Today’s Thoughts – 29 September 2020
By T. S. Candee on September 29, 2020 in John Thoughts
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
We see some great truths in this passage:
Then… came Jesus
The disciples were first blessed with the presence of Jesus. Even when they locked themselves away in a room, Jesus could still be with them. And He grants them peace when He is with them.
When we meet together on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening at church, Jesus is with us. When we meet together for Bible study and prayer, Jesus is with us. When we drive to work, teach our children, play with the dog, Jesus is with us. And He grants us peace as well when we have His presence.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Then said Jesus
Once the disciples had the presence of Jesus, they could then hear the commission of Jesus. When Jesus told them that He was sending them even as the Father had sent Him, He was not commissioning the church. Instead, He was commissioning the believer (Matthew 28:18-20).
When we have the presence of Christ, we also have the commission of Christ. It is important that we fulfill that commission each day as we yield to Him. That means handing out tracts wherever you go, speaking and witnessing to people about Christ, and inviting people to church. We must live in the presence and the commission of Christ each day if we are to be true followers of Him.
[Then] breathed [Jesus]
Finally, the disciples not only had the presence and the commission of Jesus, but they also had the power of Jesus! Jesus breathed on them the Holy Ghost and imparted spiritual power to them. You can see the power they had in Acts 2 at the day of Pentacost. Oh, what a great transformation they had when they went from locked up in a room together to seeing thousands saved in one day!
Christ has also given us His power each day to live for Him (Ephesians 5:18). We only need to ask for His power in our daily life. We must die to ourselves so that we can fill up with the Holy Spirit. We can then use this power to accomplish God’s will daily.
