Under Jesus’ Authority We Go

Jesus and His all-earth, all barrier-breaking authority

“…the authority of Jesus Christ extends [to] those nations or people who do not yet acknowledge His authority but to whom He sends us. It is this that makes Christianity a world religion. In the ancient world there were scores of ethnic religions in which a god or gods were perceived as deities of a people but whose authorities were limited to that people only. Not so with Jesus. He was born in the ancient homeland of the Jews and spent nearly the whole of His earthly ministry among them, but His religion is not Jewish. No more is it Greek or Roman or Western European or American. It is an earth-embracing religion, because Jesus has been given authority over all the earth. His religion breaks all barriers of race, culture, language, sex and status.

John Stott summarizes,
The fundamental basis of all Christian missionary enterprise is the universal authority of Jesus Christ, ‘in heaven and on earth.’ If the authority of Jesus were circumscribed on earth, if he were but one of many religious teachers, one of many Jewish prophets, one of many divine incarnations, we would have no mandate to present him to the nations as the Lord and Savior of the world. If the authority of Jesus were limited in heaven, if he had not decisively overthrown the principalities and powers, we might still proclaim him to the nations, but we could never be able to ‘turn them from darkness to light, and from the powers of Satan unto God’ (Acts 26:18). Only because all authority on earth belongs to Christ dare we go to all nations. And only because all authority in heaven as well is his have we any hope of success.”

Quote from James M. Boice, Christ’s Call to Discipleship Chicago: Moody Press, 1986, pp. 162-163.

I am grateful for this reminder from Boice and Stott. Our Saturday door-knocking efforts rest upon the authority of the earth-embracing Lordship of Jesus Christ. The varieties of people, with their circumstances, do not surprise Him. Moreover, by His Word and Spirit, He ministers to each one in well-fitted and appropriate ways in accord with their questions, objections, doubts, fears and insecurities. He works to pierce hard hearts; He works to bring refreshing water to the thirsty. Daring, we go. Confident, we speak.

G. Mark Sumpter