dying and rising, turning backs on the old world and stepping into the kingdom’s newness. Teaching aims at obedience—“observe and keep”—so that doctrine becomes a practiced way, not just a mastered idea.

Christ closes with the promise that makes endurance possible: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” If his presence endures, then the church endures, persevering in action, worship, and witness. The word commission can be heard as co-mission: joined to Christ and joined to one another, across congregations, not competing but conspiring in love. The Table feeds this going. Burdens are laid down, bread and cup are received, and then the single-word summons sounds again across time—go.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ’s ascension draws God closer Ascension is not absence. The promise shifts from with to within, so the center of gravity in the Christian life moves from chasing presence to bearing presence. The Spirit makes the people themselves the tangible witness of God’s nearness. That reframes ordinary time as the arena of holy intimacy. [30:00]
2. Worship can coexist with real doubt Matthew does not edit hesitation out of the room. Reverence and questions stand shoulder to shoulder before the risen Christ, and he still entrusts the mission. Doubt, then, becomes a place for obedience, not a pause button on faith. Action can lead understanding when understanding is slow to arrive. [38:56]
3. “All authority” grounds fearless mission The therefore rests on sovereignty. If nothing sits outside Christ’s rule, then nothing can finally sabotage his work. Courage comes, not from temperament, but from trusting the One who sends and goes with his people. The command to go is freedom from anxiety, not fuel for it. [40:33]
4. Evangelism invites, never coerces “All nations” does not mean conquest; it means welcome. The life that looks like Jesus draws people by beauty, not threat, and receives them into a community shaped by the cross, not by control. Invitation honors the image of God in the other and trusts the Spirit’s timing more than human pressure. [45:24]
5. Teaching aims at obedient practice Instruction is not complete until it becomes muscle memory. “Teach them to obey” moves truth from head to habits, from notes to a way of life. The church hands on a pattern that can be kept, so that love is learned by doing and Jesus becomes recognizable in a people. [48:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:10] - Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:16-20
[27:58] - Eastertide to Trinity Sunday
[30:00] - God draws closer within us
[31:17] - Ordinary time and holy interruptions
[32:22] - Calling, ordination, and co-witnesses
[35:50] - Liminal thresholds and graduates
[37:01] - Empty tomb, fear, and plots
[38:56] - Worship that includes doubt
[40:33] - “All authority” and the therefore
[44:24] - All nations without exception
[45:24] - Invitation over coercion
[46:36] - Baptismal dying and rising
[48:37] - Teach to obey, not just think
[49:18] - “I am with you always”

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 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, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Observation Questions

The passage says some disciples worshiped Jesus “but some doubted” even as He stood before them. What does this reveal about the relationship between doubt and worship?
Jesus grounds His command to “go” in His claim of “all authority in heaven and on earth.” How does this connection between authority and action shape the mission?
The sermon emphasized that “all nations” means inclusive invitation, not coercion. How does the language of “make disciples” differ from forced conversion? [45:24]
Jesus links “teaching” with “obeying” (or “observe and keep”). What does this imply about the goal of learning? [48:37]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus highlight His universal authority before giving the Great Commission? How does this address fear or hesitation in disciples? [40:33]
The sermon said, “Doubt becomes a place for obedience, not a pause button on faith.” How can doubt coexist with action, and why is this important for discipleship?
Baptism is described as “dying to the world and stepping into the kingdom’s newness.” What does this symbolize about the transformation required to follow Jesus? [46:36]
The Trinity is called a “mystery” that frees us from limiting God. How might over-explaining God hinder faith, and how does mystery deepen trust? [47:21]

Application Questions

Where do you feel doubt creeping into your faith? How can you still choose to worship or act in obedience even in that uncertainty?
Jesus’ authority over “all things” means nothing lies outside His care. What situation feels out of your control right now, and how can His sovereignty steady your heart?
The sermon stressed evangelism as “invitation, not coercion.” Who in your life could you gently invite to see God’s love through your actions rather than pressure?
“Teaching aims at obedient practice, not just mastered ideas.” What’s one teaching of Jesus you know in your head but struggle to live out? What small step could you take this week to “observe and keep” it?
The promise “I am with you always” is meant to fuel endurance. When have you felt God’s presence strengthen you in a liminal season (e.g., transitions, grief, waiting)? How can you lean into that promise today? [49:43]
Ordinary time is called the “arena of holy intimacy.” What mundane part of your routine (work, chores, errands) could become a space to practice bearing God’s presence?

Sermon Clips

45s

“Now I will tell you I have a worry about this and and throughout the history of the church, people have interpreted this in many ways. One of the ways I think has been least helpful over the history of our church is the imperialistic view where we thought that meant go to other nations and under force and duress or under sword or gunpoint to Christ. We've had evangelists over history who forced people into baptism, who made them convert, and it would be a terrible thing for me not to acknowledge that very ugly form of evangelism. Evangelism, I believe, and what Jesus demonstrates is about an invitation, not forcefully putting people on their knees.”

35s

“It's about living in such a way that when people look at us, they're invited in, and they're they're drawn in, and they say, look at you. Tell me about your God. In your life, as we teach, we teach through the lives we lead a lot more than the words we speak. We don't convert to denominations and rituals. We instead convert to become disciples. Didn't say make Methodists of all nations. It didn't say make Catholics of all nations. It said make disciples of all nations.”

49s

“So they're there, they saw, they worshiped, Jesus comes among them and says, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. I want to stop there for a second because everything in this scripture predicates on this little sentence right here. There then Jesus came said, all authority is in heaven and earth has been given to me. The very next word is therefore. Let me talk a little bit. This is all authority. It's not some. It's all. It's not all authority on Earth. It's all authority in heaven and Earth. And I want you to hear something here. If Jesus, our teacher, our master, our lord, the one that would take on everything to reveal god's love for us, if he has all authority in heaven and on earth, then where does he not have authority?”

28s

“You can't name it. His authority over it all, which, by the way, should be really reassuring for us. We should take counsel in that. We should take trust in that. We should hold faith in that that Jesus has it all under control. I got your back, he's saying. I'm here. I got it all. There's nothing in heaven, nothing in earth that I'm not there. I'm not a part of, and we should take confidence in that.”

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Christ UMC Oregon, OH This sermon · AI assistant

What does the command therefore imply for Christians?

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