THE MEN HE CALLED-by Rev.M.D.Rogers

Mark 6:7-13

One of the most amazing features of the Gospels, and of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, is the men He chose to be His disciples. If you and I were putting together a ministry team, these are probably not the kind of people we would choose to represent us. Consider these men for just a moment.

        Several were fishermen. One was a former tax collector for Rome. A couple of them were quick tempered. One of them was a revolutionary. One was a traitor and not a true believer at all. All were very common men.

        These men lacked spiritual understanding. They lacked humility. They lacked faith. They lacked commitment. They lacked power. These men were always getting into trouble; missing the point or Christ’s teachings; lashing out at people who were different; saying the wrong thing; walking away from their commitment to Jesus; among other failures and problems.

        In spite of their weaknesses, the Lord used these men to turn the world upside down for His glory. If He can use them, surely He can use us too! That gives me hope today!

THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE

(Ill. Jesus calls His men to Him and sends them out on a preaching mission. He sent them out two by two and gave them power over demons. Let’s consider their mission.)

A.  They were sent out “two by two”. Matthew 10:2-4 give us some idea of how these men may have been paired up. (Ill. How would you have liked to have been Judas Iscariot’s partner?) There are a couple of reasons Jesus sent them out this way.

·         It fulfilled the requirements of the Law for every testimony to be established by the words of at least two witnesses – Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Num. 35:30.

·         It provided the men with companionship, encouragement and for someone to pray for them.

·         This was the method used by John the Baptist when he sent out his followers, Luke 7:18-19.

·         This has been the method followed by Christians since the days of Jesus. The early church employed this method, Acts 13:2-3; 15:39-41; 19:22.

·         It is still the best method today. When two people go out to share the Gospel together, they can encourage one another, pray for one another and help one another stand in this evil day. When you go out to tell this world about Jesus take a fellow believer with you, it will make the job easier.

B.  We are told that Jesus gave them “power”. This particular word refers to “inherent power”. It has the idea of someone “possessing the right to do a thing and having the power to carry it out.” Jesus gave them His power when He sent them out. In a literal sense, they were an extension of Him as they ministered around the country. Jesus literally multiplied Himself when He sent His disciples out with His power.

In John 14:12 Jesus made a startling statement. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” The only reason we are able to see Him do this is because He gives us His power to serve Him in the world today.