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In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. “
Matthew 10:19-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
OK…here I am again. Sitting and staring at a blank Microsoft Word document with only a scripture to work with.
My task?
To write something that will be of substance and meaning to anyone who might read this…something that will help them grow spiritually and in their relationship with the Lord.
I go through this every day. And every day I do, I seem to meet my goal.
But I have a confession to make. It’s not me who is doing it.
Huh? So Mark…you have been taking credit for someone else’s writing for almost three years now? How could you do that?
No…it has definitely been me with fingers on keyboards…but I have only been typing what has been spoken to me. And the Lord does the speaking.
For if I sat down void of the Lord and tried to write anything to you, it would lack the power and wisdom that is only found in Him. I would come off sounding like a babbling idiot.
But invite and introduce the Holy Spirit into the mix and now you are about to create something special…something that could reach right down into the very heart and soul of the reader. No man or woman can do that…only the Lord.
This truth is underscored by today’s scripture as Jesus continues to instruct His disciples before sending them out to deliver the gospel to Israel.
You’ll recall that Jesus didn’t sugar coat His message. The disciples were about to face challenging times. People hated Jesus and what He preached, particularly the Jewish religious authorities of the day. And so anyone associated with Jesus could expect to be treated likewise. The disciples would not always be welcome in the towns they would visit and they even could face arrest and flogging. Indeed, danger awaited them for the cause of Christ.
So what could possibly bring them comfort in the midst of all this?
The knowledge that the Lord was with them, no matter where they were.
But how could that be? The disciples would be dispersed and away from Jesus who would be continuing His own ministry work apart from them. How could He possibly be with them?
The answer comes in our passage today.
For Jesus wouldn’t be physically with His disciples but He would be with them in Spirit...and through that Spirit, they would not need to worry about what to do, what to think or what to say. Jesus said to them, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. “ The Spirit would offer the words of defense for what the disciples were doing…and with that, impart instruction to all who heard straight from the Father.
So Jesus was essentially saying to His disciples, “The pressure is off you. You need not worry about what to do, what to think or what to say. I will tell you everything and guide you in accordance with My will.”
And the good news is…He still does it this very day and will continue to do it all the days of our lives.
For fast forward to the Great Commission that Jesus issued to His disciples in Matthew 28 (verses 19-20). In it, Jesus commanded that His followers make disciples of all nations, baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teach others to obey what He commanded. But He didn’t send them out to do all this alone.
No…He said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus has not sent us out alone to evangelize and share the gospel anymore than He did His first disciples back in the days of Matthew. He is walking alongside us every step of the way…telling us what to do, what to think and what to say.
All we need to do is surrender ourselves…and that means our fears and anxieties as well…and allow Him to do awesome works in and through us.
Question: How well are you allowing the Spirit to speak through you today?
The very souls of the lost are at stake.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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