Go Make Disciples: Fulfillment Through Emmanuel's Presence

May 10, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Porches Crumble and Windows Crack

The image of dilapidated houses with sagging porches and boarded windows becomes a mirror for neglected spiritual stewardship. Just as physical homes decay when maintenance stops, believers risk inner emptiness when abandoning Christ’s mission. The call isn’t to perfect service but consistent obedience—showing up to “mow the yard” of discipleship even when doubt lingers. Jesus commissions the hesitant, the deniers, and the imperfect, proving qualification comes from His authority, not our merit. [42:42]

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. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.” (Matthew 28:16-20, NIV)

Reflection: What “boarded window” in your spiritual life—a neglected prayer habit, silent testimony, or unresolved doubt—needs immediate attention? How might showing up imperfectly today honor Christ’s commission?

Day 2: Choking the Bat While Locking Eyes

The little league batter’s story reveals how presence fuels mission. Striking out twice, the boy finds courage not in skill but in his coach’s nod from the stands. Likewise, believers swing at life’s pitches with Emmanuel’s gaze steady—His “I am with you” the antidote to inadequacy. Mission falters not from lack of training but forgetting the One who holds all authority. [01:16:43]

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you keep glancing at the scoreboard of others’ approval instead of locking eyes with Christ? How might His steady presence change your next swing at sharing hope?

Day 3: As You Are Going to Get Milk

“As you are going” reframes discipleship as a rhythm, not a program. The Greek “poreuomai” paints mission woven into grocery runs, gym sessions, and gas station stops. Like a home’s decay starts with skipped small repairs, spiritual vitality leaks when we compartmentalize witness to Sundays. Every errand becomes a divine appointment. [54:30]

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6, NLT)

Reflection: What mundane task this week—commuting, shopping, walking the dog—could become holy ground if approached with gospel intentionality?

Day 4: When Converted Isn’t Enough

The warning echoes: converted people attend church; transformed people bleed Christ. A house may have intact walls (doctrinal correctness) yet reek of mold (unlived truth). Just as rotting shingles betray a homeowner’s neglect, unreached neighbors notice when our Spotify playlists, road rage, or gossip contradict Sunday affirmations. [01:04:03]

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (James 1:22-24, NIV)

Reflection: What single inconsistency between your “sanctuary self” and “parking lot self” most needs Christ’s renovation?

Day 5: The Threat of Moving Feet

Satan yawns at pew-warmers but trembles at shoe-wearers. The baseball story’s power lies in the batter’s decision to step up to the plate—not his swing technique. Likewise, spiritual warfare intensifies when believers move: texting the struggling coworker, walking across the street to pray with a neighbor, sharing prison testimony at the barbershop. [01:07:43]

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15, NIV)

Reflection: What “plate” has God been calling you to step up to—a conversation, act of service, or public testimony—that your doubt has delayed?

Sermon Summary

The image of a dilapidated house names the crisis of neglected mission. Matthew 28:16 to 20 then orders the church’s steps. The mountain in Galilee takes the disciples back to where Jesus first called them, so memory can reset vocation. The risen Jesus appears, and the text shows worship rising in the same room as hesitation. That tension does not cancel calling. Jesus still draws near and commissions. Peter the denier, Thomas the prover, James and John the hotheads, Matthew the tax man, and the rest who slept in Gethsemane all stand there, and the commission still lands. Imperfect people receive a perfect mission.

Jesus grounds the mandate in his own sovereignty. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The power of the mission is not in the messenger. The power of the mission is in the Master. So the question is not can a saint be used, but will a saint obey. The verb go carries a daily rhythm. “As you are going” turns the grocery aisle, the gym, the ball game, the classroom, and the job site into fields white for harvest. A disciple is not just a believer. A disciple obeys Jesus. So the model of the church is teaching, teaching people to observe everything he commanded. Preaching may get a soul out of the world, but teaching gets the world out of the soul.

Three realities press on the heart. Unfulfilled believers are searching for purpose while skipping contribution. Creation and connection are common enough, but contribution is where joy lives. The unreached remain because aesthetics outrun obedience and conversion outruns transformation. If saints are the only Bible some neighbors read, then lifestyle must match lips. The enemy is not threatened by passive Christianity. The kingdom grows by movement. Jesus did not say sit. Jesus said go. Finally, an unfailing presence steadies trembling feet. Matthew opens with Emmanuel, God with us, and closes with “I am with you always.” Promise and fulfillment hold the mission together. Like a little leaguer locking eyes with the one who believes in him, confidence surges when presence is felt. Emmanuel goes with the church to the end of the age.

Key Takeaways

1. Neglect empties people and places Neglect turns houses into shells and souls into vacancies. Mission is not a side project but the stewarding of what Jesus entrusted. When saints stop showing up, things fall apart in neighborhoods and in hearts. Attending to the mission is the way God fills what life has drained. [42:16]
2. Jesus commissions imperfect, hesitant disciples Hesitation does not disqualify, and a past does not cancel a call. The risen Lord stands in the middle of worship and doubt and still says go. Peter’s denial, Thomas’s questions, and the others’ failures become the very backdrop that magnifies grace. Commission is anchored in his choice, not their résumé. [49:36]
3. Authority rests in the risen Master Jesus roots the mandate in his total authority, not in human skill. The power of the mission is not in the messenger, it is in the Master. Obedience, not self confidence, is the hinge on which witness swings. Saints go in borrowed strength and under borrowed authority, and that is enough. [52:46]
4. Go daily, disciple by obeying “Go” means as you are going, so ordinary streets become mission fields. A disciple is not simply inspired but trained to obey what Jesus taught. Teaching shapes habits, and habits preach louder than slogans. Obedience in the small turns errands into evangelism and routines into holy ground. [54:30]
5. Emmanuel anchors courage and movement Matthew’s Gospel opens with God with us and closes with I am with you always. Presence bookends the task so fear does not bookend the day. Saints move because they are not alone, and they endure because he does not leave. Mission without presence is anxiety, but presence turns mission into joy. [73:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[42:16] - Dilapidated houses and neglect
[44:21] - Reading Matthew 28:16-20
[47:54] - Back to Galilee and first call
[48:32] - Worship and hesitation together
[49:36] - Imperfect disciples still commissioned
[52:46] - Power in the Master, not messenger
[54:30] - Go as you are going
[56:54] - Teaching that transforms lives
[58:08] - Unfulfilled believers and contribution
[63:21] - Unreached people and real witness
[66:59] - Movement that threatens the enemy
[73:39] - Emmanuel bookends the Gospel
[75:25] - Little league story of presence
[80:42] - Invitation and comfort

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 disciples responded to Jesus with both worship and doubt (Matthew 28:17). What does this reveal about the relationship between faith and uncertainty? [48:32]
The Greek word for “go” in verse 19 can be translated as “as you are going.” How does this reframe the idea of mission in everyday life? [54:30]
Jesus emphasizes teaching people “to observe everything I have commanded” (v. 20). How does this differ from simply sharing beliefs or inspiration? [56:54]
Matthew’s Gospel begins with “God with us” (1:23) and ends with “I am with you always” (28:20). Why might this repetition matter for mission?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus chose to commission disciples who still wrestled with doubt and past failures (like Peter and Thomas)? What does this say about His view of human readiness? [49:36]
Jesus grounds the mission in His authority, not the disciples’ qualifications (v. 18). How might relying on His authority instead of our own confidence change our approach to sharing the gospel?
The sermon contrasts “converted” people (who attend church) with “transformed” people (who live like Christ). What habits or practices might mark the difference between the two? [04:03]
How does the promise of Jesus’ presence (“I am with you always”) address the fear or exhaustion that can accompany mission work?

Application questions

Where do you most often feel hesitation or doubt about sharing your faith? How could Jesus’ commissioning of imperfect disciples encourage you in that area? [49:36]
“As you are going” turns daily routines into mission fields. What is one ordinary place (e.g., gym, workplace, grocery store) where you could intentionally look for opportunities to reflect Christ this week? [54:30]
If your lifestyle is “the only Bible some people read,” what specific habit or attitude might need to change to align your actions with your testimony? [05:56]
The sermon warns that “the enemy isn’t threatened by passive Christianity.” What is one practical step you could take to move from observing faith to actively participating in God’s mission? [06:59]
How might remembering “Emmanuel is with you” (Matthew 1:23, 28:20) shift your perspective when facing a challenging conversation or situation this week?

Sermon Clips

45s

#LiveTransformed

“Converted people come to church. Transformed people live like Christ. Yeah. And I'm tired of being among people that are just converted but run when it's time to be transformed. Because if we're gonna be the ones that's standing here on earth as the voice of Jesus Christ, then we have to make sure that we are living the life that we are preaching and that we are teaching to other people. Could it be everybody that we miss the mark on people coming to church because our lifestyle does not match up with our lips. God is calling us higher.”

36s

#PowerInTheMaster

“in earth. Now, don't don't miss what happens here. Jesus does not say that all power was given to the disciples. Jesus does not say that because I have power, now you are qualified. Jesus did not say that the disciples had earned this responsibility. He says that all power is given unto me. In other words, the power of the mission is not in the messenger, the power of the mission is in the master.”

49s

#EmmanuelWithUs

“Here it is, church. The book of Matthew opens with the promise of his presence, but it also closes with the promise of his presence. And everything between of what God is trying to do is relying upon his presence being with his people. Church, don't miss it. The name of God being Emmanuel shall give us great consolation because we understand that we don't have to go day to day trying to do this thing called life by ourselves, that we don't have to try to go and make disciples by ourselves, that Emmanuel god with us promises to be with us always even until the end of time.”

35s

#CalledDespiteDoubt

“that you can believe in Jesus but you can still have questions about the things that he allows you to experience in life, that you can be at the altar, you can be praying to God but still have some uncertainty in your heart but in spite of all of the doubt that these disciples had, Jesus still commissioned them. Let the church say commissioned. those who doubted, if you notice the text, it never said that Jesus pulled them to the side.”

40s

#UseYourMouthAndFeet

“So I see that some of y'all will say, I I'm not a preacher. I'm not a I'm not a missionary. I don't have good teaching skills. Guess what? You got a mouth. And all you need are some feet and a mouth. Go and teach. That's the only two things you need to be qualified to be able to do this. And the danger that we're living in now is not a danger of rebellion. The danger that we live in now is that the saints are too silent.”

33s

#DisciplesAreObeyers

“The mission should be twenty four seven, three sixty five because there is always somebody that we come in contact with that does not know our savior, Jesus Christ. Yeah. Yeah. And I see some of you are asking me or looking at me like, well, what is a disciple? Well, I'm I'm glad you asked. A disciple is this, a disciple is not just a believer, but a disciple is someone who obeys the teaching of Jesus Christ. Somebody say obey. Obey.”

37s

#QuitPlayingChurch

“It's time for us to get out of this playing church. It's time for us to get out of this. I only come to church on Sundays when I feel like it. It's time for us to get out of this habit of understanding or living a life that I'm only gonna come in here when it's convenient for me, when it's comfortable for me, but when they make me mad, when pastor preached something that does not allow with what I wanna hear, then I'm ghost because God is saying that it's not the church that transform people, it is his word that transform people.”

36s

#YouAreTheBible

“the truth is, I feel my help now. The truth is this, you are the only bible that some people read. And if you're the only bible that some people read, what are they learning? Are they learning how to cuss? Are they learning how to worship? Are they learning how to go off? Are they learning how to bow down and worship? Are they learning how to gossip? Are they learning how to pray? If people look at your life, what are you peep teaching people through your lifestyle?”

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Go Make Disciples: Fulfillment Through Emmanuel's Presence

Devotional

Day 1: When Porches Crumble and Windows Crack

Day 2: Choking the Bat While Locking Eyes

Day 3: As You Are Going to Get Milk

Day 4: When Converted Isn’t Enough

Day 5: The Threat of Moving Feet

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Go Make Disciples: Fulfillment Through Emmanuel's Presence

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