KWASIZABANTU MINISTERS' CONFERENCE 2003

6 March 2003

"Therefore, go forth" - Rev Erlo Stegen

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This word "therefore", coming from our Lord's mouth, is pregnant with meaning. Jesus addressed the very doubts the disciples had at that time, viz. "Is He really the Omnipotent One?" His response rebuked their doubts, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth; therefore go forth ..." He revealed Himself to them as the Omnipotent One.

Throughout the New Testament we find that Jesus could discern people's thoughts, e.g. when He had supper with the Pharisee Simon, he discerned Simon's thoughts and rebuked him about what he was thinking in his heart.

Many people worship Jesus with the same doubt. They simply do not believe what the Bible states clearly from the beginning. When they read that God spoke and there was light the first day of Creation, they reason it away with, "No, it cannot be such a short time. It must have been thousands or millions of years as evolution says." When they read of Jonah in the belly of the fish they deny God's power once again, yet they call themselves Christians. God still needs to deal with them as he dealt with Thomas and the other disciples.

When God came down in the power of His Holy Spirit at Maphumulo in 1966, my heart was filled with God's power to reach any part of the world, even communist Russia. The Berlin wall fell later on and Russia was opened to the Gospel. In the same way the Islamic countries will hear God's Word, though they shut their borders from the Gospel, for all power belongs to Jesus, even in the Islamic countries.

Jesus further commanded us to baptise the disciples in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. This word refers to being baptised "into" the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. God's name is His very being - His character. You will need His power to obey this command, for there is a big difference between the ritual of sprinkling water or immersion, saying the words "I baptise you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost", and actually baptising the new disciple into the Triune God. His command is to teach the new disciple to keep all that He has commanded - not only to know it. The new disciple must be born from above into God's very character to become like Jesus. If you are not able to baptise them into God, maybe it is because you were never baptised into God yourself. You still live by the deal ritual and letter of the Word.

While we go forth to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to keep all that Christ has commanded us, let us remember and rely on His promise, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."