Kingdom 501: Kingdom Power: Living out HIS Authority! Feb 5, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today we continue our journey through Jesus' teaching on "Kingdom." Last week we looked at "Kingdom Authority," what it meant and how Jesus showed us His authority, as the "author and perfecter of our faith" (Heb 12.) Now we enter the phase of Jesus' teaching were we see in action what we talk about in the leadership and discipleship square phase 4: "you do, I watch." This is where Jesus take his disciples (learners, following a rabbi) who are following him as he teaches by example how to know the Kingdom is at hand, near and here! Now Jesus takes these disciples "followers" and calls them forward to SEND them out: "Apostles (sent ones or messengers)!" In Matthew 10 we see Jesus calling his disciples to him in verse 1. He then gives them AUTHORITY to drive out evil spirits (demons) and heal every disease and sickness! Just as we talked about last week, the exact things that HE WAS DOING! They were being ordained, set apart, commissioned to go out and do what the author had been doing. They were to be HIS "AMBASSADORS" or HIS "Representatives!" You see in verse 2 that the word changes as Matthew lists their names from "Disciple" to "Apostle."

Matthew 10:1-20
¹ He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil^[a] spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
 ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
 ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,^[b] drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. ⁹ Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; ¹⁰ take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
   ¹¹ “Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. ¹² As you enter the home, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. ¹⁵ I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. ¹⁶ I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
   ¹⁷ “Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

How many of us does the Lord want to call out today and send forth into all the world as his messengers or "apostles?" ALL OF US!! I think it is telling that the Lord warns them of the dangers. Gives them strict boundaries but expects them to do what he has been doing when he states in verse 7-8 "⁷ As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,^[b] drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." I think we should expect to have the same message because we serve the same Lord! Hebrew 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!" It is time for us, his followers, to see the Holy Spirit at work and live out the authority that we have been given in Matthew 28 and preach the message the "The Kingdom of heaven is NEAR!!"


I can't wait to see what the Lord will do as we live out the calling he has placed on our lives expecting to do what He has done! I am really hoping to see what Jesus meant when he said to Philip and the twelve in John 14: " ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. ¹². ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." Living out HIS AUTHORITY is the power of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at work in HIS People!


May we see now, what we pray "THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!"




Love,
Pastor Bryan

*For those who were planning to come to the Lutheranism 101 class tomorrow the SuperBowl seems to be happening at the same time so it is postponed until next Sunday. The nerve of them putting it at the same time as our class:)