Discipleship Essentials*
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I know that as Your follower, You will send me to places that I don’t feel prepared to go. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit in those moments that I may be like Jesus’ first twelve disciples who were willing to go where He sent them, and to do what He called them to do, even when they had never done anything like it before! I pray that You will strengthen believers in Your Son, Jesus, everywhere to boldly and compassionately share the Good News of Your salvation that the Kingdom of Heaven may grow daily! This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Word Today
Luke 6:12-16; 9:1-6, 10
12One day soon afterward Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:
14Simon (he also called him Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), 16Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
1One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases. 2Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the coming of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3“Don’t even take along a walking stick,” he instructed them, “nor a traveler’s bag, nor food, nor money. Not even an extra coat. 4When you enter each village, be a guest in only one home. 5If the people of the village won’t receive your message when you enter it, shake off its dust from your feet as you leave. It is a sign that you have abandoned that village to its fate.” 6So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick….10When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida
Background on the Text – Who Wrote It? Why Was It Written? Who Was the Audience?
Luke’s audience was Greek speaking believers who were most likely of Gentile origin. Luke takes more time to explain the locations of places that a Jewish believer would already have known. Luke also invests less of His time in writing about matters that would have been of great interest to those steeped in Jewish prophecy. One quick example of this is that while both Matthew and Luke record a genealogy of Jesus’ ancestors, Matthew traces Jesus’ ancestry only back to Abraham—the founder of the Hebrew people, while Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Adam—the first human being!
Observation – What Does the Text Say?
Interpretation – What Does the Text Mean?
Application – How Can I Respond to the Text’s Insights and Teachings?
Each Week’s Check List.
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
Growth Point |
How |
Encouraged and strengthened me by |
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Fallen short areas |
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What will I do with these insights? |
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What did God say to me today? |
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Share insights and growth points |
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Changed/transformed how? |
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Thoughts...Power and Authority!
In our day many folks desire the acquisition of power and authority. In fact, within a matter of a couple of weeks, we as Americans will have the opportunity to cast our votes for what is arguably the most powerful position on the planet as we elect the next president of the United States. The reason I said that being president of the United States is “arguably” the most powerful position on the planet, consider the power and authority Jesus gave the twelve—the power and authority to cast out demons and heal all diseases! What kind of power would you and I hold if we could cast out demons and heal all diseases? Would it be greater than that of the president of the United States? At least in one sense it would be. After all, we’re talking about the spiritual realm now, and the spiritual realm is ETERNAL, while the presidency of the United States is temporal—it will one day pass away. The reality is we have the power and authority to cast out demons and heal diseases in Jesus’ name. He has never taken that power and authority away from His followers. As we go about our daily lives, we often settle for worldly power and authority rather than Jesus! Why? Perhaps it’s because if we want Jesus’ power and authority we must submit ourselves completely to Him. We cannot hold onto control. Jesus is waiting to give us “all authority in heaven and earth,” if we will simply use it for His glory and honor!