Author: admin

Ministry is not always easy. In fact, it can be dangerous. But Jesus does not necessarily expect us to be needless martyrs.

Jesus made it clear there would be times when people might want to destroy us just as wolves prey upon sheep. Just as sheep are no match for wolves, so the powers of darkness have numerous evil weapons at their disposal with which to inflict great harm upon us.

The key is to be wise as serpents. Serpents are not necessarily strong. Nor can they withstand the power of larger animals. But they are cunning. In this instruction, Jesus revealed his pragmatic wisdom. He alerted His disciples that they were not to needlessly become victims when it could be avoided. There might be occasions when it was wise to watch our words or actions so it did not bring harm our way. This cannot always be avoided. But it should be, when possible. And, if we must endure suffering for the cause of Christ, there is a wise way to conduct ourselves even then.

Jesus never presented the nature of ministry with rose-tinted glasses. He didn’t downplay the negative response He knew His disciples would sometimes receive.

But neither did Jesus indicate we should excuse people’s rejection of the truth. In fact, He instructed the Twelve to make it clear who accepted their message and who rejected it. The disciples were not to leave town quietly when people resisted their message. Rather, they were to make it plain to everyone where people stood in relation to the Gospel.

Too often today Christians feel guilty for even suggesting someone is not walking with God. We have become so inculcated with the belief that we are not to “judge” anyone that we often fear to suggest that even the most carnal person is at variance with the Gospel message. Jesus was never had such reservations. He was never vindictive, only truthful. He knew that it did no good to call someone “light” when they were in fact, darkness.

Do you have the courage to tell the truth about people?

If you are a Christian, you have been given much. Much. In fact, for the rest of eternity we will be discovering more and more that was bought for us by Christ on the cross. In this life, we only begin to scratch the surface of all that is now ours. And it was all free.

How ought people to live who have been given so much? They ought to be extremely generous! How could we not be? We have been made princes when we were born as paupers. We were enemies, now we are friends. We were destitute and now we are infinitely rich.

What ought our attitude be like? We ought to be joyful! We ought to be thoughtful of others who have not yet experienced such a windfall.

When Jesus sent out His disciples, He commissioned them to bless others. They were to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Imagine if you were the recipient of any of those actions. How grateful you would have been! Word would quickly get out that when you encounter a disciple of Jesus, your life is changed, for the better.

Is that the way the people around you feel?

Jesus assumed His followers would be going. He assumed movement of His followers so much that at times He does not even command that they go. He simply assumes they will be on the move.

Sadly, we cannot assume this about every Christian. There is a natural tendency among God’s people to become immobile. We become entangled in a multitude of concerns and commitments. Though we feel we are busy and involved in important tasks, the reality is that we are no longer going. We are merely staying.

Interestingly, Jesus instructed His disciples to preach. They were to communicate the truth and they were to do it with a sense of urgency and fervency. Preaching is not simply setting a good example. It is urgently exhorting people to obey God. There should be nothing lukewarm or indifferent about preaching! Jesus commissioned His followers to go and to preach. We ought not be surprised when He calls for us to do the same thing! “Oh, but I am not a preacher!” you hurriedly explain. Neither were the disciples.

There are many confusing, almost troubling statements found in the Gospels. This is one.

When Jesus first sent out His disciples, He instructed them not to go to the Samaritans or Gentiles, but to their fellow Jews. This seems contrary to all we know of Christ and His love for all people.

Yet there is a principle here. God began with His own people. The Jewish people had been granted a rare and unprecedented opportunity to know and walk with God. But they had departed from Him. Because of their former relationship, God gave them the first opportunity to return to Him. God’s heart was for the revival. Throughout history, revival has typically preceded a great awakening. God first gets His own people in right relationship with Himself before He draws unbelievers. Some Christian leaders today are impatient with other believers and want to focus entirely on unbelievers. But God began with His own.

Jesus also taught His disciples to begin with those closest to them. Jesus eventually sent His disciples to the ends of the earth, but He first asked them to reach the people in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). At times it is easier to convert someone from a distant land than it is to share Christ with a colleague at work.

Are there people close to you, to whom you should be going? Perhaps you should begin with them.

There are two things disciples of Jesus can count on. First, that Jesus will draw them into an intimate relationship with Himself; and second, that He will subsequently send them out to be on mission with Him.

If you are not going with Christ, you cannot be walking with Him. Jesus’ mission was to go. He left the glory of eternal heaven to fulfill His Father’s purposes on earth. Once He had gathered His twelve disciples, Jesus sent them out. God’s nature is missional. He is constantly sending people to accomplish His will. To relate to God is to be prepared to go.

It is a great disservice to the Church to assume that God’s call to His people is merely to believe. Inactive belief is unbelief. If we genuinely trust in Christ, we will be on mission with Him. We will love what He loves. We will go where He goes.

Where are you presently going with Christ? What drives your decisions? What determines how you invest your time and money? Where is Christ currently sending you?

One is quickly struck by the simplicity of the twelve disciples. They were ordinary people with common names. Nothing stood out about them. No one had marked these men as potential leaders of an international movement. Except God.

God knew these men’s names. God ensured that each of their names were recorded in Scripture where they would be remembered ever after. These ordinary people could never have imagined that a simple decision to follow Jesus would have such enormous consequences. They could not have known that, by leaving their businesses and ordinary lives, they would be making a name for themselves in the kingdom of God.

Today we know the names of the twelve apostles because they obeyed Jesus. Had any of these men decided the cost was too great, or the demands too onerous, their name might have been as lost to us as is the name of the Rich Young Ruler.

Jesus knew the name of each of these men. They had not been lost in the myriads of people populating the earth. God had a purpose for each one. When God was finished with each of these people, not only God, but human history, would be familiar with them.

God knows your name. He created you. He has a purpose for you. Fulfill your destiny.

It is easy to explain away what makes us uncomfortable in Scripture. We assume that what God did in biblical times is not applicable to our day. Or perhaps God’s work or words were intended only for their original audience. Anything that challenges the way we are currently living is dismissed as being relevant only to Middle Eastern, First Century culture.

But here are verses that can trouble us. When Jesus sent out His disciples, they had power. And, their power was manifest. Things happened. People tormented by demons were miraculously set free. People plagued with illness were healed. It was clear to believers and unbelievers alike that a powerful new force had entered the area when one of Jesus’ disciples showed up.

Today there are many Christians who excuse the powerlessness of their own lives by claiming this was a special endowment for the apostles. Or, it was a unique occurrence heralding the coming of the Messiah. Yet we wonder if Christ does not still intend to fill His followers with His miraculous power. Perhaps modern needs are somewhat different. Perhaps the expression of God’s power might look different in our context.

But should we not be experiencing God’s power in our lives in such a way that people recognize there is something special about us?

Before Jesus sends you out, He will draw you in.

You may be eager to charge out into the battles of your day and change your world. You may have a love for people that drives you to invest yourself fully in others. You may be zealous to share the Gospel and delight in leading others to Christ. Nevertheless, there is an overarching truth that affects everything you do. It is this: the key to being an effective disciple hinges not on how much time you spend with others, but on how much time you spend with Christ.

Jesus intended to turn the world upside down with the twelve men He selected. Facing such an immense task, the first thing Jesus did was to draw His disciples to Himself. Unfortunately, modern Christians often assume they are too busy to draw near to Christ. Such an investment of time appears to them to be a luxury. There is simply too much to do. Too many appointments to keep. But the stark truth is this: if you will not draw near, you will not have power.

Do you need to draw near to Christ today?

How hard are you willing to strive in order to achieve victory? Gideon had already won a major battle. But the war wasn’t over yet. There were still enemies in the land! Gideon might have reasoned that the invaders had already been beaten. He could have taken comfort in the knowledge that the invaders were now on the eastern side of the Jordan River. He could have stopped to celebrate the amazing victory his little band had already achieved against seemingly insurmountable odds. Further, Gideon’s forces were exhausted. They had fought through the night! They had chased their enemy relentlessly. Surely it was time to stop and rest.

Yet Gideon was not finished. He was determined to complete the job God had given him. Anyone might have excused him for taking time to catch his breath. But often the victories God grants us are minimized or negated because we do not follow through with them to the finish. We can see the finish line in the distance so we decide it is time to stop for a rest. Complete victory is traded in for partial victory. A portion of our enemy is allowed to escape to fight in another day.

Have you seen God’s assignments for you through to the end? Or, have you paused to catch your breath? Could it be that you still need to push through to the end?