Day 40: Go in His Presence
Friday Rhythm
Bible Reading
Devotional
Journaling
Commissioning
Bible Reading: Matthew 28:1–20
The Resurrection
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The Report of the Guard
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Devotional
Go in His Presence
Matthew 28:19-20 ESV
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew ends with a beginning. The stone is rolled away, Jesus is alive, and the disciples are sent forward. The final day of 40 Forward does not close the Jesus Way. It returns us to ordinary life with resurrection, authority, mission, and presence.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb at dawn. An earthquake occurs, an angel descends, and the stone is rolled back. The guards tremble and become like dead men, but the angel tells the women not to be afraid. Jesus is not there. He has risen as He said.
The women are invited to see the place where He lay and then told to go quickly and tell the disciples. Their grief becomes witness. They leave with fear and great joy, and Jesus meets them on the way.
That detail matters. They begin moving in obedience before every emotion has settled. Fear and joy travel together. Obedience does not always wait until uncertainty disappears. The risen Jesus meets them as they go.
Jesus tells the women again not to be afraid and sends them to His brothers. He uses a family word for disciples who abandoned Him. Grace does not deny their failure, but resurrection opens a future beyond it.
At the same time, the guards report what happened, and the religious leaders create an alternate story. They pay the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body while they slept. Even resurrection evidence does not force surrender. People can protect a preferred story when truth threatens power.
The eleven disciples go to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus directed them to. When they see Him, they worship, but some doubt. Matthew does not hide the mixture. Worship and uncertainty appear in the same group, and Jesus still comes near.
Doubt does not disqualify them from hearing the commission. Jesus does not tell them to return when every question has disappeared. He grounds the mission in His authority and His presence rather than their emotional certainty.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The mission begins with who Jesus is. The crucified King has risen, and no competing power has the final word. The disciples do not go because they are impressive, fearless, or complete. They go because Jesus has authority.
He tells them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe everything He commanded. The command is not merely to collect decisions or spread information. It is to help people become apprentices of Jesus whose lives are formed by His way.
Teaching obedience means the words of Jesus must become practice. The Sermon on the Mount becomes truthfulness, forgiveness, prayer, generosity, trust, and love of enemies. Compassion becomes attention to people in need. Faith becomes trust when outcomes remain uncertain. Love becomes service instead of competition. Obedience becomes the next faithful response.
The mission belongs to every follower of Jesus, though it takes different forms. Some will cross cultures and nations. Others will disciple children at a kitchen table, walk with a friend through suffering, serve neighbors, lead teams with integrity, teach Scripture, welcome people into community, or make the character of Jesus visible in a workplace.
No individual carries the whole mission. Jesus sends a people. The church makes disciples together through proclamation, baptism, teaching, worship, service, correction, encouragement, and shared life.
The final promise is as important as the command: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus does not send His followers away from His presence. He sends them within it.
His presence does not guarantee ease. The disciples will encounter resistance, suffering, unanswered questions, and their own limitations. But they will never face the mission as abandoned people. The One with all authority remains with them.
Today is Day 40. Across six focuses, we have walked through Matthew. We practiced surrender when pressure told us to control. We asked Jesus to transform the places beneath our behavior. We slowed down to see people with compassion. We practiced faith when outcomes remained uncertain. We chose love in relationships shaped by division and offense. This week, we watched the obedience of Jesus carry Him through Gethsemane, the cross, the empty tomb, and the mission He places in our hands.
The goal was never to complete a perfect streak. Missing a day did not place anyone outside the work of grace. The goal was to see Jesus more clearly and keep following Him after the schedule ends.
Look back and ask which focus met you most personally. Where did Jesus expose, heal, correct, or strengthen something in you? Which practice should continue beyond these forty days?
Then look forward. Who can you tell about what Jesus has been showing you? Where is He asking you to go, serve, forgive, speak, or obey next? Do not make the response so broad that it disappears into good intention. Choose one action for the next forty days.
As The Rise Church approaches another birthday, we are grateful for everyone who followed Jesus before us, every sacrifice that created room for ministry, every prayer that sustained the church, and every life that has been changed. We honor that history best by continuing to follow Jesus now.
The pressures will still be present tomorrow. Family expectations, work demands, political and cultural voices, financial concerns, health fears, and internal narratives will speak. Our task is not to pretend those voices do not exist. Our task is to keep returning to Jesus and asking what His way looks like here.
The way forward is not the loudest way, the easiest way, the most popular way, or the most comfortable way. The way forward is the Jesus Way. We go under His authority, for His mission, and in His presence.
Journaling
Looking Back
Today is Day 40. Matthew ends with resurrection, authority, mission, and presence. The goal was never to finish a perfect streak. The goal was to see Jesus more clearly and keep following Him after the schedule ends.
Journal Questions
Which of the six focuses met me most personally?
What has Jesus exposed, healed, corrected, or strengthened in me?
Which practice from these forty days do I want to continue?
Who can I tell about what Jesus has been showing me?
Where is Jesus asking me to go, serve, forgive, speak, or obey next?
One Response to Carry Forward
Complete this sentence: “For the next forty days, I will keep walking the Jesus Way by…”
Written Commissioning
Today is Day 40 of 40 Forward: The Jesus Way.
Across six focuses, we have walked through Matthew. We practiced surrender when pressure told us to control. We asked Jesus to transform the places beneath our behavior. We slowed down to see people with compassion. We practiced faith when outcomes remained uncertain. We chose love in relationships shaped by division and offense. This week, we watched the obedience of Jesus carry Him through Gethsemane, the cross, the empty tomb, and the mission He places in our hands.
Matthew ends with a beginning. Jesus is alive, He has all authority, and He sends His followers into the world with the promise that He will be with them.
That means today is not graduation from the Jesus Way. It is commissioning into it.
The pressures will still be present tomorrow. Family expectations will speak. Work demands will speak. Political and cultural voices will speak. Financial concerns, health fears, and internal narratives will speak. Our task is not to pretend those voices do not exist. Our task is to keep returning to Jesus and asking, “What does Your way look like here?”
As we approach our church birthday, we are grateful for every person