“You talking to me?” Sometimes it means wonder, or even doubt; sometimes excited anticipation.
Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 21, 24, 26, & 28 – And God said . . .
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Today I write about a “You talking to me?” moment found in Mark 6 and Matthew 10. In Mark 6, we see that Jesus sent His disciples out two-by-two. It is in Matthew 10 where we see the fullness of instruction given to the disciples for this special dispensation of ministry. While I do not have time in this writing to focus on this special dispensation, for clarity, I will show you that while some things commanded of the disciples still apply to us today, there were certain elements that do not, but rather applied ONLY to them for that brief time.
In this Second Miler, you may wonder if I’m talking to you. Well, I am. Too often we fail to rightly divide the Word of God, and failing to do so opens the church to misunderstanding of the Scriptures and misapplication of the Word in our daily lives. The five-fold ministry should be keenly aware of this when they study and speak, and the body of Christ in general should be keenly aware of this when they study, listen, and learn. Allow me to use this Second Miler to point out that the assignment given by Jesus to His disciples in this instance is NOT an assignment given to the church for today. I will point out three glaring differences in this brief assignment to His disciples and His long-term assignment given to His church.
First, the church has been sent into the whole world, to every element of the world system, with no difference to be made between male or female, bond or free, Jew or Gentile. However, on this assignment, the disciples were sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel, and the disciples were clearly directed to avoid the Gentiles, and especially the Samaritans in this ministry.
Second, when Jesus sent His disciples on this brief mission, they were not to take any money, extra clothing, or supplies for their journey. However, in Luke 22:36-38, Jesus mentions this short mission, and tells His disciples clearly that on the new mission before them, they should take money and extra clothing, and if they don’t have sword, to sell their garment and buy one. This dispensation we examine is not for us today.
Third, in this brief dispensation, Jesus authorized his disciples to raise the dead at their own will. However, in the New Testament dispensation, raising the dead requires three gifts of the Spirit (gifts of healings, gift of working of miracles, and the gift of faith), and none of the gifts of the Spirit are in a believer’s control. Rather, they are given ONLY “as the Spirit wills.”
I believe this teaching will serve you well as we go in our next Second Miler more deeply into the short mission on which He sent His disciples two-by-two.
Manna for Today – Genesis 1; Psalm 119:89; Proverbs 4:20-23; Mark 11:22-26; Romans 3:4
My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 