There's something profoundly uncomfortable about being told what to do. It's woven into our human nature—this resistance to authority, this desire to chart our own course. We bristle at words like "command" and "obey." They feel restrictive, limiting, even oppressive. Yet what happens when the one giving the commands holds all authority in heaven and on earth?

This is the tension we must wrestle with when we encounter the final words Jesus spoke to His disciples before ascending to heaven. These weren't casual suggestions or friendly recommendations. They were clear, direct instructions from the One who claimed absolute authority over everything.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus makes an extraordinary declaration: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Not some authority. Not most authority. All of it. Every single drop.

This means that whatever Jesus says is truth—not because we agree with it, not because it feels good, but simply because He said it. He determines what's right and what's wrong. If He declares who you are, that's exactly who you are. If He says you're not something, nothing you do can change what He's already determined.

This is a radical claim that demands a radical response. The One making this statement isn't a philosopher offering wisdom for consideration. He's the resurrected Lord declaring His sovereign rule over all creation.

Based on this absolute authority, Jesus issues what Christians have called the Great Commission—a four-part instruction manual for His followers:

Go. The first word is movement. Don't stay comfortable where you are. Don't settle into familiar territory with familiar people. Move forward into new spaces, new conversations, new territories.

This is often where we struggle most. We're happy to talk about Jesus with people who already love Him. Grandmother who adores the Lord? We can discuss Scripture with her all day. But bringing up Jesus to someone who might reject Him? That's uncomfortable. We avoid those risky conversations because we're not sure we can swim in the deep waters of potential rejection or difficult questions.

But here's the reassurance: Jesus promises, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Just as God told the young prophet Jeremiah not to worry about the words—"Just go and I'll give you what to say"—Jesus promises His presence in every difficult conversation. We're never alone, even when it feels like we are.

Make disciples. This doesn't mean we have the power to convert anyone. We can't save people from their sins—that's God's work alone. Our job is to share the gospel, to tell people about who Jesus is and what He's done. We plant seeds; God brings the harvest.

But once God brings someone to faith, then we have work to do. Making disciples means helping new believers learn how to follow Christ—both as students and as practitioners. It's not enough to teach them what Jesus said; we must show them what it looks like to live it out.

This places a sobering responsibility on us. New believers in today's world need someone to model their walk after. They need to see what it looks like to walk, talk, and make choices like Jesus would. Our behavior today, witnessed by an unbeliever, might become their reference point when they're ready to surrender to Christ a year from now.

None of us are completely clean, but we cannot be careless with our conduct. People are watching.

Baptize them. Baptism is a sacred act, not because the water is special, but because it symbolizes something profound—a person's desire to allow God to transform not just their life, but their very being. It's an outward expression of an inward change.

Our role in this step is to invite people into community. Invite them to church—your church, any church. Encourage them to find a place where they can grow. We do better together. And when someone finds their way into a community of believers, the work can truly begin.

Teach them to obey. Here come those trigger words: obey and command. But there's no way around them. Jesus didn't say, "Teach them to consider everything I've suggested." He said, "Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Our destiny is caught up in this obedience. There are consequences and repercussions for disobedience. These aren't just suggestions for a slightly better life—they're requirements for the abundant life Jesus came to give us.

We often think of Jesus in soft, gentle terms—meek and mild, making suggestions rather than demands. But when we understand that He's claiming absolute authority, His words hit differently.

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow" isn't friendly advice. It's a command from the Boss. Stop worrying.

"I am the way and the truth and the life" isn't one option among many. It's an exclusive claim from the One with all authority.

When we read Jesus' words through the lens of His authority rather than our comfort, Scripture transforms from helpful suggestions into life-altering directives.

These final words—the Great Commission—represent Jesus' last instructions to His closest friends before leaving them. After three years of walking together, eating together, suffering together, these were His parting words: Keep doing what we were doing. I'm still with you, just not in the same way.

If we're ever unclear about our purpose as Christians, we come back to this. It's the ultimate self-perpetuating task: as the church expands, new members should understand they're called to continue expanding it.

Yes, it's hard. It's challenging. It can be scary. But the One with all authority promises to be with us always, until the end of the age.

Since the Garden of Eden, humanity has struggled with the same core sin: putting ourselves before what God told us to do. We choose our comfort, our position, our ego over obedience to the One who created us.

But there's a path back. It starts with acknowledging that Jesus is the Boss—that all authority truly does rest with Him. It continues with obedience to His clear commands. And it's sustained by His promise to never leave us nor forsake us.

The Great Commission isn't just great because it's important. It's great because it comes from the One with all authority, and He's entrusted it to us.