Jesus had a three-year ministry. He accomplished everything he set out to accomplish. His entire ministry was done according to his strategic plan. Nothing was left to chance. He prayed all night before he chose his disciples.
These disciples were the ones he was preparing for three years to take the leadership after his own death, burial and resurrection and ascension. His final instructions to his disciples was to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit before taking the good news to the ends of the earth to all peoples.
Our passage of scripture is looking at a crucial point in the earthly ministry of Jesus. It is when after modeling going and preaching the kingdom of heaven, he sends his disciples out to do the same. Now Jesus is giving authority to his disciples. He is sending them out two by two, to do personal evangelism and preach repentance from town to town. Jesus had purpose in all he was doing. Jesus is the expert mission strategist.
Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:7-13)
In this passage Jesus has chosen his disciples and spent time with them, and he has taught them. They have observed his ministry and witnessed their teacher having spiritual authority over demons, sickness, death, nature and sin.
We see the Father’s work through Jesus. The redemption of man was destined to spread. Jesus chose his disciples and trained them. They had observed him and now he is sending them out to do the work. It is a work that will be carried on after Jesus leaves. It will be a work that will be fully carried out when the Holy Spirit comes. It is a work that is to continue by us until Jesus comes again.
Jesus’ strategy is: Abiding, Entry, Evangelism, Discipleship, Leadership development and Church planting and exit. The church was not born until the Holy Spirit came fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead. But it was part of Jesus strategy from the beginning. Not everything had yet unfolded at the time of our passage, but this passage is crucial to the full strategy of Jesus that comes more fully into focus after he ascends to heaven.
Go Trusting God
Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. (Mark 6:7-8)
When Jesus sent out his disciples, he gave them spiritual authority. When he sent out the twelve two by two, they went out totally dependent on God. They were to take nothing for the journey. They must look to God for their every need.
Jesus still uses human agents. He is using us. His disciples were imperfect people who he gives authority to and empowers to carry on the work of redemption. He uses us today and the Gospel is working its way through 8 billion people like yeast works through dough. The purpose of God is to spread and saturate the world with the Gospel.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. (Isaiah 11:9-10)
Jesus calls his disciples together and sends them out. They have learned from Jesus, gotten to know him. He is ready to send them out on their mission.
Those who go must first be with Christ. If you are going to lead other people to Christ you must be very sure you know Him yourself. There must be daily renewal. Without that renewal your witness will have a hollow emptiness to it without power. D. L. Moody said, I am a leaky vessel. I must stay under the tap.
Take no unnecessary baggage. Trust and depend on God. They went out and preached that people should repent. Man is utterly hopeless, destined to hell without Christ. Man’s problem is a spiritual disease called sin. They preached repentance. We are to preach repentance. Our condition is hopeless without Christ. A man is lost away from God until he accepts Christ.
Entry
Enter a house. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. This strategy is called the house of peace strategy based in parallel in Luke chapters 9 and the follow up strategy in Luke 10 where the 72 go out. It is the disciples going with their disciples. This is where the house of peace strategy gets its name, because they are focusing on the house that receives then and they are to say, peace on that house (Luke10:5).
Those who received them at the house of peace, they stayed there and taught and preached the kingdom of God. (Luke 4:43-44)
Jesus strategy was to cover Israel. Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. (Mark 1:38-39)
He modeled this for his disciples. He paired them up together and sent them out two by two. Then he sent them out with their disciples (sending the 72). It was the strategy of multiplication. It was the strategy paul articulated. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)
Evangelism
They went out and preached that people should repent. The apostles confronted men and women with their sin and called them to repentance. If you lose your evangelistic zeal, it means a true dynamic faith has faded. We lose our evangelistic zeal when we lose sight of Holy God and we lose sight of the fear of God.
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. (2 Corinthians 5:11) There is the urgency in the New Testament evangelism. We cannot help but speak the things we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20)
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (John 1:41)
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. (John 4:28-30)
Jesus taught his disciples to take the gospel, preaching the kingdom of God, to the people. “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. (Luke 14:23)
Not everyone would accept this message of repentance. Jesus himself met rejection in Nazareth. Some would reject the disciples sent out by him.
In one country known for resistance to the gospel it was found from an extensive survey that there are six out of ten who want a Christian to tell them more about Jesus Christ. Can you imagine that when you pass one thousand people on the sidewalk there are six hundred that would like you to tell them more about Jesus Christ. They are disappointed if you don’t.
There are four out of ten that don’t want you to tell them about Christ. And there is still a very small percent that will get downright angry if you try to tell them about Jesus Christ. Don’t let the small minority deter you and spoil hearing the good news of great joy for all those who want you to tell them. You must tell them of Christ and how Jesus can give them eternal life and abundant life. Aren’t you glad someone told you about the good news in Jesus Christ!
Discipleship
We see discipleship from multiple angles in this passage. First of all, Jesus was discipling his disciples. He did not disciple them by teaching them a course and sitting them in a classroom. He discipled them by modeling preaching repentance and then sending them to preach repentance. After that he sent them out with other disciples.
Why stay at that house that accepts them? Because they are to teach them and disciple them. The house of peace is to become a lighthouse in the community. They need to understand the gospel. They need to know how to abide in Christ. They need to be sent out like Jesus sent out the disciples.
Jesus’ strategy was to make disciples, who made disciples, who made disciples who made disciples until the ends of the earth are reached. All peoples and places need the gospel and the strategy for this is multiplying disciples. Jesus was building a discipleship chain.
Are you discipling someone? Are your disciples discipling disciples who make disciples? That was the strategy Jesus modeled and was carried in by the New Testament church.
There is a time to stay and a time to go.
When those are against you then shake the dust off your sandals. In Acts 13:51 Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet in protest against those who rejected the Gospel.
Keep working, spread the gospel and expect some rejection.
In one case an evangelist was having a lot of trouble in one village. Finally, a Christian leader went with him to discuss the situation in the village. One man out of the village was very adamant they did not want this evangelist spreading the Gospel in their village. After discussion the Christian leader said, if you do not want the gospel here then the evangelist will not come. The Bible tells us to shake the dust from our feet and go. He said he will leave. Suddenly the others became more vocal. I don’t want you to do that in our village. Another said my sister has become a Christian and the evangelist helps her. The voices for the evangelist to continue work in the village prevailed.
In some cases, we stay at the house and build them up spiritually. In some cases, we face rejection and move on. We follow the pattern of Christ who said, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also.
The gospel continues on like yeast through dough. Be encouraged, the gospel is saturating this planet steadily and surely as God said it would. In some areas churches are popping up like ant homes after the rain. God’s work moves ahead around the world.
Leadership development.
Jesus was always thinking about the leaders that would carry on when his work on this earth was finished. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Here is Jesus’ strategy:
Come in the fullness of time.
Call disciples to himself.
Send the twelve out to train them.
Send out the seventy-two, the twelve with their own disciples.
His own death, burial and resurrection was part of his plan.
Ascend to heaven and wait for the Holy Spirit’s power.
Take the gospel and plant churches to the ends of the earth.
Return again for his second coming and judgement for all.
The redeemed will live in heaven forever with him.
Jesus taught his disciples to take the gospel to the people. What are your priorities?
