Jesus has chosen his disciples and spent time with them, taught them. They have observed his ministry witnessed Jesus Spiritual authority over demos, sickness, death, nature and sin.
And now Jesus is giving authority to his disciples. He is sending them out two by two, to do personal evangelism, preach repentance from town to town. Jesus is the expert mission strategist.
Mark 6:7-13
7Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
8These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”
God’s works through Jesus, redemption of man was destined to spread. Jesus chose disciples trained them sent them, work carried on after Jesus left, when the Holy Spirit came.
Jesus still uses human agents, imperfect people. The Gospel is working its way through 6 billion people like yeast worked through dough. To spread and saturate the world with the Gospel.
Jesus calls his disciple together and sends them out. They have learned from Jesus, gotten to know him. He is ready to send them out on their mission.
Those who go must first be with Christ. If you are going to lead other people to Christ you must be very sure you know Him yourself. There must be daily renewal. Without that renewal your witness will have a hollow emptiness to it without power. D. L. Moody said, I am a leaky vessel. I must stay under the tap.
Take no unnecessary baggage. Trust and depend on God. Vs 12 They went out and preached that people should repent.
Man utterly hopeless, destined to hell without Christ. Man’s problem is a spiritual disease called sin. Notice the message was not simply Jesus dwells in each of you simply wake up to that. Rather, repent, mans condition is hopeless without Christ. A man is lost away from God until he accepts Christ.
Billy Graham said, “Some would say to the prodigal son, you don’t need to return to the father, we can help you clean up this pigsty and make it a pleasant home for you.”
The apostles confronted men and women with their son and called them to repentance. If you lose your evangelistic zeal it means a try dynamic faith has faded. We lose our evangelistic zeal when we lose sight of Holy God and fear of God.
2 Corinthians 5:11 Since then we know what it is to fear the Lord we persuade men. There is the urgency in the New Testament evangelism. We cannot help but speak the things we have seen and heard” Peter.
“We have found the Messiah” Nathaniel
“Come and see a man who told me al the things I ever did” Woman of Samaria
Jesus taught his disciples to take the gospel to the people. Go to the highways and byways and compel them to come in!
Not everyone would accept this message of repentance. Jesus himself met rejection in Nazareth. Some would reject the disciples sent out by him.
In India there are six out of ten Hindus who want a Christian to tell them more about Jesus Christ. This survey came as a result of a massive TV and video evangelistic emphasis. Can you imagine that when you pass one thousand people on the side walk in India there are six hundred that would like you to tell them more about Jesus Christ, disappointed if you don’t. But four out of ten don’t want you to tell them. And a very small percent get downright angry if you try to tell them. Don’t let the minority deter you and spoil it for all those who want you to tell them of Christ and how he can give them eternal and abundant life.
When those are against you then shake the dust off your sandals. In Acts 13:51 Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet in protest against those who rejected the Gospel.
Keep working, spread the gospel and expect some rejection. In one case an evangelist was having a lot of trouble in one village. Finally a Christian leader went with him to discuss the situation in the village. One man out of the village was very adamant they did not want this evangelist spreading the Gospel in their village. After discussion the Christian leader said fine. If you do not want the gospel here the evangelist will not come. The Bible tells us to shake the dust from our feet and go. He said he will leave. Suddenly the others became more vocal. I don’t want you to do that in our village. Another said my sister has become a Christian and the evangelist helps her. The voices for the evangelist to continue work in the village prevailed.
The gospel continues on like yeast through dough. Be encouraged, the gospel is saturating this planet steadily and surely as God said it would. In some areas churches are popping up like ant homes after the rain. God’s work moves ahead around the world.
Jesus taught his disciples to take the gospel to the people. What are your priorities?
