Farmhouse in Provence, 1888, Vincent van Gogh
Hello Salt & Light Friends,
Join me in welcoming a guest writer/speaker in Obosa Imade this week. Obosa is from Nigeria and resides in Texas. She enjoys writing and giving her voice to matters of faith while serving in her local church. Vocational she works in robotics education.
Devotional: Luke 9:1-6
“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.” - Luke 9:1-6
A.T.L.A.S. Outline
Hey Friends of The Salt & Light Daily,
My maternal grandmother was a bundle of sweetness, she was also a master of missions. Every weekend, after breakfast, she would gather us (her grandchildren) in the living room.
Whenever grandma called, we knew there was a mission to be accomplished. She would assign us chores and a tag team partner to work with. Back then, working together as kids was a fun (I mean chaotic) experience, but it taught us teamwork in achieving our common goal.
In much the same way, I imagine Jesus calling the twelve disciples together. Like my grandma, He had a mission for them, not for some household chores, but for kingdom work. They had been following him for a while now and on this day he gathered them to commission them for their first major assignment.
The Gathering
He gathered them together to send them out.
As I meditated on these first few lines, an impression began stirring in my heart. Christ is still gathering and sending out his disciples in these last days. There are holy summons, a gathering together of his disciples from all nations, across every platform for the singular purpose of proclaiming God’s kingdom on earth.
The commissioning of the disciples like he commissions us, requires us to respond with urgency to this assemblage and work hand in hand toward the common goal. For the Lord seeks laborers for his work, and we are the ones for the job. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37).
Empowerment for the Task.
Jesus didn’t just gather the disciples, He empowered them for the mission. Like a general arming his soldiers, He equipped them with kingdom strength “power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases” (Luke 9:1). For every chore she assigned us, my grandma always provided us with the tools to accomplish them. Friends, the Lord does not send without first empowering us. He empowers us by His Spirit to be faithful witnesses (Acts 1:8). Let us therefore with courage go about the kingdom mission knowing that we are furnished with the sufficiency of His grace.
Instruction for the Journey
For every responsibility we’re handed, there’s tailor-made instructions for accomplishing them. In the case of the twelve, Jesus instructed that they take nothing for the Journey. No additional tunic, no extra baggage. Just total reliance on His words.
If we look deeply into our inward parts, we might be sincerely surprised to see how much we’re clinging to the extra tunics of security, comfort, platforms, approvals and validation of men.
We cling to them though they weigh us down and distract us from the race we’ve been assigned to run. Christ clearly instructs that we rest our dependency on His Word alone. To rid ourselves of every weight and sin that entangles (Hebrews 12:1), to travel light with our faith anchored solely in Him.
Expectations
At this point, Jesus began to prepare the disciple’s heart for what to expect on the journey. Not everyone was going to receive the good news they came with. As a matter of fact, some will outrightly reject them.
In the case of any rejection, He tells them to “shake the dust off their feet.” They were not to dwell in it nor carry it with them, they were to shake it off and move forward in obedience.
As we bear witness to the kingdom of God, we too will be stung by rejection. There will be trolls barking against us. There will be those who will cut themselves away from us.
However, we must neither appease them nor crave their approval, we must do as Christ tells us “shake the dust off our feet” so that it doesn’t soil our conviction or halt our commission.
Today, God is still gathering ordinary people like you and me in homes, churches, schools, prisons, and online spaces. The mission is clearer and more urgent than ever before, to proclaim His kingdom and make disciples of all nations.
And just as my grandmother’s assignments required teamwork, just as the disciples were sent out together, we need each other for this. Every member working for the collective good of the gospel of Christ Jesus.
The question is are we willing to go without guarantee of success, armed only with His power and Word. Will we respond with the urgency and faith required for the job?
Not everyone will welcome God’s truth and that’s okay. Like the disciples, we must "shake the dust off" (Luke 9:5) and keep going without bitterness or doubt.
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think Jesus would have his disciples travel in pairs for ministry work?
Share a ministry or partnership that you are involved in and why?
How do you deal with setbacks or rejections in ministry related efforts?
How does teamwork in ministry been beneficial in your experiences, please share in the comments.
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help us to be your instruments and tune our hearts and mind to align with you. Help us to be bold when needed and gentle with the hurting, give us partners in Kingdom work to encourage one another and support each other as we share the good news that you still seek the lost and offer forgiveness to anyone who calls, I pray in the name of Jesus, our Protector and Deliverer. Amen.
References/Resources:
Farmhouse in Provence, 1888, Vincent van Gogh
Parallel Passage of Luke 9:1-6: Matthew 10:1-42; Mark 6:7-13.
Sermons on Luke 9:1-6: R.C. Sproul;
Workers are few (Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2)
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