Living on Mission With Peace and Purpose

TJ Addington‘s Weekday Devos Podcast

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” - John 20:19-22

It is the Sunday of the resurrection, and we find the disciples together behind locked doors out of fear of the Jewish leaders. After all, if they had crucified their leader, what might they do to His key followers? The truth is that they could not escape the Roman Legions if they came looking for them, but the door was locked nonetheless. They had been told by Mary Magdalene that Jesus had risen from the grave, but they had not yet seen Him. Their world had been turned upside down, and they were unsure of what to do, except to be together. One wonders what their conversation was.

At that moment, Jesus appeared in person among them and His first words were “Peace be with you!” before showing them His hands and side to prove it was He. Needless to say, the disciples were overjoyed on realizing that this was Jesus.

A second time, Jesus said, “Peace be with you!” and then said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” In saying this, Jesus is giving His disciples (and us, as His disciples) the same job that the Father had given Him: To bring hope to people who are without hope, in Jesus name, to meet the physical and spiritual needs of those around us, and in all that we do and say to point them to the Father who saves, redeems, and gives our lives an eternal purpose.

The mission of Jesus now became the mission of the disciples and every disciple who followed. That includes you and me.

The disciples knew what that meant. Like Jesus, they would face hardship, and like Him, even death. In fact, there have been more people who died for their faith in the last hundred years than in all the years since Jesus. Every day, somewhere on our globe, people die for their faith - we call them Martyrs. I suspect that this is why Jesus said “Peace be with you.” And repeated it a second time for emphasis. Even with the Jewish leaders who hated Jesus and His disciples, they could live in peace.

How is that possible? Because God goes with us wherever we go, through the Holy Spirit. We go nowhere without God. We face no situation without God. Regardless of the situation around us, we can have His peace, because the Holy Spirit is with us always! Through the Holy Spirit, we can overcome fear and access the power of God. We are sent by Jesus to influence our world for Him.

Picture all the places that you frequent, and picture Jesus there with you through the Holy Spirit. Think of the anxieties, fears or situations you face today and realize that you don’t face these alone, but with the Holy Spirit. That is why Peace can be with us. God is there... always. You face no challenge alone. The more you remember this, the more peace you will have.

Father. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, who is God in us. Thank you that there is no situation we face alone. You are always here, always with us. Help us remember your presence in our days and give us your peace, knowing that you are with us today, tomorrow and always. Help us to represent You well and make Your name great wherever we go. Amen.