"be with Him and be sent out"

Yesterday I was reading from Mark 3. In this passage, Jesus has just recently started His ministry. He has been healing the sick, paralyzed, and demon possessed. He has already gained so much attention for these acts, that he can no longer go into a town without a huge crowd demanding his attention. So, in Mark chapter 3, when he wants to have some quality time with His disciples, he walks up a mountain and asks them to follow. Mark doesn't record the words that were spoken up on that mountaintop that day, but this was the moment of "calling" for the apostles. This was the time they can point back to and say, "this is where it started." Christ imparted a powerful sense of direction for their lives and future ministries. As Mark describes it in verse 14, "... (Jesus) went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out."


Here's an excellent example of what leaders call a "statement of purpose" Jesus calls 12 of those closest to Him and gives them two mandates that they are to order their lives and ministry around from this point forward: 1) Be with Him and 2) Be sent out.


If you think about it, the same mission that was given for these 12 apostles 2,000 years ago is awaits us today. The two simple mandates for us to live our lives by, are also imparted as our own: be with Him and be sent out. Yet, how often do we struggle with either the lack of implementation or the overexertion of these purposes? We either add 10 million other things to our "list" of mandates or we feel like the two we were given are far too impossible. Beware of falling into either of these traps. We can't live a life of self-defeat, nor a life of Christian perfectionism. We must get back to this original "statement of purpose" for our lives. As modern disciples, it's time for us to reorient ourselves to the two same mandates given all those many years ago: BE with Him and BE sent out! Can you imagine how the world may be impacted if we were to dedicate our lives to this? 2,000 years ago, the original disciples left their mark on the kingdom due to following these mandates. May the same be said of us 2,000 years from now.

realignment

I was reading a devotional this morning and walked away feeling both challenged and encouraged.  We don't realize how impactful having an incorrect (or small) perception of God is on our day-to-day lives.  "We must see and believe Him as big enough, kind enough, real enough, and strong enough to move in power in our everyday lives..."  Indeed, we must. May we be enamored by the "bigness" of God, so much so, that our own finite perception of the world, our problems, and ourselves, is aligned with His infinite perspective--a perspective that contains never-ending love and all-surpassing power.  

We Could Change the World by Matt Redman

“We believe that Your grace is stronger than all our faults and failures, we believe that Your love is deeper than our hearts could fathom…so could we live like this?”

A big view of God is a cure for so many of the things in life that would stand in our way or slow us down in ministry. When we really grasp the heights of who He is, and the depths of His heart for us, and the strength of His power in us, we can live a whole different kind of life. The way we view God will radically affect how our lives operate. Do we really get the fact that His grace is so strong it can cover all of our faults and weaknesses? Have we faced up to the fact that He is strong and wise enough to see us around, or through, even the most difficult of obstacles?

There must be nothing in our hearts, minds or lives that overshadows the truth of who God is. We must see and believe Him as big enough, kind enough, real enough and strong enough to move in power in our everyday lives- no matter what we’re facing. The first step for a worshipper is to confidently get to grips with just how magnificent and mighty He is. The next step is to let that confidence in God seep into the very depths of our hearts and minds, forming a holy confidence on the inside of us. When that truly happens, we will dream bigger dreams and live brighter lives.

Psalm 18 contains the heart-flow of an optimistic, bright-thinking worshipper. He approaches life with a great big view of who he can be, and he can do, in God:

“With Your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall”…He enables me to stand on the heights.” (v.29, v.33)

I wonder if you are in the depths today, struggling to think brightly or find a solution to a dilemma? Perhaps you are facing a battle you feel too weak to fight- or obstacles you feel powerless to climb? Let the optimistic outlook of the psalmist inspire you today. You are not alone in the struggles you face, or the help you need. Join with that ancient biblical songwriter in his confident proclamation, right here and now, and let it become your motto for today: “He enables me to stand upon the heights.”