Bryan Webb - Go: A 40-Day Journey to the Never Reached

Go: Forty Days With Jesus to the Never Reached is the product of an amazing team. They deserve the credit for everything excellent in this devotional. Ill take the credit for everything else.

Jeff Hartensveld, you dreamed the dream, pulled together the team and paid for it all. Through the entire process you have provided visionary leadership and encouragement to all. Thank you.

Leslie Thomas and Nicco Musacchio at Merge Business Solutions, you two provided great advice, key connections, branding and marketing savvy and a ton of work. Thank you.

Dawn Brandon and Tammy Bicket at Between the Lines Creative Services, you did an awesome job cleaning up and condensing the devotional submissions. Thank you.

Pastors, missionaries and laypeople came together to provide amazing devotional stories. They are an elite group of leaders, theologians and boots-on-the-ground practitioners. Chris Carter, Brandon Powell, Timothy Schmidt, Dan Betzer, Katie Benson, Josh Lovelace, Greg Mundis, Cari Hurst, Mike and Missy Towers, Alan Johnson, Sam Paris, Jonathan Lowrance, Mark Lehmann, Rebeka Zeiler, Dick Brogden, Joel Hoobyar: Your words have inspired and challenged me. Thank you.

Readers will notice that some devotionals have no byline. These unnamed contributors give their lives to live and work among the never reached in highly sensitive contexts. Mentioning their names, the names of their co-workers or where they serve could endanger their lives. Some names/places have been changed to protect those who live in the shadow of persecution. You know who you are. Though you may not be credited in these pages, God has taken note. Thank you! You are my heroes.

Bryan Webb

Matthew 28:1-7

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. 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. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

Then go quickly and tell his disciplesthat 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. (ESV)

By Chris Carter, Japan

The story of things set right can only ever begin in one placethe empty tomb.

The Cross is the sharpest knife. With it, God has split time itself in half. In the shadow of the Cross, one age ends, and another begins. Rent in the wake of the Cross, history stands dividedbefore and after. One age ends with words of apparent defeat on Jesus lips: It is finished. The next age begins in earnest with an angels two commands: Come and see, and Go quickly!

Standing firmly in the new age, we clearly see the significance of It is finished. Redemptions work is done. Salvation has been won. The power of death stands defeated. Thats how God makes an end of things gone wrong. But how does He make a beginning of setting things right?

The answer lies in one wordresurrection. For this reason, the story of things set right can only ever begin in one placethe empty tomb. And thats precisely where Matthew brings us in the last chapter of his Gospel:

The angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you.