Commissioning of the 12
A study guide · July 24, 2022 · Harmony of the Gospels
In one paragraph
On July 24, 2022, Pastor Brian walked First Baptist Jackson through Matthew 10, Mark 6, and Luke 9 as part of the ongoing Harmony of the Gospels study. The passage covers Jesus sending out the Twelve for the first time, and the sermon followed that commissioning closely, verse by verse. The thread running through it all was what it actually looks like to carry the gospel into a world that does not...
Read together
- Mark 6:7 Jesus summons the 12 and sends them out in pairs with authority over unclean spirits
- Luke 9:1 Jesus calls the 12 together and gives them power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases
- Matthew 10:1-42 the full commissioning of the 12, including their names, instructions, and warnings
- Ephesians 2:10 we are God's workmanship, his poem, created in Christ Jesus for good works
- John 15:16 Jesus tells his disciples they did not choose him, he chose them
- Galatians 5:22-23 the fruit of the Spirit listed as the benediction
Talk about it
- Pastor Nathan talked about the disciples being sent out with almost nothing, told to trust God for provision and to stay with a family of peace in each place. When have you had to trust God for something practical, and what did that experience teach you about dependence on Him?
- Jesus told the disciples to shake the dust off their feet and move on when a place rejected the message. Is there a person or situation where you have struggled to let go and trust that God might send someone else? What makes that so hard?
- Pastor Nathan pointed out that Matthew records Jesus going out to preach in the disciples' own home cities while they were away on their mission. What does that tell you about how God works when He sends you somewhere that feels costly or uncomfortable?
- The sermon drew a clear line between proclaiming the kingdom of heaven and what Pastor Nathan called Christian nationalism. How do you personally think about that distinction, and how does it affect the way you share your faith?
- The closing benediction returned to the fruit of the Spirit as the mark of a movement that is genuinely from God. Which of those qualities, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, do you find hardest to hold onto when people reject you or the message you carry, and why?