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Let’s review our main premise...
Jesus’ mission & ministry is a FULLY TRANSFERABLE MINISTRY.
Luke 9:1-2 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.
Here we see Jesus is PASSING THE TORCH to His followers. Jesus is transferring His ministry to His twelve friends…giving them "power & authority" to cure diseases & drive out demons & to preach a Kingdom Message...right?
Let’s be honest…when most of us read this passage…we just can’t easily identify with this commission… We can believe it’s transferable to His disciples BUT NOT to you & me here in 2006…right?
Cure diseases…drive out demons…power preach…it all sounds too weird or too pentecostal or too charismatic to us...so we leave it alone.
Let me help you de-mystify this TRANSFERABLE MINISTRY of JESUS a bit more…turn over to Luke 10:1-9
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’
Now, I’ll be honest…as I read Luke’s account of this transaction…Jesus’ TRANSFERABLE MINISTRY gets a bit more digestible here for me! WHY??
First of all there is...
NO BIG ANOINTING WHOOPLA
no picture of Jesus giving these guys "power & authority" He simply "sends" them out…
NO POWER PREACHING
no call to…"preach"…just "tell them the Kingdom of God is near"
NO CURING DISEASES
no mention of "curing diseases" only the word "heal" which for me is a much less threatening word!
NO CASTING OUT DEMONS!
no mention of "casting out demons" (whew)
As a matter of fact…it’s a perfect picture of what Gary Best calls Naturally Supernatural…
1. Jesus’ followers are not the main act. (We simply point to Jesus)
2. Jesus’ followers go in simplicity & peace. (It’s not about us)
3. Jesus’ followers’ words & actions are fairly simple. (God is here)
Yet if we read on to verse 17...
Lk 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.â€
We see that THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF GOD SHOWS UP as these 72 guys go out! HEALING, DELIVERANCE, ETC ETC
Let’s get objective here for a minute...let’s step away from the story to help you grasp what the disciples were actually doing
Keep in mind this truth...ALL the SIGNS & WONDERS we see Jesus & His disciples doing (HEALING THE SICK, CASTING OUT DEMONS, MULITPLYING FOOD, RAISING THE DEAD) are illustrations of a message: The King is here. Where-ever the King is, we experience King-stuff (God-stuff. God-activity) God’s POWER is a by-product of God’s message.
We make a HUGE MISTAKE when we think that the disciples had the GIFT of HEALING & GIFT of DRIVING OUT DEMONS carte blanche!
SIGNS & WONDERS HAPPENED THROUGH THEIR HANDS ONLY as they went out with JESUS’ KINGDOM MESSAGE. As they WENT…telling people the KING IS HERE…The King showed up. God displays His might & power as the disciples simply do their part. TELL & SHOW.
One of the biggest reasons we fail to step into Jesus’ TRANSFERABLE MINISTRY is we believe WE have to be the SOURCE OF POWER for God�s miracles.
HUGE MISTAKE!
That mind-set not only scares most of us away from praying for others, but...it’s bad theology.
In Chapter 3…Gary Best makes THIS HUGE POINT…
POWER COMES FOR A PURPOSE…
These supernatural activities that come through the hands of His followers are simply…GRACE-LETS. (Talent on loan from God...as Rush Limbaugh might say)
POWER for the MOMENT!
When you understand that YOUR ROLE is to simply SHOW UP, bringing ONE simple message: God is here. Your prayer then becomes pretty simple…you ASK GOD’S KINGDOM to BREAK IN ON THIS CURRENT SITUATION. God’s RULE & REIGN to COME. Nothing more. Nothing less.
This revelation alone can kick-start any average Christian into praying for people in their circle of influence. You don’t go out to HEAL SOMEONE. That’s not your job.
You go out to remind people that they have a KING and that KING is for them and that same KING can be invited RIGHT NOW to help with the situation (or mess) the person is in. When you pray...your job is to ASK for GOD�S KINGDOM to come...not HEAL or DELIVER. God HEALS & DELIVERS & SAVES when His Kingdom comes. GET IT?
Next week, we’ll talk more about a model of LISTEN & OBEY that helps you better re-align yourself so you can simply step into YOUR ROLE in Jesus� TRANSFERABLE MINISTRY.
But remember… YOU MUST DO YOUR PART, IF YOU WANT GOD TO DO HIS PART.
PEOPLE IN YOUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE NEED THE PRAYER!
YOU NEED THE PRACTICE!
CLOSING PRAYER
