Topic: Missionary Trip (Mark 6:7-13)
After modeling going and preaching the kingdom of heaven, Jesus sent his disciples out to do the same. He sent them out two by two, to preach repentance from town to town. Jesus had purpose in all he was doing. Jesus is the expert mission strategist.
When Jesus sent out his disciples, he gave them spiritual authority. When he sent out the twelve two by two, they went out totally dependent on God. They were to take nothing for the journey. They must look to God for their every need.
Jesus still uses human agents. He is using us. His disciples were imperfect people who He gives authority to and empowers to carry on the work of redemption. He uses us today and the Gospel is working its way through eight billion people like yeast works through dough. The purpose of God is to spread and saturate the world with the Gospel.
Isaiah 11:9-10, “They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and his resting place will be glorious.”
Jesus’s strategy was to cover Israel.
Mark 1:38-39, “He said to them, ‘Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.’ And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”
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. They went out and preached that people should repent. Man is utterly hopeless, destined to hell without Christ. Man’s problem is a spiritual disease called sin. They preached repentance. We are to preach repentance. Our condition is hopeless without Christ. A man is lost away from God until he accepts Christ.
The gospel continues like yeast through dough. Be encouraged, the gospel is saturating this planet steadily and surely as God said it would. God’s work moves ahead around the world.
Are you going? Are you depending on God? Do others know you carry a cross?
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem