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 preach 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 tunic...' So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere."
In this passage, there are two principles when we receive God's commands:
1. Command comes with authority. When the Lord sends us out, He will not send us with bare hands, but He will grant us authority and then send us. The Great Commission is recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, but we often neglect the all-important verse before them - 28:18, which says "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." We can go make disciples because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Whenever the Lord dispatches us to preach the gospel and share our testimonies, He has already given us the authority to win people for Him. It is the authority to defeat the demon and heal the sick, so we don't need to be afraid of Satan. The authority given to us will empower us to cast out any devil and heal all kinds of diseases. Once we accept the Great Commission, the authority is always given to us, and we need to use this authority to bind the work of Satan and set people's hearts free.
2. Command also comes with supply. Lord asked the disciples not to bring any food when they were going out; they only needed to wear their shoes and shirt, because God will provide everything. We must believe that God can provide, for those who depend on Him shall not be in shame. I will never forget what happened during the first year I was in the U.S., when we had very little money. One time Belinda needed to go buy something but didn't have a penny either at home or in the bank account. When she was anxiously wondering what she should do, a sister rang the door bell. She handed Belinda an envelope and said that God wanted her to give it to us. The envelope actually had money in it, and Belinda wept, for God is truly faithful! I always thought those things would only happen in storybooks, but as an impoverished student God also taught us this truth, which is a great reminder and also helped us tremendously through our ministry. Brothers and sisters, do you know that your God is trustworthy, and that He is the Lord who provides for all your needs? You can bring all your worries and burden before him because He will take care of you!
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