The battle of Armageddon will be a tragic day. The Old Testament Prophets call it the Day of the Lord because the battle for Jerusalem will usher in Judgment Day for all of humanity. But what if the strategy to win the battle is not in mighty military power but rather in the Grace and Love of God burning in in the hearts of HIS people?

Armageddon will be real.

The day of battle with be vicious and tragic.

But the LORD wins not by military might but rather through the Grace of HIS Word that will burn in a Caldron igniting a fire of preaching and melting the hearts of the nations. Wow!

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[6] “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.

[7] “And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. [8] On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them.” — Zechariah 12:6-8

Devoted to Prayer

The opening chapter of Luke's account of the Acts of the Apostles lays the groundword for the work of the Spirit of God through the Church. Jesus commanded the disciples to go to Jerusalem where the promise of the Holy Spirit would come (vv 1-5). Then the twelve expected Jesus to restore the kingdom to Israel (v 6). Jesus then ascended back to the Father in Heaven (vv 7-11).

Our LORD was faithful to the Father’s intent for the Son and passed that call to faithfulness to the Church. Today’s passage will show us the faithfulness that the early Church had to one another as they united in prayerful faithfulness to Christ.

"All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers"

Luke tells us what the apostles and the 'others with them' did during the ten days in Jerusalem as Jesus instructed.

They were all together.

They were devoted.

They were praying.

It’s a beautiful kind of fellowship; it’s a sweet kind of fellowship.

So the work of redemption was completed on the cross as far as the sacrifice of Christ is concerned.

However, the work of gathering the redeemed goes on, and it continued in that first generation of the church through the apostles, and then through the church as the apostles established the church. This is the history of the good news in the fallen world.

The spel and the establishment of churches passed to Jesus' disciples.  They become the first wave of evangelists and preachers that went out to gather the redeemed and to establish the church.

So this is the history of the church, and this history goes on until the last person in the plan of God is redeemed and the kingdom of God is fulfilled.

A massive undertaking, Jesus commanded his disciples to take the gospel of repentance and salvation to every person on the planet.  That would be beyond our wildest imagination. Just the massive nature of such a task is daunting to even think about, let alone to be assumed, by powerless people ... educationally, academically, religiously.

These are the ones Jesus chose for the job. Disobedient, fickle, yet loyal, disciples.

They were inadequate for the task of the Great Commission. Yet Jesus chose them. He chose them to receive the gift of the Helper, the promise, the Holy Spirit, so that the task of kingdom building through heart transformations of sinners could be accomplished.

Jesus had a 40-day period between His resurrection and His asor them to finish what He started ... to go out and preach the gospel and plant churches in such a way that it extended throughout all of human history and across the globe.

These disciples had to 'wait' until the Father in Heaven sent 'the promise' before they were to go and tell the world the good news. Without this 'Helper' ... their words and actions would be ineffective. The promise was that HIS Spirit would dwell with HIS people ... no longer in a separated holy of holies in the temple ... but HE would dwell within them ... in their hearts ... changing their very souls.

So the work of redemption was completed on the cross as far as the sacrifice of Christ is concerned.

However, the work of gathering the redeemed goes on, and it continued in that first generation of the church through the apostles, and then through the church as the apostles established the church. This is the history of the good news in the fallen world.

The responsibility for the proclamation of the gospel and the establishment of churches passed to Jesus' disciples.  They become the first wave of evangelists and preachers that went out to gather the redeemed and to establish the church.

So this is the history of the church, and this history goes on until the last person in the plan of God is redeemed and the kingdom of God is fulfilled.

A massive undertaking, Jesus commanded his disciples to take the gospel of repentance and salvation to every person on the planet.  That would be beyond our wildest imagination. Just the massive nature of such a task is daunting to even think about, let alone to be assumed, by powerless people ... educationally, academically, religiously.

These are the ones Jesus chose for the job. Disobedient, fickle, yet loyal, disciples.

They were inadequate for the task of the Great Commission. Yet Jesus chose them. He chose them to receive the gift of the Helper, the promise, the Holy Spirit, so that the task of kingdom building through heart transformations of sinners could be accomplished.

Jesus had a 40-day period between His resurrection and His ascension to provide the essential tools for them to finish what He started ... to go out and preach the gospel and plant churches in such a way that it extended throughout all of human history and across the globe.

These disciples had to 'wait' until the Father in Heaven sent 'the promise' before they were to go and tell the world the good news. Without this 'Helper' ... their words and actions would be ineffective. The promise was that HIS Spirit would dwell with HIS people ... no longer in a separated holy of holies in the temple ... but HE would dwell within them ... in their hearts ... changing their very souls.

This podcast feed hosts the public teaching ministry of Dr. Bryant K. Owens. I am an independent scholar exploring Christian Studies in today’s secular world. I believe that thoughtful Christianity can bring meaningful change in our churches, classrooms, homes, and communities. With years of experience as both a pastor and educator, I am passionate about the historical Christian worldview and the classical, Socratic approach to learning. My work draws from theology, philosophy, ethics, and the humanities, always with a heart for making faith thoughtful and life-giving.

https://bryantowens.substack.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbryantowens/

Jesus' 40 days with his disciples began in Galilee and ended near Jerusalem. Whereas Jesus'

commission to the disciples in Matthew 28:16-20 was in Galilee, further discipleship occurred

near Jerusalem. This passage in Luke's account was an appearance of Jesus to his disciples

following his encounter with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.

Jesus ‘opened their minds to understand the Scriptures' concerning himself. Part of the forty

days of discipleship was to illuminate the understanding of who Jesus was but also

understanding of the purpose of the gospel. True understanding of the Scriptures was granted

so that the disciples understood how all of redemptive history fit together. This was a gift of God

to the disciples.

Furthermore, that illumination seemed to be an act of Jesus while he was present. But Jesus

also taught his disciples that he would leave so that the Helper would come. This “Helper” would

be the source of illumination concerning Christ and the Scriptures. The “Helper” would also be

the source of illumination of the sinner about his sin when the faithful disciples proclaimed the

promise of salvation in the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught the important lesson of the proclamation of the gospel by citing some of the old

testament prophets. A key lesson Jesus taught in his discipleship of the eleven (and others ...

up to 500) was the understanding of the Scriptures. It is in this lesson in Jerusalem before his

ascension that the lesson from the prophets defined what the proclamation would be from these

disciples. They were witnesses to the gospel.

Here is the gospel according to Jesus and the common prophecies of Isaiah and other minor

prophets

This podcast feed hosts the public teaching ministry of Dr. Bryant K. Owens. I am an independent scholar exploring Christian Studies in today’s secular world. I believe that thoughtful Christianity can bring meaningful change in our churches, classrooms, homes, and communities. With years of experience as both a pastor and educator, I am passionate about the historical Christian worldview and the classical, Socratic approach to learning. My work draws from theology, philosophy, ethics, and the humanities, always with a heart for making faith thoughtful and life-giving.

https://bryantowens.substack.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbryantowens/

All action has some purpose. The preaching/proclaiming of the gospel is action. Therefore

preaching/proclaiming the gospel must have purpose.

But let's pause and consider what has purpose in this statement: "preach the gospel". Is it the

act of preaching that has purpose? Is it the gospel that has purpose? Preaching as an action

can have any number of subjects to proclaim. Marketing executives can preach the value of a

product or service. A politician can preach a political agenda. An evangelist preaches the

gospel.

Matthew closes his gospel with what the church now calls The Great Commission. It is a lesson

from Jesus to HIS disciples to make disciples, baptizing them, teaching them. This passage has

been affectionately dubbed, "The railroad terminal through which all of Matthew runs."

This is not a lesson in individualism. This is a lesson in dependent unity. Jesus speaks to 'them'

and commands 'them' to make disciples of 'them' by baptizing 'them' and teaching 'them'. The

only sense of singularity here is in the assurance that Jesus is with 'them'. "I AM with you

always".

This is a lesson in discipleship in that HIS church will not be alone in this commission. It is a

lesson for the faithful now to trust in Christ as we proclaim the gospel, HE makes disciples. It is

a lesson clearly intended to encourage and affirm that though we doubt and fear this commission,

we are not alone. Christ is with us even as we stand in fear and joy of this great calling to make

disciples. In Christ Alone we do this. In Christ Alone we can.

This podcast feed hosts the public teaching ministry of Dr. Bryant K. Owens. I am an independent scholar exploring Christian Studies in today’s secular world. I believe that thoughtful Christianity can bring meaningful change in our churches, classrooms, homes, and communities. With years of experience as both a pastor and educator, I am passionate about the historical Christian worldview and the classical, Socratic approach to learning. My work draws from theology, philosophy, ethics, and the humanities, always with a heart for making faith thoughtful and life-giving.

https://bryantowens.substack.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbryantowens/

The journey through the gospel of Matthew has been a true joy for me. I have loved

every moment. We have lived out together the joy of chapter-by-chapter, line-by-line,

bible study, and biblical expository preaching.

We conclude the exposition of Matthew in the final chapter. This chapter shares the joy,

the fear, the excitement, and the doubts of the witnesses to Jesus' resurrection. God's

Word blesses us and grants us the privilege of reading the resurrection account through

Matthew's eyes.

Matthew shows us a common theme throughout his gospel in the relationship between

Jesus and his disciples. From the first calling of Peter & Andrew (brothers) along with

James and John (also brothers) [Matthew 4:18–22]. Jesus called and the disciples

followed. This theme reached a climax in the hours after Jesus' resurrection. The

women at the tomb ran with joy. The remaining eleven of the original twelve disciples

hid in fear. Jesus led. He called. Then the disciples (both men and women) followed to

Galilee where they met Jesus. Then Jesus taught them. Then the Apostles waited..

At this point of the resurrection narrative, the inner circle of twelve were not yet granted

the apostolic office. They were disciples, students, of Jesus although the twelve (by

then only eleven) hid in Jerusalem. The fear of facing their own crucifixions was mingled

with intense grief.

But the lesson in this passage concerning the resurrected Jesus interacting with the

faithful women who came to his empty tomb will show us the tension between Jesus'

lead in calling his disciples to 'go' and their obedience to 'wait.' Go and wait. This is a

tension even now in the life of the Christian. This is how the Christian follows.

Jesus calls all of his beloved to 'go' and tell the truth of the resurrection that leads to

repentance and forgiveness of sin. But then he calls us to 'wait' ... wait and follow rather

than running ahead of the lead of our LORD.

Let's dig into Matthew 28:5-10 today and glean the intent of our LORD in calling his

faithful to "go and follow."