Step back for just a moment in your mind, and I want you to consider what Jesus was actually doing
at this point in his ministry in Galilee. Everywhere that he traveled, he preached the
message of the kingdom of God, and we are told that plainly in chapter 1. In fact, just flip a
couple of pages over. We point this out often in this study, but it's helpful for us to be reminded
of it again. Mark chapter 1, verse 14. After John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
and here's what he was doing. He was preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and here was the
summary of the content of that message in verse 15. The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent ye and believe the gospel. Well, what was this message of the kingdom of God that he was preaching
as he went from place to place? It was the good news that Jesus had come to provide salvation for
his people. And in response to the proclamation of that good news, he commanded that those who heard
the message would repent of their sin and follow him in faith. Repent and believe the gospel.
And so these people, these Jews mostly, had long awaited a Messiah. In their mind, this Messiah would
come to restore their nation, to deliver their nation from the Roman oppression that they had faced for so
long. But the message of Jesus was different than national deliverance. He had actually come to deliver
them from something far greater, a far greater enemy than Rome, a far greater enemy than Babylon, a far
greater enemy than any other enemy that they may have even to this day. And that enemy was the enemy of their
their nation. And so as you continue to read your Bible, you will discover that the way in which Jesus
provided this deliverance was by taking our place, suffering our death, and conquering death through his
own resurrection. What was taking place according to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 is that as Jesus was dying on
the cross, those who would come to believe him, God was imputing our sin onto his own son. God was
looking at his son, Jesus Christ, as if our sin was his sin. And for those who believe, God then looks at
us and he sees the righteousness of his son, Jesus Christ, as if it was our righteousness. And so how would
Jesus come and deliver these people? It wouldn't be through a revolution. It wouldn't be through politics.
It wouldn't be through war. It would be through his own death. And as he died on the cross, he took our sin
and he became, as John wrote in that second chapter that we just read, the propitiation, the full
appeasement of the wrath of God against sin on all who would come to believe in him. That's how he would do it.
And so as Jesus is going from place to place and he's preaching this gospel message, this is what
he's preaching. He hasn't been this clear about it yet. He hasn't said just yet that this is what
would happen when he went to Jerusalem, that the crucifixion would take place in the resurrection.
He's going to, but he hasn't said that yet. He simply said, the time is at hand. The kingdom is near,
meaning he representative of the kingdom is near, repent and believe the gospel.
And out of his perfect love, he satisfied the wrath of God. And this is the truth of the gospel of the
kingdom. This is why it matters. Again, second Corinthians 5 21, for our sake, he made him to be sin,
who knew no sin, that we might have the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And then again, if you've been
reading in 1 John 4, in this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he has loved us and has sent
his son to be the propitiation for our sins, the appeasement of God's wrath for our sins.
This was his words, but there was another part to what Jesus was doing. He was traveling through Galilee.
He was preaching the message of the kingdom of God, and that was his primary objective, but he also
performed many mighty works, and we've studied many of those. And what was all of that about? Of course,
an expression of the compassionate heart of Christ for sinners and sufferers, but the purpose of these
works was to point these people back to the message. As he preached the message of the kingdom of God,
he performed the works in order to validate the message that he was preaching, which is why he said
so often as he went from town to town, for the towns that rejected him. Remember, there's the one section,
we'll get to it eventually, woe unto you, Chorazin, woe unto you, Bethsaida, and as is even recorded,
at least in the King James Version here in this particular passage, that even those towns will suffer a
greater judgment than even Sodom and Gomorrah from the Old Testament. Why? Because they saw the works
of Christ. They were witness to the Christ. They heard his message, and yet they still rejected
the message, but that's what the works were for. They were signs of his true identity, and they pointed to
the gospel message. And so Jesus did all of these things to announce that the kingdom of God was near
in him. But as he did these things, there were 12 men that tagged along with him, and they watched him,
and they listened to him. And ultimately, they patterned their own ministry after his.
And what Jesus was going to do with them as he sent them out was he was going to use them and empower them
to preach his words and to perform his works. And so there's no question that Jesus had a special
purpose for these 12 apostles. Was these men that he used to lay the foundation for the church?
And theirs was certainly a unique and unrepeatable role in redemptive history.
But despite the unique nature of their call and their role in the church, the calling of these 12 men
is representative of the task that's given to each and every believer. The mission of proclaiming the
gospel, of preaching the words of Christ, and mimicking the works of Christ is not exclusive to just a few
specially called or gifted Christians. But the Bible actually makes it clear that this is not just a
responsibility for a select few, but this mission is giving to all those who name the name of Christ.
And I want to give you just a few bullet points to support that before we jump into verse 1.
Think about this. Jesus sometimes sent people out in addition to these 12 apostles,
and he gave them the same exact instruction. Go from village to village. He gave them the same
regulations even in one instance. They were to preach the message of the gospel. They were to perform
the works that Jesus was performing in his power, and they were to prepare the way for him. Luke chapter 10
tells us plainly, after this the Lord appointed 70 others and sent them on ahead of him two by two
into every town and place where he himself was to go about. So even in Jesus's own ministry, it wasn't
just limited to 12 people. There was at least one occasion where he's sending out 70 or more people
to go and do this same exact task that he was sending the 12 to do here in Mark 6. Not only that,
as we study the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus didn't intend for the command to make disciples
disciples to be absent from what they were to teach others to observe. Remember what he said in the
Great Commission. Go therefore and make disciples, teaching them, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.
Well, Jesus didn't expect that what they were teaching and what Jesus had commanded,
that this responsibility of evangelism would be absent from that.
And then we see in Acts, in the book of Acts, and even later in the New Testament,
everywhere Christians went, they carried the gospel with them. In Acts chapter 8, it was Saul before his
conversion that was persecuting the church, and the church, the Christians were beginning to have to
scatter across the world. And here's what it says, Acts chapter 8 and verse 4,
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. It wasn't just the apostles going about
preaching the word. The impact of the gospel on the world in the days of the apostles was not
limited just to those few men. It was all Christians that were spreading out across the world under great
persecution and taking the gospel with them. It was not just a matter of obedience for these men,
but for every believer. Paul wrote of the necessity of this for the salvation of the lost.
In Romans chapter 10, how then will they call on him and whom they have not heard,
or have not believed? And how are they to believe in whom they've not heard? And how are they to hear
without someone preaching to them? In 2 Timothy, Paul encouraged Timothy, a pastor in Ephesus,
to do the work of evangelism. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an
evangelist. Timothy was not an evangelist. He was a pastor. He was a representative of Paul in Ephesus,
and yet he is still encouraged to do the work of an evangelist. And Paul says immediately following,
in doing all of these things, fulfill your ministry. And then of course, we know Acts 1.8,
you will receive power. After that, the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and the other most parts of the earth. John Stott said in
relation to this particular verse, we can no more restrict the command to witness than we can restrict
the promise of the Holy Spirit. And the truth is that God calls and he gifts us each differently,
but the great commission, the mission of taking the gospel of Jesus to the world, and of mimicking the
works of Jesus in the world, belongs to every Christian. And so though this text has elements that
apply specifically to these men at this particular time, it also contains principles that endure for us
today. And so as we use our next two studies in Mark to examine these few verses, we'll see three
things. We'll see that there is a commission to fulfill, that there is instructions that we should
obey, and that there is a pattern of ministry to follow. And as I said, we'll only get to this first
one today, which is this, if you're keeping notes, there is a commission to fulfill, a commission to
fulfill. Look again with me at verse seven. And he called the 12 and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. So after months of following Jesus and watching him
closely, he's finally sending the disciples out to preach his words and to perform his works. Now let's
think about this in the kingdom language that Jesus so often used. The king, Jesus, was commissioning his
representatives to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. And here in this verse, in this simple verse,
Mark notes three actions that Jesus takes in the process of calling and sending these men. There's
calling, there's sending, and there's empowering. And it's the exact same pattern that follows in the
great commission that is given to all believers. Jesus calls us to himself, he sends us on his mission,
and he empowers us with his spirit to perform the task to which we have been called. All three things
represented here in this summary statement that Mark gives us in verse seven. So let's just look at
the three. First thing we see, and he called the 12. Do you see it there? And he called the 12.
Now, as far as Mark's gospel is concerned, this is now the third time that Jesus has issued a call
to these men. The first one was a call to actually follow him. And Mark tells us about the experience
of five specific disciples. In fact, let's look at it together. Flip back with me to chapter one first,
if you would do that. You'll remember we covered this, I think, back in November.
In Mark chapter one, verse 16, passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew,
the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them,
follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. Already a hint there in this passage of what
he was going to one day use them to do. Now, he hasn't used them to do that yet. At this point,
he's only called them. He's only put them in an observational role, but eventually they would become
indeed fishers of men. And then it says, immediately they left their nets and followed him.
And going on a little further, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, who were in
their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in
the boat with the hired servants and followed him. So four of them initially are giving a first call.
It was a call to follow Christ in faith. And all four of them abandoned everything that they were
doing in order to follow Jesus. And then flip over to chapter two, and we see this happening once again.
This time, it was not fishermen he was calling. It was actually who the fishermen would have absolutely
hated and despised. It was a tax collector. His name is Matthew. Mark chapter two, verse 13.
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he
passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus. We know his Greek name to be Matthew. He was sitting at the
tax booth, and Jesus said to him, follow me. And what did Matthew do? He rose and followed
him. This was their first call. What is this call all about? This is the effectual call of God to
salvation. Every true believer experiences this call, whereby they hear the gospel message. They are
stirred by the Holy Spirit of God. And in response to that, they abandon everything in repentance,
and they follow after Jesus Christ alone in faith as Lord and Savior. This was their first call.
All of us must come to a point where we hear the gospel message, and we respond in faith and repentance.
These men had been called to that, and they had left everything to follow Christ. But it's not the only call
that we've seen in Mark's gospel for these men. In fact, we see another call. It was a call that set them apart
for a unique purpose. Look at chapter 3, verse 14.
And he appointed 12, whom he also named apostles, so that they might be with him, and he might send
them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. Now, he didn't send them to do that yet.
But he issues this call. He sets them apart. He gives them a unique apostolic call. And that's
really what that is about in chapter 3. But the principle applies to each of us still.
God gifts and calls each of us to serve him uniquely, but the foundation of that call is the same.
He calls us to be with him, and he sends us to go for him. He calls us to be with him,
and he sends us to go for him. Look back at Mark 3, in verse 14. He appointed 12, so that they might be
with him, and he might send them out to preach. Now, listen, this isn't a separate call from salvation.
This isn't different or extreme from the call to follow Jesus. It's actually an extension of it.
Discipleship in this way is not a higher tier of Christian experience.
It's not that only the people that really got it together and only the people that really want to follow Jesus
get set apart for the work of God in some way or another. No, discipleship is not that.
Every believer is called to follow Jesus, is also called to be a faithful disciple of Jesus.
We have the same call. Be with him and go for him.
And he gifts us in different ways, and he puts us in different places, and he calls us to perform that work
in different ways to edify his church and to preach the gospel. But the call, the foundation of it is the same.
Follow me and be with me and go for me. And we do that as we study the Bible, as we commune with God in prayer,
as we yield to the work of the Holy Spirit. As you walk with Jesus in this way, you'll find yourself
being continually enraptured by his love. And this always, always leads to passionately sharing the gospel with others.
Think about what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians chapter 2.
He said,
You say, how am I supposed to become enraptured with the love of God?
You get in your Bible, and you spend time in prayer, and you focus on the gospel.
because as Paul looked and he considered the gospel that he had been given when he considered
the great mercy that is in Christ and the great love with which he has loved him he felt constrained
to do nothing but to take that message and to share it to others he found Jesus to be the
treasure in the field and the pearl of great price I love those parables perhaps my favorite
in relation to the kingdom of God you remember him Jesus said the kingdom of God is like this it's
like a man who goes and he finds a treasure in a field and he goes and he sells everything that he
has and he buys that field and then he says it's also like the merchant who is on search for a great
pearl and upon finding a pearl of immeasurable value he sells all of his possessions all of the things
that he has in order that he may buy that one pearl of immeasurable value and Jesus says I am the
pearl I am the treasure and as you come to understand the gospel you'll give everything
up in order to have that treasure you'll give everything up in order to have the surpassing
value that is in Christ Jesus the pearl of great price and as you continually come back to the gospel
and study the word of God and spend your time in communion with him and you become enraptured with
the love of God how can you not share that with others we collect things sometimes things of great
value and when people come to our home what do we do I want to show you this thing that I have it may
not mean much to you but it means everything to me I have in my office a picture that Mr. Quo gave me
last year it's uh um psalm 23 and verse 1 written in mandarin and then right next to it I have he gave me a
uh a Chinese name and he he has that written out and every time people come in my office Mr. Quo I
take them I show them I said you got to see what Mr. Quo gave me I have to use google translate to figure
out what it says but it's so cool for most people it means nothing to them it means a lot to me
and what does that say for our recognition of the value of Christ and the gospel in our lives
Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the love of God controls me and that I have determined in viewing
the gospel that there is such great value in the gospel his love has shown me so much he goes on to
say that one has died for all therefore all have died and he died for all that those who might live
might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised and Paul says
when I consider this gospel and I consider this love I am constrained by it to the extent that it
controls everything that I do it controls everything that I say it controls everything that I do
for the Lord so Christ calls us to be with him what does that mean we study our bible we commune with him
in prayer we focus our attention on the gospel therefore those who are not going out for him
give evidence that they have not been with him
it doesn't mean that every person who doesn't faithfully share the gospel or serve the Lord in
one way or another it doesn't mean that every one of them aren't believers but it at least means
that it's been a while since they've been captivated by Christ's love through the gospel
and I find this incredibly convicting because my witness is weak you would think that it would be
difficult to stand on a platform Sunday by Sunday and preach a message like this but it's actually
not that hard to do what's more difficult is to do it as you step off of the platform
if your evangelistic efforts are weak like mine the first step is to refresh yourself
on the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ in the gospel
I remember times growing up somebody would come in a pastor or visiting preacher whoever it was you go to
youth conference there was always something like this there and there would always be a sermon that was
specifically on the need of evangelism and all of that's good and well but but it was presented in
such a way that I thought okay I'm not I'm not great at sharing the gospel and my first response
is I'm going to grab a handful of tracks off the track rack and I'm just going to start handing out
tracks listen to me if if you are weak in your evangelism the first thing that you need to do is not grab a
bunch of tracks and go hand them out to people in your neighborhood the first thing you need to do is get in
your bible and to get on your knees in prayer and focus your heart on the gospel of Jesus and the
overflow of that as your love for Christ is renewed once again is I can't wait to share with you what
Christ has done and if you will just believe he will forgive you too
he will save you too of course the best way to share the gospel is to be thoroughly convinced of it yourself
effective evangelism does not begin with winning an argument with someone on
Facebook or on next door or whatever it is whatever the venue is that you prefer to argue
it's by demonstrating that you actually believe the things that you say that you believe
how do we do that we do that lots of ways what about the expression of joy that we have day by day in
this life when we get distracted away from the gospel and its impact on our lives we really start to become
such ungrateful people don't we
we don't demonstrate joy in Jesus we demonstrate a love for the world
but when we demonstrate the joy even the deepest darkest moments of our life it gives evidence that
we actually do believe this thing that we say that we believe about eternity and about hope and about
Christ
we show this in our song
I love congregational singing it's my favorite thing
it's my favorite thing when we come together outside of the preaching is that I love when we sing together
and if someone were to come in here that was an unbeliever even if they didn't believe it
even if they didn't believe this message
would they be able to see the way that you sing and know that you actually do believe this
you can't carry a tune worth a lick but man
but man you must
you must really believe this
our passion
our urgency
our commitment to the Lord
our commitment to be obedient to him
our knowledge of him
people may think you're delusional or fanatical
but may they never think that you are insincere
and so what was it what does this have to do with call
well this is now the third time that Jesus has issued a call to these men
and the second one was be with me
in order that you may go for me
and now because they have been with him
they are able to go for him
and so we see calling we'll see the last two quickly
then we see sending
look at verse 7 again
and he began to send them out two by two
so the second action that Mark notes here is the actual sending of the twelve
and again Jesus exercised wisdom as he strategically and methodically sent these men out on this mini mission
began seems to suggest that he staggered their departures
perhaps due to specific assignments
which just reminds us once again
even if you were to study church history
and you would see that all of these men went to different places
and they were used in different ways
even despite being apostles themselves
they were used in different ways in different places
perhaps he staggered this in order to give them specific assignments
to go and to do what he desired for them to do in this moment
it's just wisdom
it's organization
provided security for their journey
it provided encouragement in the work
it provided credibility
as Jewish custom and even law necessitated that
at least two witnesses
be present to confirm a statement or an accusation
Solomon wrote about this in the Old Testament
two are better than one
because they have a good reward for their toil
for if they fall
one will lift up his fellow
but woe to him who is alone when he falls
and has not another to lift him up
again if two lie together
they keep warm
but how can one be warm alone
and though a man might prevail against one who is alone
two will withstand him
what is Jesus doing here?
well he's just practically sending them out
with wisdom
now we don't need to
view this too woodenly
Jesus intention here was not
that we would stagger our times of evangelism
and it wasn't that
the only way to effectively do the work of the ministry
is to do it in pairs
that's not the point
the point is that God has given us each a unique assignment in his work
and our commission is to be fulfilled in partnership
with other believers
particularly the church to which you belong
so not only has God called us and sent us
and empowered us
but he desires that we do that in concert
with his church
and with his people
and then the third action we see
he gave them authority or power over the unclean
spirits
now in the summary
Mark chooses to specifically highlight the fact
that they would have authority over unclean spirits
but we know that that authority
did not limit itself to just unclean spirits
because later on we see that they were actually able to
heal many people as well
and that there was great power as they preached the gospel
as Jesus would preach the gospel
and so the emphasis here is not so much on the unclean spirits
as it is on the authority
and the power
so Jesus not only called them
not only sent them
but he empowered them
to do the work
to which they were called
and this is an important reminder for us
that the fruit of their ministry
was not the result of any power within themselves
but it was the power of Jesus at work
through them
they had no power without God giving them that power
which means the power was not their own
but the power and the authority belonged to Christ
they weren't to go in their own name
they weren't to build their own kingdom
they were to go in the name of Christ
building the kingdom of Christ
and this is the fact that surprised
so many of the enemies of the gospel in the book of Acts
these were ordinary men
common people
they had no theological training
they hadn't been to the rabbinical schools
they were fishermen
and tax collectors
and anti-Roman zealots
yet the religious leaders of the day
were blown away
by the power with which they preached the gospel
remember in Acts chapter 4
now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John
and perceived that they were uneducated common men
they were astonished
and here's what it says
they recognized that they had been with Jesus
they didn't look at Peter and John
and say what great power is in Peter and John
they looked at Peter and John
and said these men must have been with Jesus
and how did they know that?
by the works they performed
and the message that they preached
it wasn't about them
there was no power in them
it was about Christ
and it was about his work
and Christ empowered them to do the work
that he called them to do
so Jewish custom
it recognized that the sent one
was sent as if he was
the one who commissioned him
in other words
the authority of these men
in proclaiming Jesus' words
and performing his works
was to be viewed as that of Jesus
similar to a modern ambassadorship
they were ambassadors for the king
and though they went in the fullness of Christ's power
the authority was not their own
but the one whom they represented
Paul wrote about this
he wrote about it this way in 2 Corinthians 5
that is in Christ
God was reconciling the world to himself
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us
that message of the gospel
that message of reconciliation
therefore Paul says
we are ambassadors for Christ
God making his appeal through us
and then he makes his appeal
he says we implore you then
be reconciled to God
what is this ambassadorship about?
we are not representatives of ourselves
we're not building our own kingdom in Cornelius
we're not doing our own thing
we don't matter
one person said
preach the gospel
die and be forgotten
we don't like to live that way
we want everybody to remember us
we all want to have a legacy
we all want to be applauded
for the things that we do
but it wasn't about these men
it was about Christ
they were going with his authority
they were going in his name
and it was only because of that
that they were used so mightily
in the work of God
and Paul said
that's what we are
we're ambassadors
we're ambassadors for him
and what do ambassadors do?
they represent the king
and what are we to do?
represent the king
how?
by preaching his words
and doing his works
just like these men
you say what does that mean?
well for Paul it meant
looking at the people
to whom he was preaching
he's saying
therefore I implore you
be reconciled to God
and that may be all that it means for you
that as you go to your family
and your friends
and your co-workers
and whoever it is
that the Lord sends you to
that that's what you say
I'm an ambassador for Christ
therefore please
be reconciled to God
share the message
and urge people to respond
we're his representatives
in this place
at this time
and he's commissioned us
to go in his power
and in his authority
and it's easy for us
to be timid in this task
but this truth actually comes
as a great comfort
because he didn't tell these men
go from village to village
and figure it out
no
he gave them authority
he empowered them
and later on
he's going to tell them
the night before his arrest
the night of his arrest
he's going to say
I'm going to leave
and when I leave
I'm going to send a helper
and the helper
is going to remind you
of everything that I've taught you
and he's going to open your mind
and he's going to empower you
and then we get to the book of Acts
and that's exactly what he did
the Holy Spirit came
and empowered them in a way
that they would have never dreamed
why?
in order that they may perform the work
that God had called them to perform
you don't have to have it all together
to be a witness for God
you just need to be with Christ
and if you're a believer today
you already have the Spirit
so go in the power of that Spirit
trusting him to be fruitful in the work
as you are faithful
remember that great commission
in Matthew 28
go ye therefore
and make disciples of all nations
baptizing them in the name
of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Ghost
teaching them to observe all things
that's a heavy command
it's overwhelming isn't it
but we can't understand
that commission
without the promises
on either side of it
because Jesus opens up
in verse 18
and he says
all authority is given to me
in heaven and earth
go therefore
because of this authority
I give it to you
I'm going to go with you
and then at the very end
of the command
what is it that he says
and behold
I am with you always
even to the end of the age
you say
how am I supposed to go
and do this
how am I supposed to be
a faithful witness
how am I supposed to do anything
as far as mission is concerned
you do it because God
has empowered you to do it
and you rest in the promise
that he has given
that I will not leave you
I will be with you
so we go with his message
and his power
and we trust him
to fulfill his promise
and let me just close like this
Jesus and this is really the point
of spending so much time
on this verse
Jesus is still calling
he's still calling
he's still sending
he's still empowering
this wasn't limited to these men
this matters for us
he is calling us
he is sending us
and he will empower us
to do the work
and we think back in history
and we think about
all of the people
that we have seen this
so glaringly in history
Julie and I
we were all sitting
in the living room
last night
watching a series of videos
of I think it was
Tim Challies
was going around the world
and he was finding
historical artifacts
that would communicate
the unique way
in which God
had used different people
in Christian history
throughout the world
and he was doing
and he was going
to all these missionary places
he goes to China
and he sees
the work of Hudson Taylor
and he goes to India
and he sees the work
of William Carey
and of Amy Carmichael
and we can think of others
we can think of people
like Adoniram
and Ann Judson
who went to Burma
and we can think
of other people
who have gone
across the world
and across the seas
and the Lord
has just used them
they were called
and they were sent
and they were empowered
to do a great work
and it wasn't a matter
of going for a couple
of years
and going home
they gave their lives
for that
they're buried
in those places
because God
had called them
and it's
listen God
still calls people
and he still
sends people
and who's to say
that he's not
sending you somewhere
he's at least
sent you here
he's at least
sent you to your
neighborhood
and to your family
don't forsake
the call
go in his power
but think of all
the thousands
and thousands
of people
throughout Christian
history
whose names
you will never know
whose faces
you will never see
who have given
their lives
to be empowered
by Christ
to do this work
and they have
served in obscurity
and they have
served faithfully
and they have
glorified God
in the same way
that these 12 men
glorified God
because it's not
about these men
it's not about us
it's about him
and his gospel
and he's still
calling
and he's still
sending
and he's still
empowering
so the question
is not
is Jesus
still doing
these things
the question
is
are we
answering
and are we
going
and are we
going
and obeying
in his power
for