Their Obedience Led Them to Jesus

I was digging into Matthew 28 this week. It was just Easter, and we also just officially signed the papers to purchase our new building.

When you’re standing at the start of a next era like we are here in Carter County(staring down a mortgage, insurance payments, and utility bills)it’s natural to go looking for manual instructions. I was looking for how God handles the “fog” of a new project. I found it in the story of two ladies who showed up at a tomb expecting to find a dead body.

They get there, the stone is gone, and there’s an angel sitting on it like it’s a lawn chair. The messenger tells them, “He isn’t here; He has risen.” Then he gives them a set of instructions:

“Go tell the disciples to head to Galilee, and Jesus will meet them there.” (Matthew 28:7)

Now, put yourself in their boots. They don’t know how Jesus is going to get to Galilee. They don’t know if the disciples will even believe them. The whole plan is covered in fog. But the Bible says they left the tomb quickly and ran to tell the others.

And here is the part that hits me:

“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said.” (Matthew 28:8-9)

In the middle of their obedience, they had an encounter with Jesus.

They didn’t meet Him while they were standing still, analyzing the logistics. They didn’t meet Him while they were debating if the angel was credible. They met Him while they were moving.

The Survival Mode Trap

Most of us live in “Survival Mode.”

We want the encounter before we take the step. We tell God, “If You’ll just show me the whole blueprint, then I’ll start the project. If You’ll just clear the fog so I can see Galilee, then I’ll start walking.” We treat faith like a business deal where we need all the terms finalized before we sign the papers.

That is worldly logic. In the Kingdom, movement precedes clarity.

Simple obedience is the hardware of a miracle. When you release your grip on needing to know the “how” and you just start doing what the Messenger said, you create a habitat for God to move. If you’re waiting for the joints to stop making noise before you serve, or for the bank account to be perfect before you give, you’re going to be standing at the tomb for a long time.

Galilee is on the Move

What is on the other side of your simple obedience?

You see a work day at the church or a neighbor who needs help and you think, “I’m too tired” or “I don’t know how that fixes my problems.” You’re looking at the surface. But when you step out into the fog, when you show up to scrub the floor or declare the promise, that’s when the veil comes down.

God doesn’t meet people who are sitting on the couch waiting for a feeling. He meets people who are on the way to Galilee.

Your Mission This Week: Identify one instruction God has already given you that you’ve been “analyzing” instead of doing. Maybe it’s a conversation you need to have, a gift you need to give, or a commitment to show up.

Stop asking for more light and start walking with the light you have. Take one step into the fog this Wednesday. Just like the heavy morning fog rolling off the Current River, the path forward might seem blind, but a simple step changes everything.

Don’t worry about how you’re going to get to Galilee. Just start running toward the disciples. I promise you, the Hero is waiting for you on the path.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Jeremy