flawed followers

And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

Matthew 28:17

As Jesus prepared to leave His men at His ascension, He commissioned them to make disciples by teaching His gospel. And although obedient to Him, they were still flawed followers. Yes, they worshiped a resurrected Lord with Whom was all power and authority. And yes, even in their worship they wavered with doubt. Jesus would still use these struggling people who wanted to believe and to follow His commands. We don’t have to be perfect to follow Jesus. We don’t have to be perfect to proclaim His good news. God uses us, struggles and all, because the power in not in us, but in Jesus!

When we obey despite our struggles we are believing the authority of Christ. We have none on our own. We are broken, but healed. We are struggling, yet strengthened. We are flawed, yet forgiven. We have to work past doubts yet come to the conviction that a living Jesus Who rose from the dead commands us to tell His story! He is our authority. He is our power. He will use those He chooses so that His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.

We are sent into the world to be used to help others know and follow Jesus. We call them to believe the good news, to repent of sin, to follow Jesus by baptism, and learn from God, by His Word, in the work of His Holy Spirit. Flawed followers though we may be, Jesus builds His kingdom as we simply obey and let His power use us for His purpose.

And Jesus is always with His flawed followers. The last words He speaks in Matthew’s gospel echo through all of church history: “I am with you always, to the end of the age”. And so Jesus lives in us, through us, among us, and with His flawed followers. He calms fears. He removes objections. He stands by us even as our doubts tempt us not to stand by Him. He strengthens us in struggles. He will never leave us. And despite our flaws, Jesus rules and reigns as He remakes us for His glory. AMEN!