Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 9:1-11 , Mark 6:7-13 "A RIGOROUS TRAINING PROGRAMME"
Day 105 – Luke 9
Text: Luke 9:1-11 , Mark 6:7-13
A RIGOROUS TRAINING PROGRAMME
The Disciples had undergone rigorous training under the Lord Jesus Christ. The lessons of faith and life were not taught in a sterile, academic seminary classroom. The vital lessons that Jesus sought to impart to His Disciples could only be learned in the context of mainstream life!
There were no research papers to write, no dry books to read – but the training programme Jesus devised for His Disciples equipped them for service as nothing else could! The lessons of faith and life were deemed to be far more important than the traditional methods of training rabbis.
We are not to disparage academic, theological training. That has its place in the overall training of a good servant of God. However, the lessons that Jesus taught His Disciples went far beyond books.
Theological education must be life and ministry related! Mere academia does not produce faithful or effective servants of God. The real problems of life have to do with the problems created by sin, and Satan. The Disciples had to see how the Lord Jesus dealt with all the problems that He had to confront every day in His public ministry.
It was a tough training programme that the Lord Jesus designed for His Disciples.
1. All lessons had to be learned by heart!
2. The Disciples were expected to cultivate their prayer life.
3. The Lord Jesus expected His Disciples to have a vibrant faith.
4. He also expected them to be able to minister in depth!
These lessons may have been tough. However, as long as they had the Lord Jesus Christ close by, they had little to fear! Their Teacher would always be there to bail them out should they run into awkward situations!
SERVING – ON THEIR OWN! (Luke 9:1-11; Matthew 10:5-15; Mark 6:7-13)
The next stage of training was soon reached. The Disciples were now going to go on their maiden voyage. They were going on a solo flight. They were going to be sent out to minister on their own. (Both Matthew and Mark also recorded this account of the first mission of The Twelve).
It is important to note that this portion of Scripture describes a SPECIAL ministry. We would be both unwise and wrong to “claim” that Jesus gives to every believer the same “power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases” (Luke 9:1). There were other Disciples (Cf. Luke 6:13; 8:2). This particular Mission involved ONLY The Twelve Disciples/ Apostles (Luke 9:1).
A FORETASTE OF THE FUTURE
The Disciples had seen how the Lord Jesus Christ displayed tremendous power and authority in His life and ministry. They were now going to experience for themselves what it really means to minister for the Lord!
What is ministry without power from the Lord? What is ministry without authority? But what is “power and authority”? What do these two words actually mean in the context of real life?
The Disciples had to understand and see for themselves how demonic forces will be ranged against them! They must not be afraid of the dark powers of demons. They were given power and authority from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They will triumph against the rage and desperation of enemy forces!
The Disciples would also come across those who are diseased. Many who were sick would come to them as they preached the Kingdom of God. They must experience for themselves what real ministry was like! The present, brief experience of being sent out to minister on their own would only be a foretaste of the ministry that they would have in the not-too-distant future.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO BEAR IN MIND
That this was a very special and brief ministry is further proven by the special instructions the Lord Jesus gave to His Disciples!
1. “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.” Luke 9:3
This mission was too brief to be encumbered with detailed logistics for provision that would be necessary if the mission had been a lot more extensive.
2. “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.”Luke 9:4
The Disciples were going to have to learn further lessons about faith and trust in God. They will have to believe that God would have His own people there. They will provide for the basic needs of the Disciples. Their hosts would receive them and look after their needs. On their part, the Disciples must plan to stay in the homes that had opened their doors to them. They must learn how to be good guests!
3. “And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” Luke 9:5
The Disciples must also expect that some may reject them. They must learn not to take rejection too personally.
They must also make sure that they are not crushed by any particular sense of guilt, or an overwhelming sense of failure, should they be rejected.
Since they are specially entrusted with “power and authority” they must understand that they are representatives of none other than the Lord Himself. The city that rejects them has also rejected the God they represent. One day, they will have to account for their rejection of the Lord whom the Disciples represented.
“THEY DEPARTED… PREACHING THE GOSPEL AND HEALING EVERYWHERE.” Luke 9:6
The Disciples obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ. They had been commissioned. Luke noted that they had learned their lessons well. They followed their Master’s footsteps. Like their Teacher, they too were now empowered… but they chose to “PREACH THE GOSPEL” as their primary ministry, and where needs arose, then they also exercised the power to heal (Luke 9:6). How well are we learning the lessons of Discipleship?