Can you imagine what the first few days after Jesus’ crucifixion were like for the disciples? The man they had followed for years had just been brutally killed for what he had taught and done while they were with him. Would they be next? It’s no wonder that John 20:19 describes the disciples locking themselves up!

Unsurprisingly, the locks didn’t keep Jesus from reuniting with them. And this devotional from Words of Hope observes that the purpose of Jesus’ visit was not just to demonstrate that he was alive, but to commission the disciples to go out and be visible in the world:

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). The mission of the church springs from this great moment. Jesus calls the disciples to unlock the door, leave their hiding place, abandon their fear, and go out to the world with the gospel of forgiveness.

The risen Jesus calls the church to be visible. Like the disciples, we are called to step out of our safe places and into the world. Jesus Christ came in the flesh and now the church is called to be the continued embodiment of his mission. If we are to be the church of the resurrection we must follow the disciples into the world to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. We must pass on what we have received, saying to the world, “Peace be with you.”

Read the rest of the devotional at Words of Hope.

Is God calling you to leave a “safe place” in your life? What’s keeping you from leaving?

By: Chris. This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at 10:02 am and is filed under Devotional, Jesus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.