The Journey, part 3: the Equipping

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. (Luke 9:1 NASB)

Before Jesus sent His twelve apostles out on their journey of preaching and healing, he equipped them in an unusual way. If we were equipping a medical mission trip (preaching and healing crusade), we would have trunks full of medical supplies, office supplies to keep records of all the people we would see and treat, Bibles to distribute, personal supplies to make the journey easier. We would pack traveling clothes and preaching clothes, as well as "scrubs" to wear while we were seeing the sick. We would be loaded down. 

When Jesus equipped the twelve, He gave them two things. Only two things. Power and authority. It sounds like a pretty light load, doesn't it? The word translated as "power" is dynamis, and indicates a kind of "power in action" (VED). It is not a brute force, but an ability for miraculous action. Sometimes, this word is used to indicate the miracle itself. For example, "performed many miracles" is sometimes written as "performed many dynamis".  What a wonderful way of describing the action of Jesus in performing a work of power in the lives of those in need! Oh, that we would have a work of power in our lives, fashioned by the hands of God Himself! One of the hymns I learned as a child says, "There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb." It was this "wonder-working power" that Jesus gave the disciples for their journey. 

The second part of their equipment was exousia, translated here as "authority".  When we read that He gave them authority, we tend to think that Jesus put the twelve "in charge" somehow. Perhaps a better understanding of this word would be "permission".  It was Jesus, as the Son of God, who had the authority over demons and illness. He simply gave them permission to act in His name and in His authority. Much as a teacher might give a student permission to go to the office on an errand, Jesus gave the twelve permission to go on a kind of "errand" for Him. 

Power and permission were the only equipment needed to do that which Jesus assigned the twelve.  Without those two tools, they would have been completely ineffective. With them, anything was possible. When God calls us to a task, we can be certain He will also equip us. We may have a meager skill-set and what seems to be an inadequate supply, but if we have the power and permission of God Himself, we have all we need to start the journey of a lifetime. 

Pray today that we and our loved ones would experience that wonder-working power in our own lives and would be equipped by God for those tasks to which He has called us. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-top-seven-countdown-6-nevertheless.html

  

The Journey, part 2: the twelve

 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. (Luke 9:1 NASB)

Jesus had been training his twelve closest disciples (or apostles) for months. They were students following their beloved teacher. Jesus, however, was the Redeemer training those who would continue His work once He was gone. He knew it was time for them to put all He had taught them into action, and they were about to have some field work. 

Jesus summoned the twelve in order to commission and equip them. That seems like a pretty routine summons until you realize who was a part of the twelve. Peter, James, and John were His inner circle and they, of course, were there. Judas Iscariot, the one who would betray Jesus, was also there. It seems odd sending the betrayer out to do God's work, doesn't it?  What seems even more unexpected is that He entrusted both power and authority over demons and illness to Judas. 

Consider this scenario for a moment.  Judas was called by Jesus to follow Him, and he did. He was not just a follower, but became one of the twelve. He was with Jesus every day, and was treated in the same manner as all the other disciples. When Jesus was bestowing power and authority, Judas received the same power and authority as everyone else in the group. When Jesus sent them out to preach the Good News and perform healings, Judas was sent, just like the others in the twelve, and he went. Along the way, Judas preached and healed the sick, just as Peter, James, and John did. 

Because Judas Iscariot is forever remembered as the betrayer of Jesus, it is easy to forget that he was, at least at the beginning, a close follower of Jesus. We don't often consider Judas as a minister of the gospel, but that is exactly what he was. In fact, he was a kind of "traveling evangelist" for a time. Luke 9:1 makes this clear. Jesus sent the twelve, and Judas was one of the twelve.

Judas did not come to Jesus planning to betray Him. He planned to follow Him. The problem was that Judas had unconfessed sin he never chose to leave behind. He was a thief, and his love for money would one day not only be his undoing, but would send Jesus to the cross. The tragic truth is that, in the sending of the twelve, Jesus gave Judas all the power and authority he needed to break free of the stronghold of sin in his life. His traveling partner had all the power and authority needed to help Judas. He could have been freed of his sin, but he chose bondage instead. 

That sounds terrible, doesn't it? He chose bondage. When we hear that, we instinctively know it was a foolish choice, yet do we not do the same?  Do we not downplay the danger of our own sinful ways? Do we not look at others and console ourselves that we are not as bad as they? Do we not choose to continue with our sin rather than seek the freedom that Christ can bring? Do we not also choose bondage? 

How tragic it is that this disciple was commisioned, equipped, and empowered to make a difference in the lives of those around him, yet failed so miserably when it mattered most! Dear ones, choosing to keep our sin rather than embrace freedom is always a costly decision. We would do well to look closely at our own hearts and invite our Lord to remove every stronghold, replacing them with the freedom only He can bring. Today, let us invite a holy inspection of our hearts, followed by a holy cleansing so that we can not just serve but help others find the freedom in Christ that we have also found.