For he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles. (Galatians 2.8)

How is Jesus involved in our mission to reach the lost? We know He is the one who called His disciples to the great commission. As His feet left the mountaintop and ascended into the heavens His words echoed into their hearts to go and make disciples of all nations. We are commanded to baptize them in His triune name; to teach the way. In our fervor to go we skip the first words Jesus speaks, the words that carry all the weight: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

He is the source of all authority. The Father has placed all authority into the hands of the Son, just as He did with the creation of the world. When Jesus tells His disciples to wait for His empowering Spirit, He is telling them to wait on His timing, His indwelling authority to enter their lives. As we see Jesus as the source of our authority we recognize He pours out the empowerment of His Spirit in our lives and witness.

As Paul puts it to the Galatians, Jesus is working through the apostolic ministry of Peter and Paul. He is active, efficient. He is fervently effectual. He demonstrates to the family in the church and the unreached world outside that He is the energy that drives the apostolic ministry of His people. When we look at the task of reaching the unreached, of entering the hostile nations with the gospel, may we be reminded that Jesus, the eternal source of all authority is at work in our apostolic work.

Thank you, Jesus, that you are working through me to reach the nations.