ARE YOU ON THE "A" TEAM?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.”
Matthew 10:1-8a

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

Mark 3:13-19

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Luke 6:12-16
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Prior to today’s scripture passages from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we have witnessed Jesus call two pairs of fisherman brothers, Peter (also called Simon) and Andrew, and James and John, as well as a tax collector named Matthew (also called Levi).

Today, we find others added to a list which will number twelve in all. Since all three accounts are very similar, we’ll look at the verses from Matthew again here:

“He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.”  Matthew 10:1-8a

Certainly, Jesus had a large following. We have read about it over and over and over again in our study of His ministry to date. But note that Jesus had in mind to select an elite group from His followers, an “A” team of disciples He would also designate as apostles as well. The scriptures tell us these twelve men would come to form Jesus’ inner circle:

“Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot”.
So what did Jesus have in mind for His “A” team of disciples?

His very words provide us the answer:

"Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.”

Jesus saw an opportunity to expand His ministry work if He empowered a group of followers to do many of the things He was doing such as preaching the good news of the Gospel, healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and exorcising demons from those who were possessed. All that was needed for them to do this was the delegation of power from Jesus.

And so it was. For as we look back to the scriptures for today, we read where Jesus:

“…gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”

With that, the chosen twelve were equipped to do the work Jesus was calling them to do.

So what does this mean for Christ followers today?

I believe we need to keep these three very important things in mind as it applies to our ministry efforts in the name of Jesus.

1. We are chosen.

Just as the twelve were selected and called by Jesus for specific work, so too are we. We have all been picked for the “A” Team and each granted certain gifts that Jesus wants us to use toward the work He calls us to do. All we need to do is seek His will and respond to the things He has set aside for us to accomplish. This leads to the second thing we need to remember.

2. We are tasked.

Not just some Christians but all.

Jesus’ Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all He had commanded wasn’t given to some select subsection of the Christian community. Rather, it was given to ALL Christians without exception.

All Christians have been tasked to carry on Jesus’ Gospel spreading work. Period.

3. We are empowered.  

Jesus promised His followers the gift of the Holy Spirit from God the Father and that Spirit came and has continued to abide with believers ever since He ascended to sit at God’s right hand. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus equips us with the power we need to carry out His purposes. He never brings us to a task that He isn’t going to empower us to accomplish, all to His glory. It’s a truth we should never forget. Ever.

Ultimately, all the work the original twelve disciples performed, as well as the work disciples have performed since then, have helped bring the kingdom of heaven closer to earth, the hands of the Savior touching lives through those who have placed their faith and trust in Him.

Indeed, we are chosen, tasked, and empowered to carry out kingdom work by the King of all kings and that King’s name is Jesus Christ.

It’s time for today’s “A” Team to get to work in achieving what our Savior has commanded us to do.

Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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