THE BARRIER OF DISTRACTION
Barriers to Bridges - Part 6
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Mark 6:30-44, 6-13
He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their belts. He told them to wear sandals but not to put on two shirts.
Mark 6:7-9
In Mark 6, we read that Jesus sent out the Twelve. In Luke's 10, we find 72. Yet no matter how many disciples Jesus sends out on any given occasion, the outcome is the same. How is it that they can go into the villages with nothing but walking sticks and the clothes on their backs and return with declarations of incredible spiritual victory. "Lord, even the demons submit themselves to us in your name" (Luke 10:17).
"The early church had no building, no money, and no political influence. And they turned the world upside-down"
J.D. Greear
Have you ever noticed that the church today never seems to have enough? We always seem to be in need of more members, more buildings, more money, more power and influence... more, more, more. What is it that we think we can accomplish that we cannot accomplish with what we already have? Do we simply want growth for the sake of growth? We need more money to build more buildings or start more services for more people who will raise more money to build more buildings and start more services for more people... Since when did church become a pyramid scheme and when does the cycle end? When will we truly have ENOUGH?
Perhaps one of the reasons God is not blessing us with "more" is because we don't seem to be doing very well with what we already have. Consider the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The person who only received one hid it in the ground to protect it and ended up losing it all. So it is with the gifts the Spirit has given us for ministry. If we don't use what we have to make disciples for the transformation of the world, why would God give us more to waste or hoard for ourselves?
If our church only had five loaves of bread and two fish, would we store it up for a day when we really needed it, or would we give it away freely even knowing there wasn't nearly enough to feed everyone?
Jesus doesn’t wait until we think we have "enough."
Jesus sends us with nothing, and out of nothing, God creates new life.