Armed with Armor

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. -Mark 3:13-15

In today’s passage, we see Jesus appointing twelve apostles from all the disciple who were following him.  He pulls out of the crowd, a select few, giving them the charge to preach and he gave them authority to drive out demons.

It is no mistake that Jesus did both things.  You see whenever Jesus is talked about, Satan is near.  He will do his best to distract people from the gospel message.  Jesus is not concerned though, he has all authority over Satan and his demons.

The disciples Jesus picked were not perfect men.  We see time and again how they failed Jesus. Jesus does not need perfect people he needs loyal people.  Men who won’t walk away when times get tough, because they were going to get tough.  He picked men who would trust that God had a plan and it wasn’t always going to be what they expected.

Jesus knew that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the evil forces in our world. Jesus picked men who could be taught to understand where the fight lies.

We all need that same understanding.  If we are going to talk about Jesus, Satan will be near, trying to distract those around us.  Our fight is not with our neighbor though, it is with the devil and his demons. We need to put on the armor of God daily and stand firm against the devils schemes.

Christian Fellowship

Several years ago I travelled to China on business. I went a couple of days early, to sight see and  to adjust to the time change.

A Temple of the Forbidden City

 

For two days I walked the streets of Beijing. I did not take a taxi because I was not able to express my desires to the driver. The major streets had smaller English signs under the Mandarin signs, but the smaller streets may have just as well been unmarked. I got lost a couple of times, but eventually came to a larger street where I could get my bearings and carry on.

 

My efforts were rewarded with visits to Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, Silk Alley and other places. I was excited at what I had seen, yet I was lonely because there was nobody to share my experiences with.

 

It was good to get to the office and carry on business. Most people spoke English and it was refreshing to have a conversation. I needed to interact with somebody, anybody!

 

Today’s reading is Acts 2:41-47. The church was in its infancy. The believers enjoyed each other’s company, dining with each other and studying the Apostle’s teaching. They even pooled their resources so that the needy were on an equal financial footing with the well to do, so to speak.

 

Most of the believers had jobs in the Pagan world. They interacted with many unbelievers for most of the day. It must have been very refreshing for them to enjoy the fellowship of other believers when  not at work.

 

Our needs today are no different than those believers of the early church. We work throughout the week in an unbelieving world. We take our children to various activities, many outside the church, perhaps. We need the fellowship of other believers. Without it, we can feel a bit like I did in China. Alone, we have nobody to share our spiritual experiences with.

 

Christian fellowship is part of a balanced spiritual life.

 

Happy New Year!

The commanding officer of my soul

“Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name’ he said.... Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” Acts 5:28-29

(To see today's entire text – Acts 5:27-32 – click here.)

Stop and think ... when is the last time you heard the word, “obey,” in conversation?

“Obey” is a tough notion for us, a concept progressively out of favor. Offensive ... humiliating ... oppressive ... that’s how our world sees it. Passé, really. Irrelevant. Ludicrous! For “obey” suggests that at least some aspect of our being is subject to the will of someone else; it leaves us something short of “I am the master of my fate...”¹  And ... we ... don't ... like it!

Instead, our human nature is a place where “I am the captain of my soul,”¹ and where “Feeling” ranks as first lieutenant. We rely on its counsel above all others, even when Feeling is openly insubordinate to our commanding officer, Truth.

There’s an interesting example in Mark 1:40-45. One day, Jesus cured a man from leprosy and then, curiously, “sent him away with a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone.’” Instead, the man – understandably excited – “went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news.” Jesus had said “don't tell,” but this man told, his feelings dissuading him from the command of the One who had authority even over leprosy! And we might feel our way along to the leper’s justification! After all, spreading the news is a good thing, isn’t it? But there were lasting consequences to his disobedience that day: “As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.”

Peter and the apostles were also under orders, two sets of them, actually. Jesus had told them to go out and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them all he had commanded. The religious leader’s imperative, however, was the opposite, charging them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (see Acts 4:18). And now the apostles stood before the high priest and the Sanhedrin because they had obeyed the higher authority – the commanding officer – on the matter. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name...” the rulers complained. The apostles’ response? “We must obey God rather than men!” And their obedience had produced results, for the Sanhedrin even told them, “... you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching ...” (Not bad!)

Both the leper in the first instance and the apostles in the second were under commands from Jesus. And being human, they all had strong feelings ... they were all enthusiastic. The difference was that the apostles, at least in this case, obeyed, aligning their will and their passion under the authority of Jesus, who is Truth.

Likely, we’ve all experienced both scenarios, frustrated at times and buoyed at others. So how do we consistently subject our feelings to God's truth and his authority? We stay close to him, talking with him in prayer and listening to him through his word. Then when we recognize that familiar voice of Christ in us, ours is simply to say, "yes." Day by day; moment by moment.

For as Peter told the Sanhedrin, God gives his Holy Spirit to those who obey him. And that includes us.

¹ From "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley