My journey in the gospels 2

Reading Matthew 16 to 28 today, I highlighted that power is not given to make me stay, it is given to make me go.

In Matthew 16, Jesus said "I will give you the keys of the kingdom."

Keys are for opening doors, not for holding.

In Matthew 17, He took Peter, James and John up the mountain and showed them His glory. Peter wanted to build tents and stay there, but Jesus brought them back down. They came down to the mountain where there was a boy tormented by a devil that the other disciples could not heal. The assignment wasn’t on the mountain, but down, where people are.

Jesus healed him and said in verse 21, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

That is exactly what Furnace is doing to us. For 30 days we are on the mountain in prayer and fasting, but not to remain there. God is building capacity in us to handle things in the valley, down there, where people are.

As I read further, I saw that before Jesus released power to them, He taught them service. In Matthew 20:26, He said whosoever will be great must be a servant. Power in God's kingdom is not for oppression, it is for service. It is for doing good works.

Finally, in Matthew 28:18-20, He tied everything together. He said "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations... and lo, I am with you always."

All power is given, therefore GO. Preach boldly, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead as He said in Matthew 10:8.

We have a mandate, an instruction to go, but what’s more beautiful to see is an assurance of His presence. “lo, I am with you always”. It shows that we can be confident of God’s presence when we’re in obedience, when we’re doing what He has asked us to do.

The Lord is teaching me that the evidence that I really encountered power in Furnace is not how loud I pray in church, but how bold I am to preach Jesus outside, and how willing I am to do good, heal the sick and lift burdens in my everyday life.