Sent Out

 Sent Out

December 2, 2024

Today’s scripture reading is from Luke 9 and 10 where Jesus sent out the disciples to minister in his name.

Luke 9:1-2, 9

Ministry of the Twelve

1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

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9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Luke 10:1, 17, 19

The Seventy Sent Out

1 Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

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17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

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19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

Note two things here. First, Jesus sent them out to proclaim the message of the kingdom and to heal the sick. Second, He gave them the power and authority to use His name. The twelve and the seventy were the first ones sent out, but we are likewise sent out to proclaim the gospel. And He doesn’t send us out unequipped. He also gives us power and authority. In His name, we have the power to heal the sick and the authority to command demons to flee. This is no small thing and we always need to be mindful of this great privilege. If we go out in our own name, we are powerless over the forces of darkness, but in His name we participate in His victory and have His power over the enemy.

In ancient times, a king could give his authority to a minister by giving him a signet ring. The minister could then use that ring to sign and seal any document with the authority of the king. In the Kingdom of God, the seal given us is the Holy Spirit. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are given the seal to use to sign His name to a proclamation of healing and deliverance. We need to be mindful of the power of the Name of Jesus and the authority He has given us by the infilling of the Holy Spirit so that we can say, like the seventy that “even the demons are subject to us in Your Name.”

So go forth. We are sent, and we have the power and authority to be effective ministers, to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom and to heal the sick and deliver the demon oppressed. The world has many problems, and we, in the Name of Jesus, are the answer. So go…

Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciplesof all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”