Today’s message summary of November 26, 2017 from Pastor Gus Brown:
We’re continuing with the topic of salvation and the church. Life in the church is much more than just declaring Jesus as your personal Savior. It is more than just sitting in church and taking things in. It is about worshiping and serving the Lord day after day and growing more and more in your faith. Salvation is the area where God grooms you and prepares you while giving you tests that involve experiences with places and relationships.
Remember what it is like to send your children off to school for the first time. It is a similar experience in your faith. There will be new and different experiences for you to see and learn from. We are sent out to learn.
In Jesus’s time, the twelve disciples were sent out in Luke 9 and the seventy-two others are sent out in Chapter 10 of Luke.
- The twelve are the Apostles
- The seventy-two (some bibles refer to seventy) are disciples.
- Both groups are sent out at different times–not together.
- Both are given the same authority.
- Both groups were given instructions by Jesus.
- Both of these groups were sent out about nine months apart.
When you are being sent out to do ministry—discipling and shepherding different people—you are essentially leading and pastoring others. You don’t need a degree to do it. You just need a love of Jesus and the desire to share on His behalf—represent Him and act like Him. He has given you authority to do this. It is ultimately the responsibility of every person who declares the name of Jesus Christ.
In some ministries we share the same authority in order to achieve what God has assigned to us. We are not to be caught up in titles. It is all about your heart and your obedience to Jesus Christ.
For the groups’ instructions:
- They were not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans
- They were given a message to give to the people of Israel
- They were commissioned to drive out demons
The message was for the people that they were familiar with. It was a message that was the gospel—the good news about the kingdom of heaven.
Whenever you enter into ministry with Jesus Christ, you are entering a battle with the enemy. It can be personal, or even attack your family or close friends that can attempt to draw you away from what God has called you to do.
Mark 6:12-13
So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they were driving out many demons, anointing many sick people with olive oil, and healing them.
Matthew 10:7-8
“As you go, announce this: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons. You have received free of charge; give free of charge.”
To the seventy-two:
Luke 10:8
“When you enter any town, and they welcome you, eat the things set before you. Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’
They had to learn that a worker is worthy of His keep.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
God takes care of His people.
Matthew 10:11-13
When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. Greet a household when you enter it, and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.
Luke 9:4
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
Luke 10:5-6
Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
They were sent out to learn that everything will not go their way, and that some people will not like them, even though they were sent among people who were similar to them.
Matthew 10:16
“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.”
They were learning how to do ministry without His presence. Jesus was their leader and they had followed Him, but now they were to go out on their own.
Jesus was there but not seen. They learned His spiritual presence in the power of His name.
Luke 10:17
The Seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
They were learning to walk by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
They were learning how to represent Jesus, and not themselves.
2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
Since Jesus was not with them, they had to learn to trust in more than themselves. Two by two. Trusting in one another.
When you trust another person, you are learning from that person as you build your relationship. There is a development that must take place over a period of time.
Coming together into a group is only the beginning.
Staying together is a sign of progress.
Working together is success.
They had to learn that coming together was learning to work together to accomplish God’s will.
Four important lessons learned by being sent out:
- Jesus had to be brought into their lives and their way of thinking.
Psalm 26:2
Test me, Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
Lamentations 3:40
Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.
- Learn to submit to the will of Jesus. By going out and doing it. We are not just going in His will, but learn how to function within it.
Acts 17:28
For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
- Commit your ways to Jesus.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.
- Learn to transmit knowledge to others.
Acts 20:27
…for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole plan of God.
The twelve and the seventy-two had to deal with these four different areas of submission to Jesus Christ. In the same manner, we have to learn how to speak to many different groups of people–different cultures and the like–in order to best communicate the gospel. We are to submit to Jesus and do so in love in order that others can see Him in our efforts.
What we all learn from this: Life itself will give the final examination on what you believe.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 