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Key Verse 28:19-20a “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.”

On October 15-16, Raleigh UBF had a Matthew's Gospel event at the North Carolina State University campus. We studied Matthew 27-28 with the theme “It Is Your Responsibility”. We prayed to newly accept our responsibility for our sins with repentance at the Cross of Christ, and to accept our responsibility to obey Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations.

On Saturday, Bible students Stephen, Dan, Li, Shintong, Yongmei, Ping, and Kwesi joined together with the Dellinger and Ryu families for Bible study and Gospel messages. First, we had a powerful and practical Bible study on Jesus' trial in Matthew 27a. It included questions based on video clips from The Passion of the Christ and a movie about the life of Peter. We learned how to take responsibility for our sins by comparing Peter to Judas and Pilate. Judas did not take responsibility, but only regretted his sin and tried to make up for it until he died in self-condemnation. Pilate completely denied his responsibility by washing his hands and became a useless and corrupt man. But Peter took responsibility and repented his sin, following Jesus in a fruitful life of world mission work until he died for the name of Jesus.

Second, Joseph Ryu gave a message on Jesus' trial, teaching us it is our responsibility that Jesus died on the cross because of our sins. We cannot give away our responsibility for Jesus' death on the Cross like Pilate, or say we did nothing wrong like the crowd. Instead, as Peter did, we must continually repent our sins and return to the crucified Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Third, we had a Bible study on Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection in Matthew 27b and Matthew 28. We saw how God took responsibility to fulfill all the Scriptures in these Gospel events. Fourth, Kwesi, who moved from New Jersey UBF, gave a message on Jesus' crucifixion. We learned that Jesus took responsibility for our sins in fulfillment of Isaiah 53 by taking on Himself the full weight of our punishment with great suffering and ultimately his death.

On Sunday, a new HBF student, Peter, and two new NC State University students attended the worship service. We watched a video lecture by Francis Chan on following Jesus by taking up our cross in practical faith and obedience. From the Sunday message by Andrew Dellinger, we first learned that Joseph of Arimathea and the women at the tomb had practical faith to take up their crosses of responsibility for Jesus' body. Second, God took the responsibility to fulfill His promise to raise Jesus from the dead. Third, Jesus gave the women at the tomb and His disciples the responsibility to share their resurrection testimony. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, we can accept both responsibility for our sins and the responsibility to share the grace and mercy of God to us as witnesses of the Gospel to all people. Jesus gave all His disciples with resurrection faith, past and present, responsibility to share their Gospel faith and testimony with all nations, teaching them all Jesus commands. The women and the disciples obeyed Jesus' command and took responsibility to teach this Gospel and make disciples of all nations. May God also help us take responsibility to obey Jesus and make disciples at NC State University. We pray to do so by returning to our Lord Jesus in repentance and taking up our cross.