\u00a0<\/p>\n
Are You Still in Jerusalem, or Will You Go to Galilee?<\/strong><\/p>\n When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to different groups of people in different places. Some saw Him in Jerusalem, but others were given specific instructions about where to meet Him.<\/p>\n For example, Jesus appeared to the two disciples walking to the village of Emmaus, near Jerusalem (Luke 24:13-33). He also appeared to the women who went to the tomb on the first day of the week, spoke to them, and then left.<\/p>\n However, He did not appear to His eleven disciples while they were in Jerusalem. Instead, He instructed the women to tell them: \u201cThe Lord will go ahead of you to Galilee, and there you will see Him.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthew 28:9-10 says:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSuddenly Jesus met them. \u2018Greetings,\u2019 He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet, and worshiped Him. Why did Jesus give them specific instructions about where to meet Him? Even before His death, He had already told His disciples the same thing:<\/p>\n Mark 14:27-28:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cTonight all of you will fall away on account of Me, for it is written: \u2018I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.\u2019 So this wasn\u2019t a command for everyone, but for a specific group\u2014those He called \u201cMy brothers.\u201d And it wasn\u2019t just anywhere in Galilee; He gave them the exact mountain where they would meet Him.<\/p>\n After Jesus rose, they made the journey from Jerusalem to Galilee\u2014about 120 km\u2014straight to the mountain He had directed. There, they met Him face to face and received His instructions:<\/p>\n Matthew 28:16-20:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. You may ask: why did Jesus choose to reveal Himself in Galilee instead of Jerusalem, as He did with others? Why have them travel such a long distance when He could have appeared right there in Jerusalem?<\/p>\n The answer is that He wanted their focus to shift. Galilee was where Jesus grew up and where He did most of His ministry. By meeting them there, He was showing that His heart after resurrection was not in Jerusalem\u2014it was in Galilee, where His work had been, and where He wanted His disciples to see and continue His mission.<\/p>\n Galilee was where He trained His disciples, performed miracles, and shared His message. By sending them there, Jesus was saying: \u201cGo into the world and make disciples just as I made disciples in Galilee. I will be with you always.\u201d<\/p>\n What does this mean for us today?<\/strong><\/p>\n Even now, if you are a disciple of Jesus\u2014or want to be\u2014you will not find Him in Jerusalem. You will not find Him in the tomb, in teachings about the cross, or just in doctrines of repentance. If all you know is to repent and be saved, and you don\u2019t understand what Jesus wants you to do, then you are still in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Christ wants you to see His work and ministry, and to do the same. He wants you to see that people need the gospel, salvation, freedom from sin, and deliverance. That is your Galilee\u2014the place where you meet Jesus today.<\/p>\n If, however, you are content just to hear the gospel, say \u201cAmen,\u201d or claim \u201cI am saved,\u201d then you have nothing more to offer. You are not Christ\u2019s \u201cbrother\u201d or \u201cdisciple\u201d in action, and you cannot please Him.<\/p>\n The times we live in are as the prophets foretold\u2014there is a famine coming, not of food or water, but of hearing God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n Amos 8:11 says:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018The days are coming,\u2019 declares the Lord God, \u2018when I will send a famine through the land\u2014not a famine of food or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Ask yourself: since Christ has risen in your life, what extra work have you done for God\u2019s kingdom? Are you still in Jerusalem, unwilling to go to Galilee? Are you too busy with work, family, or worldly concerns? Galilee may seem far\u2014there may be no money, no recognition, and people may mock you\u2014but that is where the work of God is.<\/p>\n Examine your faith. If giving to the work of the gospel is difficult for you, how will you share the kingdom with others? If you do not take action, your crown will be small\u2014or you may not receive one at all.<\/p>\n Let us awaken and begin sharing with others what the Lord has entrusted to us during this time of spiritual famine in the last days.<\/p>\n Maranatha.<\/strong><\/p>\n Please share this good news with others.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n
Then Jesus said to them, \u2018Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
But after I rise, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, though some doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said, \u2018All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n