THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:6-13
“To send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.” (Mark 6:7)
I am trying to put myself in the shoes of these first disciples.
They had been with Jesus, and witnessed the amazing things He said and did.
Now He is pushing them out in teams of two to do the same things He did.
He authorizes them, that is, He shares His Spirit authority from God with them.
The disciples were ordinary people, they were not trained for this.
But they had the backing of Jesus, Who was backed by the Spirit of God.
And it worked, they had success in the villages, people repented and were healed!
Jesus has authorized us with the Spirit of God to go on His behalf too.
Our confidence is not in our training, or money, or programs, or numbers.
Ordinary people like you and me inviting people to change their minds about Jesus.
Ordinary people like you and me praying for people experiencing hardship or struggle.
This reading is encouraging me as a Jesus follower, to remind me of how He sends me too.
I can speak, I can pray, and I can trust the Spirit to work through me too.
It is not my job to convert or heal – just share and pray – the Spirit will do the rest.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for the gentle encouragement not to hesitate to go and speak and pray for You. Remind me of this story when I get nervous about speaking to others about You.