Summoned and Sent

 

"And He was going around the villages teaching. And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— but to wear sandals; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics." And He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them."

Mark 6b-13

 

Good Morning my beloved,
 
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're so glad you're here. I pray that you are enjoying the time we spend with our Lord Jesus as much as I do. As we've been working our way through the Gospel of Mark, we have been looking at the various attitudes about religion, about God, about Christ, about the Truth and about the church. The church is called to welcome all people, regardless of what kind of mess their lives are in, regardless of their past or their present situation, but we should never to be content to leave them that way. Therefore, I believe we must never compromise the message, or explain in such a away that dumbs down biblical convictions to make sinners feel welcome, that's not evangelism. 

 

We do that by loving them unconditionally, pointing them to Christ, and inviting them to have a life-changing relationship with the One Who radically transforms lives. The world will not care how much we know until they know how much we care. The question is how do we do that? The answer is not an unfriendly church but body of believers who are boldly committed to proclaiming the Truth and living that out the Truth, holding one another accountable, praying unceasingly with and for each other.

 

It's not enough to just say the words, "I am a Christian," we must demonstrate the power of the Gospel and the love of Christ through our own transformed lives. That is the most effective way to share the Gospel and minister the Word of God to those who desperately need to hear it. If we are following Christ, obeying His word as He has commanded, living as we ought, that shouldn’t be difficult, right? If you have saving faith there will always be sufficient evidence of it. I do not believe that there can be such a thing as undercover faith.

 

Matthew 5:13-16, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." 

 

I am frequently told my preaching offends people, while that's never my intention, I am far more concerned about offending God than men. The Gospel is confrontational, that's why biblical preaching confronts sin, it never omits the Truth to console sinners. When the church abandons the fundamental biblical Truths that are to guide our preaching, teaching and instruct our conduct, we become like the world and less like Christ, then we are "no longer good" for fulfilling our kingdom purpose. As Christians, we must ask ourselves, are we effectively displaying Christ to the world by our godly behavior or have we allowed ourselves to become stained by sin, rendering the church ineffective, by becoming like the world?

 

Let us pray

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Father, we are, as always, so thankful for Your Word, there is so much great theological and practical Truth, that had ought to change how we respond, the way we love the church and the way we live. Lord, thank You for reminding us that the Gospel is not just to be proclaimed but it is to be lived out. It's one thing to know how something should be; it's something else to see it in action. We know that Jesus loved the world enough to offer Himself as a redemptive sacrifice, the world needs to see the results of such sacrificial love. The apostles loved Christ enough to offer their sacrificial service to the church, willing to endure anything to demonstrate love to the saints, Lord, help us to be so committed to making the church  that Christ purchased with His own blood all that it should be. All for Your glory and for Christ's sake.

It is in His precious name we ask and pray

Amen

 

Today's Message: Summoned and Sent 

 

Open your Bible to the sixth chapter in the Gospel of Mark. Mark 6b-13.

This text is so important, Jesus is past the halfway point now in His ministry, there are only a few months left before He heads to the cross. Up to this point, there wasn’t anybody else preaching, Jesus did it all. Here we see Jesus teaching the first generation of New Covenant preachers who have heard Him preach the Gospel message day after day, the responsibility of representing Him. The Lord had no plan B, which from a human perspective, we would consider this risky because they were certainly nobody special at the time they were chosen and there is so much at stake. First, He summoned twelve common men to follow Him, then He trained them in the preparation for ministry, now it is their time to be sent to repeat the message they have learned. I believe this is still the way we must approach church leadership and ministry; from the Lord Himself, transitioning a chosen few from being interns to becoming preachers, while grace is still available, though the time is short. 

 

It is important to note that Jesus didn't just preach one side of the message, as has become the common practice today, He was also judgment preacher, solidifying unbelievers in their rejection of the Truth. Even the fact He chose these twelve unlikely men to be the leaders of Israel was a devastating judgment against the corrupt religious establishment. Notice none of them were chosen as a result of the depravity of their hardened hearts. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6, "I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man.."

 

I believe the world already poised to believe absolutely anything, we see that in the pulpits today, as they preach a Christ-less Christianity. The world is ready to follow a charismatic leader who will offer them change while leading them into destruction. Love always speaks the Truth, preaches the truth, in an attempt to snatch those destined for Hell out of the fire, before it's too late. While we may not always see the results of our efforts, we must continue plant the seed and pray for the lost, trusting the Lord of the harvest. Knowing ultimately, the results are up to Him, in His time.

 

I invite you to follow along with me as I read, and open your hearts for the Spirit of God is saying, as we continue in our study of this magnificent portion of God's Word. Mark 6b-13.

 

"And He was going around the villages teaching. And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— but to wear sandals; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics." And He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." They went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them."

 

Let's look at the end of verse 6, "And He was going around the villages teaching." From the time Jesus began His ministry, He went around preaching "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It wouldn't be long before He unmasked the religious leaders, condemning their hypocrisy, exposing their corruption and denouncing their deception and apostasy. He indicted them for the heavy burdens they lay on men’s shoulders, unwilling to move so much as a finger to lift them. He cursed them for making those they taught twice as much a son of hell as themselves. And, He did it publicly, so everyone knew what He thought about them. It suffices to say, it quickly escalated their hated of Him and everything He stood for. They despised the repentance that He demanded for forgiveness of sin, the faith that He commanded

By the time we reach this point, their rejection of Him is complete.

 

Verse 7, "And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits" This is the initiation of the apostles. There were a lot of disciples to choose from, these are the ones that were sovereignly chosen through prayer, just as He does today. I imagine, like many of us who have received this high calling, there was a dumbfounded look in their eyes and their hearts began to sink. If there's one thing I've learned in ministry, it's that He often calls us out of our comfort zones! I remember telling the Lord, "I can't do this! I'm not qualified to engage in this battle You're calling me to." I relate to their feeling of insufficiency and inadequacy. Christ is not oblivious to the obstacles that stand in our way of serving Him, He deals with all them one by one. He ordains His ministers to represent Him through the preaching the same Gospel of salvation that He preached, any deviation from that message is a prostitution of the Gospel. In Galatians 1:8 Paul writes, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!"

 

Next, notice He began to send them out in pairs, for mutual support and protection, to blend their unique spiritual gifts and talents. I believe this speaks to all of us today, ministry isn't supposed to be done alone, we are each blessed with gifts and talents to be used for the benefit of the ministry. Jesus literally wore Himself out doing the will of His Father. Another reason is to confirm everything that they said on the evidence of two witnesses. That's what Deuteronomy 19 says, right? "A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed."

  

And He "gave them authority over the unclean spirits." This is an expression of divine power. The word "eksousía," means He gave them both the right and delegated the power to act over all demons. In Matthew's parallel account, he adds "heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. They were able to do exactly what Jesus did to demonstrate they are speaking divine truth. These credentials are exclusive to the apostles, which they had throughout the duration of their ministry as a permanent indication of their apostleship. In Luke 10, He delegated that power briefly to the seventy He sent out to authenticate the message over the false teachers that oppressed people. This is not only an overwhelming display of God's power but His compassion toward suffering people who had no remedy for relief. The God who hears our cries doesn’t forget our suffering. Anybody who claims to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ is called to demonstrate the love, and mercy, and compassion of God.

 

Verses 8-9, "And He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt, but to wear sandals; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics." Matthew adds "Freely you received, freely give." Never put a price on the Gospel, taking advantage of suffering people. The Gospel presentation should not contain anything about instructing people to give money. Which is common practice among false teachers today, who are in the ministry to become filthy rich. I have heard a number of prosperity teachers claim the reason their congregations are suffering is because they're not giving "enough." They use the pulpit to promote their latest books, they charge exuberant fees for speaking engagements, all to maintain their extravagant lifestyles. If you are a faithful minister of the Gospel, you’re not going to be able to be bought, selling yourself to the highest bidder.

 

Listen, there's nothing wrong with being paid for doing the Lord's work. Did Paul not write in 1 Corinthians 9, "Do we not have a right to eat and drink? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel." The greatest lesson I have learned in ministry is complete dependence, trusting that God will provide. He will supernaturally move in the hearts of those He has enabled to give, you don't have to put a price on it. Remember, this is a training mission for the apostles, that's why He instructed them to take nothing for their journey, they needed to learn to trust God on the highest level to provide everything they need, I believe it’s the same today. In Matthew 6, Jesus said "Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." I've learned to be anxious for nothing. I hasten to say, when I have humbly accepted what God has graciously provided, I've never once lacked for anything! At some point in every Christians life, you're going to have to learn to trust the Lord.

Verses 10-11, "And He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." We have all heard the widely popular phrase, "What would Jesus do?," often abbreviated "WWJD." Many churches have used it as a standard guide to impact the conduct of believers in all areas of our lives, as we represent the Lord Jesus Christ in the world. "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town." The idea here is to make sure you stay in a worthy place and be content with whatever the Lord provides. In Philippians 4:11 Paul said, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."

 

Then He says "Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." This is pretty strong instruction from our Lord, this is a lesson in discernment. Preaching the message of salvation to sinners on their way to Hell is no easy task, it requires boldness and courage. As a rule it’s not going to be received well, it will be rejected, this is especially true by those in the church who refuse to recognize their true spiritual condition. Preach the message, if they receive you or listen to you, leave. This is reminiscent of what He said in Matthew 7:6, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet." In other words, don't waste your time giving priceless spiritual truth to people who have no ability to grasp it. Jesus Himself hid the truth from those who are obstinate and stiff-necked, didn't He?

 

 

Then He instructs them to "shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." This is a visual act of judgment, a testimony against them, judicially confirming their rejection of the gospel of salvation. Luke adds in chapter 10, "Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city."

 

It's as 1 Corinthians 2, says "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." It’s about the condition of the perverse heart. Jesus went so far to say in Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." The only ones who are going to want understand the spiritual Truth, are those who belong to Christ. That's why Jesus would say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay, right? Oh what a tremendous privilege it is to the mind of Christ. There are a lot of people in the church today, who claim to be a Christian, but they've never had their sins covered, and they're trying to force their way into the Kingdom. There are a number of people that I used to hang around, who loved me before I became a pastor, committed to preaching the Gospel, now they resent everything about me. In fact, many of them have completely shut me out of their lives, still consumed with their sinful pleasures, sinful longings and desires. Rejection is part of being a messenger of Christ. 

 

I love verse 12, "They went out and preached that men should repent." They rightly responded to the divine commission given to them by our Lord, doing exactly as they were told. Allow me to remind those in ministry, God sets the terms of our calling, He commands our obedience in ministry, to preach His Word not our personal opinion or well intended human philosophies. Every time a pastor opens his mouth, the things of God and His Kingdom should come out. Not our personal political opinions. Jesus associated with sinners in order to save them, never once did He attempt to win the lost by becoming one of them, or affirming their sin. I believe this speaks to many of those who are in the ministry who have lost their focus, since no one knows the day or the hour of Christ's return, we must proclaim the Gospel with urgency, calling men unto repentance leading to salvation. Nothing less, nothing more. Let's face it, the Gospel is a confrontive message! Today, all we hear about is how Jesus loves you, make a decision for Christ. There's no talk about repentance, nothing about commitment, or accountability to His Lordship, no cost of discipleship. 

 

That brings us to verse 13, "And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them." And they were casting out many demons and healing the sick to show that they represented God since they were just men. Anointing with oil is symbolic of God’s divine presence, 

that their power came from God. Jesus never did that, He didn't need to, He is divine presence. The  credentials that they were given more than sufficient. We are never more like Christ than when we proclaim the Truth, and show compassion toward those who are suffering, shifting the focus from ourselves. 

 

In Closing..

 

Many church leaders have made such damning alterations to the Gospel in order to make it more palatable, more inclusive, rendering it utterly ineffective in producing true followers of Christ. The way of sin has always been a downward spiral, all we've managed to do is increase the rate of speed at which it occurs. Make no mistake, God has set the bar for ministry very high, pastors are called to hold to His teaching, a standard for which we will all be held accountable. He commands our obedience, even if it costs you absolutely everything. Jesus said, If you're not willing to carry your own cross, you cannot be My disciple. If you try to hold onto your own agenda, your own plans, your own way of doing ministry, you'll lose. You're not going to receive a crown without a cross.

 

The Gospels were written that people might believe; they have come to the right conclusion about Jesus Christ through what God has revealed in His Word. That's how we're going to bring people into the kingdom of God as His representatives, by commanding sinners to repent; that's absolutely necessary for salvation. You're not going to do that with a man-centered theology, setting your mind on man’s interests rather than God's. There is no absolutely benefit in false conversions. The gospel has to be the Gospel. That means we must confront superficial Christianity.

 

In John 14:15, Jesus said  "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  We know we are saved because we believe and obey Christ, not because we feel saved. 

 

May it be so..

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

 

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