Partners With “all Authority”

Partners with “All Authority”

Read: Matthew 28:16-20

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Matthew 28:18

“It is because of faith that we exchange the present for the future.”

—Fidelis of Sigmaringen

IN WORD Wartime stories of soldiers defecting to the victorious side are common. Why? No one likes to end up on the losing side. In any contest, if we can clearly see who will win ahead of time, that is likely whom we will support. If we already have a vested interest in the side we know will lose, we may decide not to even watch. Nobody wants to identify with the loser. No one wants to go down with the ship.

As Christians, we don’t have that problem. We know who will win. We know who holds all authority in His hands. We know who is seated at the right hand of God and will judge the nations of the earth. We know that rebels against Him, persecutors of His people, and death itself do not win. The power structures and value systems of this world will fall.

But here is the dilemma the Christian faces: The world systems seem to be winning in the short term while the ultimate Authority often seems obscured in heaven, waiting for the final minutes of the game to reveal His victory. We are tempted in the meantime to play for the short term. Some might have lost sight of the scripted end, while some might knowingly plan to switch loyalties at the opportune time. But we cannot. We must choose sides now.

IN DEED That’s the essence of New Testament faith, the one salient feature of all of the members of the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11—they looked beyond the present to the kingdom of promise. None invested in this world. Abraham looked ahead to the city with foundations whose architect is God (Hebrews 11:10). Moses looked ahead to his reward (v. 26). All looked ahead to a resurrection (v. 35).

So must we. The Christian life is playing the game with a focus on its end. We cannot support both sides. Our involvement in the mission of Christ is based on its glorious result more than its humble present. Our actions today will acknowledge whom we regard as our ultimate Authority.