Here Jesus begun by calling and summoning the disciples and He gave them power over all unclean spirits,to cast them out and heal all types of diseases.
He sent them in verse 5 to specifically the lost sheep of Israel and not to Gentiles or Samaritans.
This teaches that before Jesus sends anyone, He first empowers them by giving them authority. And when He sends someone, it's with a specific mission in a particular place.
Have you been empowered? Have you waited on Him to know specifically what He wants you to do and where He wants to do it?
He said to them, "You are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Lk 24:49
The message they were to preach was that the kingdom of God is at hand. We say earlier in Mat 3:2,4:17 that this is preceded by repentance.
In the same commission, Mark 6:12, we see them going preaching that men should repent and turn from their sins and later on healed the sick and casted out demons.
They were freely given that authority and they were not to charge anything to those who were blessed by their ministry.
In this sending they were told not to carry anything, for the worker is worthy of His support. Later Jesus recalling this incident in Luke 22:35 asked them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.”
We see here as Hudson Taylor stated, Where God guides, He provides. If God have told you to something and you are sure about it and have been empowered through the Holy Spirit, even if you don't see everything that you may need along the way, obey as the disciples and your testimony will be the same with them, that you lacked nothing.
Those who receive them would be blessed, and would not go well with those who rejected them and their message.
They were sent as sheep among wolves. Thus there would be many who would try to take advantage of them and need to be wise as serpents in dealing with men but harmless as doves.
The disciples would be rejected in synagogues, equivalent to churches today. They and their message of repentance would be rejected in some churches, and even persecuted as criminals.
But they were not to premeditate on what they were to answer when falsely accused but that time they would be given by the Holy Spirit what to say.
Thus they were not to be distracted in their minds on concentrating on what to preach by thinking what to answer their critics. God would give them wisdom at that time not before.
Just like saying, when father wants to send his child to visit his grandparents in a far town, He will give fare to the child until that day on departure arrives. Not that He didn't have the money but that it would distract the child and maybe misused.
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. The disciple can be like His teacher...If Jesus was called the prince of demons, His disciples would be called by evil names also as they seek to obey Him and do His will.
They were to fear because God will one day expose all the accusations railed against them as false. Therefore they were to proclaim boldly the message they heard from God in their secret place.
They were to fear those who could kill their bodies and do nothing afterwards, but they were to fear God alone who could kill and cast them into hell. This is to say that their only concern was to be that they pleased God not men.
He expressed the great concern that God had for them; even a small bird cannot die without their Father knowing and we all know that it takes a lot of time before you see a dead bird. If God takes care of the birds that they rarely die, how much more will He care about you. If you are obeying God, you cannot die before your time.
He is concerned with little details of your life that He knows the number of each hair on your head. He will take care of you if you obey Him
If you acknowledge Him before men, He acknowledge you before the Father, and vice versa.
He didn't come to bring peace but division even in families, those who want to be His disciples must break their attachments even to family members who are not interested in being disciples. In other words, if Jesus wants to do something and your family is against it, you will obey Jesus rather than your family. You'll not hurt Jesus to please your family but you will please Jesus even if it means you will hurt your family members.
We must take our cross every day and follow Jesus. The cross has a vertical and horizontal bar. Horizontal means my way and will and desires, the vertical means God's way and will and desires. Every day I will have times when my will, or my way or my desires crosses God's will; to there, I will deny my will to do God's will.
For such a disciple, whoever receives Him will be blessed by His ministry and even the smallest thing you can do for Him like giving a cup of cold water will be rewarded by God.
You are blessed to be a blessing
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@blessedmambo
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