Qualified and Authorized

Today happens to be this beautiful lady's birthday. 
She is qualified and authorized by the Lord, serving
faithfully as a disciple. 

Scripture:

Luke 9:1   Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. ³ He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. ⁵ Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” ⁶ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

Luke 9:7   Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, ⁸ by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. ⁹ Herod said, “John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.

Observation:

The scene shifts in the opening of chapter nine. Throughout this gospel we have seen the power and authority of Jesus revealed. Now, he intentionally chooses to share that power and authority with his disciples, leaving them both qualified and authorized by him to participate in the mission. This also continues to reveal the type of soil on which his seed has fallen. For Jesus, the life of the true disciple is one who not only hears, but also engages in action. 

Within Herod’s own household was one who was a part of the team that supported Jesus, Joanna, the wife of Chuza. One can only imagine the whisperings about the dealings of Jesus and his disciples, and the curiosity that had arisen in Herod. Who was this man who had power and authority that he was willing to share with others? This was certainly not the way in which a ruler would function. 

Application:

Jesus is still in the business of qualifying and authorizing his disciples today through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. There is something about the itinerancy of the disciples that reveals their dependence upon God. If they take nothing with them to sustain them, then they have to rely entirely upon God for provision. In every step of their journey they get to see God at work, and this builds up their own faith. 

While Chuck and I were living in the former Soviet Union we learned a dependence upon God that we had never experienced before. Just trying to find what was needed for ordinary life in the 90’s was a test of dependence. I remember being at a medical clinic one day when the head doctor grabbed me by the arm and said we have to go now. She took me downstairs where a truck had arrived with frozen chicken. She wanted me to be able to get some too, because food had become scarce. 

I learned what it meant to pray for bread on a daily basis. I had noticed the lines were very long for the bread stores early in the morning, but later in the day the lines were gone. The stores stayed open until 8pm so I thought I’d just go after the lines had gone down. That was the wrong way to think about things. While the store would stay open until 8pm, and the employees remained, they had nothing to sell. The daily provision of bread had arrived and was sold in a matter of a couple of hours. The bread was fresh and tasty and had no preservatives. It only lasted about 36 hours so you had to go and get bread almost every day, or have friends and family who would share with you. I learned what it meant to depend upon God for the simple things of life and to rejoice when God provided. 

As we learned dependence upon God there were more circumstances of feeling qualified and authorized. My husband spent much time traveling, and being dependent upon others for his personal needs. He stayed in peoples’ homes and they would share with them what they had, exceedingly generous. At the close of one visit to an area near Rostov in the south of Russia, he was asked to stop at the home of a man who was ill, before heading to the airport. The man was young, but was dying of cancer. He looked as if he only had a few days to live, but they wanted Chuck to pray for him. This he did, and then had to leave to catch his flight home. 

About a year later Chuck was able to return to the area for a worship service. The congregation had grown as the pastor and wife had so beautifully dedicated themselves to the people in their care. When he got to the church a man came up to him and said, “Do you remember me?” This was a healthy looking man who was a part of the worship team that morning. Chuck had no idea who he was — but then he reminded him that he was the man on his deathbed just a year before. He said to Chuck, “Don’t you remember — you prayed for God to heal me — and he did!” 

We become qualified and authorized to participate in the mission of Christ through entire dependence upon Jesus. 

Prayer:

Lord, since moving to the US it’s become far too easy to become more self-reliant. May I be dependent upon you today and every day in all things. I want to participate in your mission through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.