The Vintage of Jesus (kickin' it a 2nd time)

Matthew 10, verses 2 - 4 are more then a basic list of Jesus' disciples. We can find comfort and encouragement here as well.

Check it:

"These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him."

Matthew 10: 2-4

These men that Jesus has chosen aren't remarkable. The disciples aren't superstars. They are simple, normal, and average men. But, what people miss all too often is this, that the disciples had one thing going for them. They had faith, they sought after Jesus, and they were willing to follow Him. They were indeed men, so their faith would hinder, their seeking Jesus would fade, and their willingness would transform into weariness and denial. However, by God's grace they would follow Jesus until their death and into eternity with Him.

We all have these faults. We all doubt from time to time if we are truly doing what the Holy Spirit asks of us. We all will loose faith in Him at least once. We can't help it - we are mere humans.

But God knows that already, just as Jesus knew the disciples and their faults. Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times the night of His arrest, but He also knew that Peter would be the ROCK of Jesus' Church. Jesus knew Thomas would have a strong faith, but would first doubt His resurrection. Jesus knew that Matthew was a tax collector. He knew that Matthew cheated people like most tax collectors did, and knew his love of money. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him to His death. He knew Judas would love Him, follow Him, but that one day, Satan would wrap Judas in greed and jealousy causing him to betray Jesus to His death. Jesus knew these men had faults - He knew they were sinners.

But, Jesus chose them anyway.

Jesus doesn't call for us to be perfect, pure, or unblemished because He was for us.

Jesus calls for us to come and follow Him. He knows we will stumble. He knows at times we will fade. But He'll be there to lift us and to be our light.

We just need to be willing to follow Him.

Matthew 10: The Vintage of Jesus

This is the beginning of my first blog series. A series entitled, The Vintage of Jesus. Simply meaning, in Matthew 10, we find vintage Jesus. We witness how select, superior, timeless, ageless, and pure Jesus is. We witness Jesus selecting and guiding His disciples, and hopefully ourselves. Vintage, for this is the first time Jesus sends out His disciples and instructs them accordingly - they are His vintage. Vintage of Jesus - He speaks pure and timeless commands.

Simply put, its how the Holy Spirit has spoken to me recently and asked me to share.

Earlier this week I read Matthew 10 and I haven't stopped since. Its so rich. I've read it multiple times and the Holy Spirit has rocked me ten fold. I plan on covering a few verses at a time; basically, where and what the Holy Spirit has spoken to me.

So lets go.

"He (Jesus) called his Twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."

Matthew 10: 1-4

Let me tackle this verse, first and foremost, as a whole.

The fact that Jesus gave His disciples the power to drive out demons, disease, and sickness- in His name - is incredible. I feel people today loose grip with the heart of this verse. Jesus gave ordinary people the power, but only through Himself, to cast away supernatural and physical evil. We should never get tired of hearing that, nor should we think that it could only happen during Jesus' time. The Bible is God's living Word - its not dead, so we shouldn't treat it that way.

Moving on to the details that are just straight mind blowing.

"He called his twelve disciples to him..."
The twelve had to come to Jesus before they did anything. The twelve had to walk in a relationship with Him before they saw the blessings from Jesus, or before they could do His work. Today, that's reading His Word; that's praying and talking with Him; that's serving His Bride, the church; that's seeking Jesus. Its not just coming to church on Sunday or praying selfish prayers or only walking with Him while the walk is calm, but truly seeking Him. Its extremely tough, but so was Him dieing on the cross for us. I struggled with this for years, but by His grace and power I don't any longer. Its gut-check time. Don't be a pansy. Pansies are a waste of precious life.

"and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."
There are two things that hit me with part B of verse 1.

1. Jesus gave the men who followed Him authority to cast out evil, to cast out disease, and to cast out sickness. That's nuts. When this stuff is on t.v. today, we just chop it up as nonsense, but its real. Jesus can give us the power to do such acts, but only to glorify His name. So that leads back to part A, where our hearts have to be right and on Him; or in Him.

2. The words authority, drive, heal, and every really grabbed my attention.

2a. The word authority is awesome and inspiring. Authority to do Jesus' work. Authority over evil. Authority over the natural and supernatural.

2b. Drive and Heal express proaction. Jesus commands us to not sit in idle, but to act. How important. Honestly, drive is the expression of something being removed by force, and that simply shows the power of Jesus in us. This shows that our capabilities in seeking to make His Kingdom famous are unparallel because of Jesus.

2c. Also, every, is quite remarkable. It still baffles me that Jesus has the control of everything. I'm not sure why, but my mind just doesn't comprehend it - my mind accepts it, but comprehension is lacking. I guess the word awe better describes my lack of comprehension, or, maybe a blend of the two. Nonetheless every disease, every illness would, and will tremble to His very name. That is remarkable. That is awe-inspiring.

Matthew 10:1 is Jesus. Its Jesus through and through. We first need, or should want, should love, and be thankful for the opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus. A relationship with Him is a gift from God so we may know Him better. God does not push Him upon us, but we should rip open the gift and enjoy Him continuously. With that continuous praise and walk, He can and will do the impossible through us.

How incredible is that? yes, that's rhetorical. The possibilities with Jesus are endless. Lets seek Him. Lets tap into that live wire that is Jesus, so He can grow His Kingdom and bless us with His presence.