Go, Believing | Sunday, February 22, 2026

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece..." So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. ...Now the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. (Luke 9:1-11)

What if our American abundance is actually hindering our Christian mission?

A Provocative Question About Abundance

As I read the opening of Luke 9 this week, I was confronted with a provocative thought: what if our American abundance is actually hindering our Christian mission? If we're honest, we live in the midst of great abundance. You may feel you don't have as much as others, but in relative terms we possess vastly more than kings and lords did 150 or 200 years ago.

In this passage, the Twelve—Peter, James, John, Bartholomew, Thomas, Andrew, and the rest—are sent out by Jesus to do His work. And He sends them out with nothing. No extra sandals, no backup plan, no financial reserves, no money bag. Yet they go, preach the good news, and heal the sick everywhere they go.

Contrast that with the church in America. We have multi-million-dollar buildings, sophisticated technology, trained professionals, and decades of accumulated resources. And what are the results? A.W. Tozer once said that if you removed the Holy Spirit from the first-century church, at least ninety percent of what they were doing would have ceased. But if you removed the Holy Spirit from the American church of the twentieth or twenty-first century, hardly anything would change—it would just continue on.

I'm not suggesting—nor is Jesus suggesting—that poverty is more spiritual than having much. But Jesus does teach a dependency that is essential to His mission: a dependency upon Him and upon His Spirit. He intentionally designed dependency into the mission. Somewhere along the line, we have designed self-sufficiency into ours.

The Lesser Commission and Its Lead-In

Luke 9:1-11 corresponds with Matthew 10. I'd call this the First Commission, or the Lesser Commission—as opposed to the Great Commission of Matthew 28. Here Jesus speaks only to His group of Twelve and sends them out. I've returned to this passage often over the years teaching church planting and pastoral ministry, because the call of God is central to the work of ministry.

The contextual lead-in matters too. Matthew 9:35 says:

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

The Twelve were with Him through all of this. Then verse 36: "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." This same compassion that moved Jesus in His earthly ministry is what moved Him to leave heaven for earth in the incarnation. He saw that we were lost.

Evangelism Begins With Prayer

Then He says, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." And what follows? He sends those very same disciples into the work. There's a little switcheroo here: He tells them to pray for laborers, and then He commissions them.

Evangelism always begins with prayer. Salvation starts with the Holy Spirit moving on both the evangelist and the lost. In His wisdom, God has chosen to use you and me to accomplish His task. Before the work can take place, He must move by His Spirit on the one who goes and on the one who is lost.

Don't miss this: when you are compelled to pray for God to send someone to reach another person, you may very possibly be praying for yourself. Have you ever thought, "That person I just talked to is so lost—they need Jesus"? That might be the stirring of the Spirit in your own heart. If He is stirring you, He may be sending you.

Every Christian is called to go. That doesn't mean you'll go far—you might just go next door. But we're all called. The question is not, "Am I called?" The question is, "Am I hearing and heeding the call?"

From Disciples to Apostles

The Twelve had been with Jesus for a while. They had heard the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain. They heard Him say, "You are the light of the world," "Blessed are the merciful," "Love your enemies," and "Beware of false prophets." They didn't only hear Him preach—they watched Him work. They saw Him heal the centurion's servant, raise the widow's son at Nain, heal the woman with the issue of blood, and raise Jairus's daughter. They saw Him still the storm and cast the demons into the swine.

But a transition takes place in Luke 9. Chapters 1 through 8 were the lecture phase, the theory phase—following, hearing, and watching. When my wife went through nursing school, it began with much theory and little clinical work; over time the balance shifted to mostly clinical work. The same is true of an apprenticeship. Now the Twelve move from the theory phase into the lab, from watching and learning to doing.

This is the point of an apprenticeship. There's a school of Christian writers right now—people I know—reframing discipleship as "apprenticeship in the way of Jesus." That's fine, as long as you remember that apprenticeship is for a purpose. An apprentice is supposed to become a journeyman. You don't stay an apprentice indefinitely; at some point you get to work—or you get fired. What's fascinating is that many of these same writers are drawn toward a monkish, get-off-into-the-desert-with-Jesus kind of Christianity. But the whole point of an apprenticeship is to become a worker.

Watch the shift in the text. In verse 1, Jesus calls "the twelve disciples"—the Greek mathetes, a learner. But in verse 10, "the apostles" returned—apostolos, one sent with a message. They move from learners to sent ones. And the way Jesus deals with them changes. Look ahead to verse 23: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Those challenging words are spoken to people who are no longer apprentices.

Jesus does not save us to sit on the sidelines. Christianity is not a spectator sport.

Four Steps: Call, Confer, Commission, Command

What we have here is a simple four-step progression by which Jesus moves disciples into apostles. He calls the Twelve, He confers power and authority over demons and diseases, He commissions them to preach the kingdom and heal the sick, and He commands them to take nothing for the journey.

This call follows His words about the harvest, and remember what stirred those words: He was moved with compassion because the multitudes were lost. After twenty-seven years in pastoral ministry, I'm convinced that God moves us into His work first at the emotive and volitional level—in the area of desire and will. Jesus stirs our souls first, and then we begin to move practically toward obedience.

Jesus moves us into His mission by moving our hearts first. My favorite verses in all the Bible say it plainly:

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

I first encountered this as a sixteen-year-old at a youth camp in the San Bernardino Mountains. Chuck Smith—a somewhat overweight, balding older man with a booming voice—taught Ephesians 1 for an hour without opening his Bible or reading a note, and he challenged us to dedicate our lives to the Lord. I remember thinking, "If I do that, God will make me go somewhere I don't want to go—like Africa." It's always Africa.

But over time I discovered that God moves us by changing our desires. The New Living Translation says, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." In the Greek there's a repeated root, ergon—work: work out your salvation, for God is working in you to work what pleases Him. So who's working, me or God? Yes. They go together, and He gets us to work by changing our affections.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." The very first sign that you're a Christian is that your desires change. Things you used to want to do, you don't want anymore—and it surprises you. When someone tells me, "I believe the Lord is calling me to do this, but I don't want to do it," I say, "I don't think that's God; I think that's you." God moves us into His work by desire. I went from "I don't want to go to Africa" to meeting my friend Luke Ryder in 2009, who said, "Come with me to Africa," and I said, "I would love to." I've been twice since. The desires radically change.

Kingdom Power and Kingdom Authority

After stirring their desire, Jesus gives the Twelve "power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases." Especially in the last 120 years of American Christianity, there has been an enamoring with power over demons and disease. We need to understand what's actually meant. This is the authority and power that ambassadors of the kingdom have in both the heavenly and earthly realms.

In Matthew 28 Jesus says, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth; therefore go." Demons speak of the heavenly realm; diseases speak of the earthly realm. We get enamored with casting out demons and healing the sick, but the point is that kingdom ambassadors have kingdom authority in both realms. Later in Luke 9 He'll say He gives the keys of the kingdom—whatever is bound in heaven is bound on earth, whatever is loosed in heaven is loosed on earth.

This acknowledges a division between the earthly and heavenly realms that our culture has rejected, and it shows that the work of the kingdom is both earthly and spiritual. As a Christian you've been called to engage in both the seen and the unseen. This is why it's a walk of faith and a spiritual battle. And here is the key: you cannot do the work of the kingdom with only earthly power. It requires heavenly authority, which comes only from God.

There's an important difference between power and authority. Power—Greek dunamis—means might, ability, capability. It's seen when Jesus speaks and the storm is stilled. Authority—Greek exousia—means jurisdiction or right. It's seen when Jesus steps off the boat and the legion of demons begs, "Permit us to go into the swine," and He permits them. He demonstrates authority over the heavenly realm and power over the earthly.

Why does the difference matter? You need both. Power without authority is the muscle-bound vigilante who thinks might is right—nobody likes that guy. Authority without power is the 115-pound officer trying to subdue a 220-pound man. Jesus confers kingdom power and kingdom authority because kingdom work requires kingdom resources. In our day we're tempted to think we've figured out this church thing. Have we?

A Message, Not a Manifestation

Having conferred ability and authority, Jesus gives responsibility: "He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." This is His consistent commission: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15); "Go make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28); "This gospel of the kingdom is to be preached in all nations" (Luke 24:46); "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20).

The healing is the secondary manifestation—primarily a demonstration of power, not the focal point. The healing doesn't show up in every circumstance. When charismatic Christians make the power the focus, the missional focus of preaching the gospel so often falls by the wayside. And notice—those ministries end up named after individuals. When a man's name is at the top of a ministry, you can be certain it's lost sight of the primary goal, because it's his kingdom, not Christ's. This church is not "the Miles DeBenedictis Show of Magnificent Teaching." This is His word, and someday another pastor will exalt His word here, and I'll rejoice.

Jesus commissions us to proclaim the kingdom, because the primary mission is a message and not a manifestation.

Power With Limitations

Before the next stage, note the commission in Matthew 10:5: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." These Twelve had been given all authority and power—nothing held back. And yet Jesus gives a limitation.

In Acts He'll say, "You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Eventually He sends them to all. But at this point He says, "You're not ready yet." This is the first mission. He doesn't send them everywhere because He's still preparing them—He's physically present, so they can go out, try this, return, and be further prepared. After He ascends and gives the fullness of the Spirit, then they will go to the ends of the earth.

Take Nothing: The Command to Depend

Finally, Jesus commands: "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

The essential component of these commands is faith. It's not that the disciples had nothing—it's that they were commanded to take nothing. Imagine your boss calling you in tomorrow: "I have a hugely important mission for you, but you can't take your laptop or your business credit card. Just go by faith." We'd refuse. But Jesus requires faith.

Jesus commands total dependence, because self-sufficiency is incompatible with His kingdom mission. When you begin to hear and heed the call of Jesus, you will immediately be uncomfortable. This is a feature, not a bug. "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). This is how apprentices become journeymen, disciples become apostles, followers become leaders. If there's no fear or trepidation whatsoever, it's probably because you're not actually walking by faith.

Right now I have the privilege of watching more than twenty people in our church go through this exact thing. Something in them changed—a desire changed. They suddenly wanted to go to Argentina, Paraguay, Africa, Peru—not for vacation, but on a mission trip. Some have never owned a passport. I've watched people in tears say, "I'm afraid to do this, but I really feel like God wants me to go."

And here's the amazing part: when we tell them the next step of faith is to send letters to the body of Christ asking for support, some say, "No, I can fund it myself." That's not the point. God wants you to depend on Him. Decades ago I had the chance to teach at a small Bible school in northwest Germany. I had thousands in the bank and figured I'd fund it myself. A good friend said, "I don't think you should. I think you should send letters and ask others to support you." I resisted—"I can do it on my own"—but that's not the point. God wants you to learn to actually trust Him. And He is faithful. So in a few weeks you'll meet these people, and you'll receive letters asking for your support.

They Went, and They Returned

"So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere." Where had they seen this? In Jesus, who went through every town and village preaching and healing. Now they do the same.

Then verse 10—circle that word: "Now the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done." No longer disciples, but apostles, ones sent with a message.

Interestingly, these same disciples given all power and authority will, just a few verses later, meet a demon they can't cast out. Jesus tells them this kind comes out only by prayer and fasting—they lacked discipline. When you have all power and authority, the thing you may still be missing is discipline, and God has to teach us that.

There's an important rhythm here. Jesus doesn't only call, confer, commission, and command—He also calls us to come back, to be with Him, to be refreshed, recalibrated, and restored, ready to return to the work. That's what's supposed to happen when we gather. In a few minutes you'll go out into the mission field God has called you to, even when it feels out of your comfort zone. And we come back to be encouraged. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." We gather to be restored and renewed and refocused—and then to go back out as ambassadors of Christ. This is exactly what the monastic, desert-dweller school of discipleship misses: the whole point of gathering is to be ready to go back out into the work.

Communion and the Primary Message

One of the things we do as we gather is partake of communion, and as we do, we remember what the primary message is: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. His body was broken for us; His blood was shed for us. On the cross He conquered sin and death, vanquished the enemy, and paid for my sin and yours. When He said, "It is finished," all of your striving and works to obtain righteousness were dealt with. That is the message we carry to this world.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11: "I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'"

In partaking of the bread and the cup, we proclaim His death until He comes again—which means He is not still dead; He is alive.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your goodness toward us. As we prepare to go from here, let us remember that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, Your own special people, called to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Help us, Lord, to be lights to the world and salt to the earth this week. Give us the opportunities and the words to speak to those in need. We pray this in Jesus' name.

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.