When The Lights Go Out

It happens slowly. You rarely notice when the first lights begin to flicker. A bulb gives up in the back hallway. One more goes dark in the kitchen. The living room dims a little, but you don’t think much about it. You just squint more. You buy a cheaper lamp. You hold your phone screen a little closer.

Then suddenly you realize one night…

the power’s out.

Everything around you is dark.

There are churches where the lights have been dimming for a long time. Not the bulbs in the ceiling. The light inside the people. The fire has cooled. The thrill has quieted. The story that once kept them awake at night now barely keeps them awake during the sermon.

There’s no hostility. Just yawns at glory.

Nothing will extinguish a mission faster than bored Christians.

Years ago, the great missionary Adoniram Judson returned to America after serving in Burma. A church invited him to speak. They expected exotic stories, the kind that give you goosebumps without costing you anything.

Judson stood up and simply preached Jesus.

The cross.

The resurrection.

The gospel.

Afterward the pastor tried to be polite.

“Dr. Judson, our people appreciated your message, but… many hoped you would tell us more about Burma.”

Judson answered,

“I did. I told you the most thrilling story on earth.”

Somewhere, somehow, the American church had already begun to dim its lights.

Maybe we’ve heard the gospel so many times that we’ve domesticated it. We’ve sanded off the miracle until it feels like ordinary wood. We’ve turned resurrection into ritual. We’ve turned the Great Commission into the Great Suggestion.

Many believers have forgotten that the gospel is a rescue, not a religious hobby.

When we cease to be thrilled by Jesus, we cease to shine for Him.

That’s why the Lord’s final words in Matthew 28 were not delivered as a gentle footnote. They were delivered like a captain sending soldiers into a rescue mission. The world is dark. People are lost. Heaven is invading. And Jesus is guaranteeing the victory.

He didn’t say,

“If you get around to it…”

He didn’t say,

“Those with outgoing personalities…”

He said: Go. Make disciples. Baptize. Teach. I am with you.

If the gospel is the most thrilling story there is, shouldn’t its messengers be the most alive people in the room?

Let’s revisit those final marching orders.

Not as something old… but as something urgent.

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1. Jesus Gives Us Real Authority

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go…” (Matthew 28:18-19)

Heaven has already signed off on our mission.

Jesus hands the keys to His followers and says: Drive.

The problem is, our world no longer trusts authority. To be fair, the world has endured a parade of leaders who promised brilliance and delivered disaster. We’ve seen “non-explosive fuels” explode. We’ve seen “you-can’t-lose investments” collapse. We’ve seen “authentic influencers” become walking billboards for whatever pays.

Once, a business magazine boldly proclaimed its mission to help people become financially secure. It shut down bankrupt—millions in debt.

Authorities who can’t deliver damage trust.

And the world expects Christians to be the same:

“Big words, little proof.”

People aren’t resisting the message of Jesus.

They’re resisting Christians who don’t look like Jesus.

Douglas Steere once asked a young man who was furious at Christianity:

“Do you disagree with the message?”

“No,” he said. “What bothers me is that Christians aren’t Christian enough.”

Ouch.

We say Jesus is the Light of the world,

but if we walk around as if we’re barely surviving,

the world assumes our bulbs burned out long ago.

A woman once hired a houseboy in Kenya named Katow. After three months he asked for a letter of recommendation to work for a Muslim leader. Surprised, she asked why he wanted to leave. He explained he wanted to decide whether to become Christian or Muslim. He came to her house first to observe Christians. Next he would observe Muslims. Then he’d choose.

She swallowed hard.

Because she knew what he had seen.

Imagine someone studying your life for three months to decide whether Jesus is worth following.

Not your preaching.

Not your Sabbath-keeping.

Your life.

Authority is not something we claim.

Authority is something we confirm by how we live.

When the world sees a Christian shining with joy, courage, kindness, forgiveness, holiness, resilience, integrity… people notice. The lights come on.

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2. Jesus Gives Us a Job: Go

Not a suggestion.

A command.

A direction: outward.

It’s the simplest action of the Christian life:

Go to someone who needs Jesus.

We’re good at “come.”

Come to our building.

Come to our program.

Come to our special weekend revival with the shiny graphics.

Jesus flipped it:

Go.

Go to your neighbors.

Go to the difficult coworker.