7And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.

8  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff——no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts——

9  but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Cf  Mt 10; Lk 10 (seventy)

10  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.

11  "And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

I. A Disciple’s Develops Power and Ministry from his/her Relationship with God

John 15:7  "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8  "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

A. Ministry is a battle for the souls of men, a clash between the forces of good and evil, requiring spiritual power/authority

Lk 10: 17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."   18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 20  "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

B. Relying on God’s power banishes fear of inevitable rejection or retribution

Mt 10:16  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17  "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.

2Ti 3:12  Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

C. Ministry requires Proclamation and Authentication (Credibility) (Mt 5:16)

D. Ministry is a team sport, requiring unity developed from submission to the Head Coach (Eph 4:15-16)

II. A Disciple Depends totally on God for Daily needs and Direction

Lk 22:35  And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing." 36  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.

A. Independence is the essence of sin

Rom 14:23b…for whatever is not from faith is sin.

B. A Daily Declaration of Dependence upon God heightens our awareness of His care and sufficiency for us

Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD w/ all your heart, & lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, & He shall direct your paths

C. Ministry deepens dependence

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as [being] from ourselves, but our sufficiency [is] from God,

III. A Disciple Delivers a message of Blessing and Judgment

A. God judges based upon the message one hears

Jn 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him——the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day

B. We’re judged on the basis of our message (Eze 33:6 watchman)

Mk 8:38  "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. How are we tempted to act independently from God and thus sin? What’s evidence that we’re not depending on God?

2. How have you experienced your ministry deepening your dependence on God?

3. Why are we tempted to first try to bear fruit on our own efforts before we work on depending and abiding in God as the power to bear fruit?

4. Does deepening our dependence on God just mean giving God more of “our” time?

5. How do we know what God wants us to do when the Word says “don’t take” and then “take”?