In American football be it street ball, Pop Warner, high school, college or the NFL, you can see between plays as the quarterback breaks to give his team instructions on the next play in order to move up the field. The bigger the yards to run, the closer their team will get the goal line, the better their chances pick up a win from the other team and sometimes field advantage.
Dr. Luke wrote this account as if he was right in the middle of this “huddle” between the quarterback, Jesus and His team, the twelve disciples. There were certain things the Disciples must do before they can do the things He does. You can call this “Witness 101”.
THEY WERE COMMISSIONED. Jesus brought them together to do the work Jesus has been doing during the time they were together and further in the future ahead. He gave them authority over all demons and the power to cast them out as well as healing diseases. He also sent them to let people know that the coming of the Kingdom of God is soon to come and the healing the sick. Paul encouraged his young minister Timothy to” Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine” 2 Timothy 4:2 and the command Jesus gave His Apostles their marching papers.
“And he said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” Mark 16:15.
II.HE INSTRUCTED THEM. Now, after He commissioned these, He has chosen as His Apostles. He gave them a set of instructions to follow during their journey.
A) KEEP IT SIMPLE. Don’t load yourself up with equipment just keep it simple but remember, you are the equipment being used.
B) NO LUXRIES. He instructed them to get a modest place and be content there until you leave. If you get a place or be in place with luxuries in your ministry then, you’ll end up too comfortable in that one place God has assign you too. The Bible tells, Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”.
C) IF YOU’RE NOT WELCOMED LEAVE. There will be times when people will not accept your visit or even take you seriously. In Matthew 10:14:” Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet”.
It was in that “huddle", there's a new beginning yet to come in the future.
And then there is Herod. The Bible in some translations called him a tetrarch meaning a governor of the fourth a province.
Herod heard about Jesus and the many things He done but was not admirer but curious and wanted to meet Him. But Herod had two conclusions--
A) John the Baptist was still alive and rose from the dead. As you remembered, Herod was probably either scared of Him even after John the Baptist even when he revealed what sin Herod was guilty of in the sight of God. John was no ordinary preacher but a preacher for people to “repeat, the Kingdom of God is at hand.” John was the forerunner, the immerser, the Baptizer. John was the kind of a hell and brimstone preacher during his time. In Mark’s Gospel account he was the “voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for him "prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for him "prepare the way for the Lord make straight paths for him” Mark 1:1-3 or, Herod was curious about Jesus. The other dilemma Herod had was that--
B) Elias the great prophet of old was alive as well appearing to others and risen from the dead. You remembered Elias, one of God’s chosen people. He’s called also Elijah and was used by the kings in order to guide God’s chosen people out of suffering. Elias/Elijah’s story is a great example of how God save His people. The people were reliable, but God had to work through people like Moses and Elijah. This is to prove and point to the One who will come and went to die for our sins and that is the person of Jesus Christ.
After hearing all the disciples heard, Jesus's retreat to another location privately to the city Bethsaida.
What’s my point in all of this? my point is there is no stopping us now to go out in highways and byways like these 12 disciples did.
ILLUSTRATION: True story. I remember when I was a member of this one church in Savannah that wanted to go into the various neighborhoods in order evangelize to different areas of Savannah. Before we went out, there was speaker in a workshop who was showing us how it could be done in a conventional way. That was Friday, the next day is Saturday morning and we put all that taught to us into practice. We arrived in this one apartment complex knocked on the door, introduce ourselves and presented to that person a light bulb. Mind now, this was one of the conventional ways we were taught the day before. We told them that Jesus loves them and is there anything you want us to pray with you for; Some said yes some said no. The ones who said no as Jesus said, "shake off the very dust from your feet...” (Verse 5). We did this throughout the morning as groups to evangelize neighborhoods around us.
You see, with these disciples, there was no stopping them to do what was commissioned to them by Jesus and so there should be no stopping us now two thousand years later as the last appearance of The Master is yet neigh.
ILLUSTRATION II. I remember when Vanessa and I was downtown one day and there a young lady I use to work with at the old IHOP restaurant on Mall Blvd, Brenda.
I knew she was a Christian when I first met her when I first worked there at IHOP and there she was this particle day, passing out tracts and witnessing to people as they pass by her. You see there was no stopping Brenda to do the will of God by doing what she was doing. I pray God bless her for what she has and hopefully still doing. Here’s one more...
ILLUSTRATION III: on YouTube there is a young evangelist/pastor in Canada I was watching preaching in the streets of one the cities in the Canada providence. People heckled him, cussed at him, passed by him giving funny looks but, there was no stopping this young preacher to go out and preach on the streets in any providence of Canada or here in the US.
How about you? Let me ask if Jesus should come back in a few minutes, days, hours, moments, where will you spend eternality?
Have you except Jesus as your Savior and Lord? And if you didn’t, what are you waiting for?
Good works will not save you. Being a member of a Church, although we should, will not save you.
Let me help you...
ACCEPT-Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Romans 6:23 tell us “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
BELIEVE- Believe in Jesus and you will be saved. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16.
CONFESS- “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:9.
Now, that you know the truth, the decision is all yours. Choose Him today. AMEN.
