Great Commision
No matter what earthly post I might be responsible for today, I have a heavenly assignment to carry out. The "great commission" is the "great permission" to represent the kingdom of God. To bring heaven wherever my feet might land today. If I will ask Him, Jesus will help me see how He uses the mundane obligations in my life to open up doors for me to walk through in the exciting assignments He has for me. If I can get my vision to agree with His, my job WILL be exciting today, and I will impact people for Jesus' kingdom! Just writing this changes how I feel about heading into the world today!
The key to carrying out my real work today is prayer. Prayer for God to send laborers (me, not just others), prayer for the sick, and verbal orders to cast out the enemy wherever I see him at work.
In Luke 10:1-24, Jesus appoints and sends 70 people to go into the towns, find a house to live in, and start a base of operations to heal sick people and cast out demons.
The first prayer was for laborers, but He was already sending out laborers! The laborers needed to pray that they would be laborers (God, help me to see the doors you are opening before me today and help me walk through them) and that God would add to their numbers. The only thing they were to take with them was Jesus' name!.."sickness go, in the name of Jesus," "liar leave, in Jesus' name"...these are powerful words in the right situation, and Jesus wanted the laborers to begin to use them.
There were 12 disciples, 12 leaders, but 70 were sent out to be the ministry team. This is for me and you, not just church leaders. Everyone who knows Jesus and trusts in His name is authorized to go and heal the sick, cast out demons, and make disciples!
Jesus sent them to pray for the sick and the afflicted, but the real purpose was to demonstrate the power in His name! If you really want people to know who Jesus is, you have to show them that He is real. You do this by taking a risk to pray for a problem and letting Jesus demonstrate who He is.
Luke 10:9 and heal the sick there, and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.
Most of us want to witness to others, to obey God and spread the Gospel. Jesus' plan to spread the Gospel was never one involving "blind faith" or good human reasoning. Ever since Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 28:18 "all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. GO therefore...and know I am with you always" We were meant to carry the Gospel with power just like the 70. Two by two, me and Jesus, looking for open doors to bring light into the darkness. I say the words, He backs them up with His power!
The street ministry taking place in our city is amazing. But we shouldn't only pray for those we encounter on a street ministry night. Jesus sent the 70 to go and minister to the people they were living with. The ones they worked beside, and ate lunch with. The people I encounter at my job sites, in the conference room, on the phone, at the library, the grocery store, the dinner table, the family room...God has appointed divine meetings for me all day long. He wants me to see my day the way He see's it. He wants my agenda to agree with His.
When the 70 came back they were amazed at the authority they carried. Their sheer excitement shows they didn't know with assurance what would happen when they left. They took a risk and prayed in places that were awkward, trusting that Jesus would back up their assignment with His power. They brought back assurance for us all:
Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
Listen to Jesus as He "rejoiced" (vs 21) over His friends' obedience:
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” 23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”
For thousands of years mankind lived on the face of the earth without the name of Jesus. We live in one of the most blessed generations the earth has ever witnessed. With the rise of darkness all around us, we should have confidence that the Lord of light has sent us to this place for this time. We carry the most powerful weapon the earth has ever known right in our mouths: the name of Jesus! What will I do with it today?!
The key to carrying out my real work today is prayer. Prayer for God to send laborers (me, not just others), prayer for the sick, and verbal orders to cast out the enemy wherever I see him at work.
In Luke 10:1-24, Jesus appoints and sends 70 people to go into the towns, find a house to live in, and start a base of operations to heal sick people and cast out demons.
The first prayer was for laborers, but He was already sending out laborers! The laborers needed to pray that they would be laborers (God, help me to see the doors you are opening before me today and help me walk through them) and that God would add to their numbers. The only thing they were to take with them was Jesus' name!.."sickness go, in the name of Jesus," "liar leave, in Jesus' name"...these are powerful words in the right situation, and Jesus wanted the laborers to begin to use them.
There were 12 disciples, 12 leaders, but 70 were sent out to be the ministry team. This is for me and you, not just church leaders. Everyone who knows Jesus and trusts in His name is authorized to go and heal the sick, cast out demons, and make disciples!
Jesus sent them to pray for the sick and the afflicted, but the real purpose was to demonstrate the power in His name! If you really want people to know who Jesus is, you have to show them that He is real. You do this by taking a risk to pray for a problem and letting Jesus demonstrate who He is.
Luke 10:9 and heal the sick there, and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.
Most of us want to witness to others, to obey God and spread the Gospel. Jesus' plan to spread the Gospel was never one involving "blind faith" or good human reasoning. Ever since Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 28:18 "all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. GO therefore...and know I am with you always" We were meant to carry the Gospel with power just like the 70. Two by two, me and Jesus, looking for open doors to bring light into the darkness. I say the words, He backs them up with His power!
The street ministry taking place in our city is amazing. But we shouldn't only pray for those we encounter on a street ministry night. Jesus sent the 70 to go and minister to the people they were living with. The ones they worked beside, and ate lunch with. The people I encounter at my job sites, in the conference room, on the phone, at the library, the grocery store, the dinner table, the family room...God has appointed divine meetings for me all day long. He wants me to see my day the way He see's it. He wants my agenda to agree with His.
When the 70 came back they were amazed at the authority they carried. Their sheer excitement shows they didn't know with assurance what would happen when they left. They took a risk and prayed in places that were awkward, trusting that Jesus would back up their assignment with His power. They brought back assurance for us all:
Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
Listen to Jesus as He "rejoiced" (vs 21) over His friends' obedience:
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” 23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”
For thousands of years mankind lived on the face of the earth without the name of Jesus. We live in one of the most blessed generations the earth has ever witnessed. With the rise of darkness all around us, we should have confidence that the Lord of light has sent us to this place for this time. We carry the most powerful weapon the earth has ever known right in our mouths: the name of Jesus! What will I do with it today?!
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