Now Go!

Now He was going around the villages in a circuit, teaching. He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a walking stick: no bread, no travelling bag, no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals, but put on no extra shirt. Then He said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. If any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.

So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they were driving out many demons, anointing many sick people with olive oil, and healing them. Mark 6:6b-13

This would have been a challenge to the disciples: not taking provisions and staying in the house that welcomed them, without anything of themselves.

They were told to teach, preach, rebuke the demons and heal the sick. It is interesting that the disciples were instructed to anoint with oil. Jesus used oil in the story of the good Samaratin and James mentions asking for the elders to pray and that they would anoint with oil. Perhaps it was something already in use in their culture.

Nothing better than doing it! What a good way to learn and being thrown in the deep end, no provisions, would have measured them exactly. Now if there were any doubters, they would be challenged, the arrogant would have been levelled.

Today at the office meeting I had to open eyes to potential, encouraging those present to believe. My planners are at the coal face. They are having to mine for gold in our community, looking for those who will allow them to help with financial matters.

I asked the question? What are the things that get in the way of believing. One spoke up and said "Poor self-image." To this I say, "Yes and No!" Yes this is how they interpret it but they need to see themselves as Christ sees them. What does one higher than them say?