He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.

Mark 6:7-13

He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. Mark 6:8-9

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 6:7-13. Excerpts from the commentary's for the second (of four) division (vv8-9): 

• The title for the first division is "Go Mean and Lean with Nothing Nonessential."
• "To be effective in God’s work, we must do what we do unencumbered, with no excess baggage that could impede our mission. Further, we must go in radical faith and dependence on our God." 
•  "The four items required of the Twelve are identical to what God told the Hebrews to take on their flight from Egypt (Exodus 12:11)." 
• The commentary details the parallels between the Old Testament exodus and how Jesus sends out The Twelve under the authority of the new and greater Moses (see also Hebrews 3:1-6).  
• Dependence on Jesus for all things is emphasized, particularly in the mission field.

For believers, God calls upon us constantly and fear and anxiety often accompany such calls - to step into the unknown.  God called Moses in Exodus 3 to rescue Israel from bondage.  This triggered much fear and anxiety in Moses, and God quelled this fear and anxiety, speaking to Moses and revealing His plan for this effort in Exodus 3:15-22, and sharing how Aaron will be his helper in this mission in Exodus 4:1-17.  God gives all believers a role in the Great Commission and we should lean on Him in prayer, etc. to equip us and to give us courage to step out into these roles. 

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and compassion - You saved me while still sinning and an enemy and hostile to You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving for how You save, equip, provide, and lead in the roles You design for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

Mark 6:7-13

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. Mark 6:7

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 6:7-13, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary - which offers four divisions for this text. Excerpts from the commentary's introduction to the entirety of the text (vv7-13) and for the first (of four) division (v7): 

• The commentary's main idea for the vv7-13 is "[e]ven in the face of rejection or death, our mission is to preach the gospel and advance the kingdom."
• The title for the first division is "Go with Jesus’ Authority and as a Team"
• Upon rejection (see vv1-6), [Jesus] may be disappointed (as all of us will be from time to time), but He is not deterred from fulfilling the will of His Father." So He continues with His mission to share the Gospel.  
• "After discipling and mentoring the Twelve for an extended period, it is now time for them to get their feet wet, to move to the next level. Though all aspects of their training and instruction do not apply to us, we would be wise to consider some significant principles in our particular assignment as we join hands with Jesus to 'advance the kingdom.'"  
• This first division includes two principles we should apply as we consider mission work.  The first is that we should go as a team for both safety and mutual support.  The commentary then refers us to Old Testament text where it describes how the law (see Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1) required two witnesses to verify a matter. 
• The second principle is how we are sent by God on His behalf and He equips us with authority and power. See also 2 Corinthians 5:20a.

2 Corinthians 5:20a is key in multiple respects, including how we should be mindful of our role as Christ's ambassadors and how our words and actions may reflect poorly not just on us but by extension on Christ. This is a heavy responsibility that believers should take very seriously and it should drive us into the arms of Christ in prayer and to deepen our relationship in Him through study of His Word, etc.  As God works in our hearts and life (renewing our mind - see Romans 12:2), we become more like Him and of course we are utterly dependent on Him (as we go out we are instructed to go "lean" as reminder that it is Him that equips and provides - see also v8).

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that saves, provides, equips, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save and bless.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Mark 3:7-21

Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:20-21

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 3:20-21, which is the text for the third division (of three) per the commentary. Excerpts from the commentary's third division: 

• "Once more the crowds descend on Jesus with a selfish vengeance. It seems to never end. The house is so full of people He cannot find time or space to eat. The people are completely socially unaware; they care for no one but themselves. They will monopolize Jesus if they can, using Him only for His power to heal. They completely misunderstand that His true mission and agenda are to get to the cross and deal with their real need: their sin!"
• "Still today socially unaware people and people who lack a kingdom mind-set reflect the ancient crowd’s mistake. They often flock to big-name preachers and cling to them because they are popular. However, they completely miss the message these leaders preach, and they will smother them if given the chance."
• "This is the first mention of Jesus’ family. It does not reflect well on them. They hear that Jesus is swamped, apparently to the extent that He is unwilling even to care for His own physical needs. Thus, they decide to “restrain Him,” convinced “He’s out of His mind.” The word restrain means “to lay hold” and is used elsewhere of an “arrest.” The charge “He’s out of His mind” is shocking and disturbing. They understand neither who He is nor what He came to do. Perhaps they are genuinely concerned for Him. However, “in a culture in which honor and shame were critically important, there may also have been an attempt to prevent shame on the family caused by Jesus’ . . . behavior” (EBC, 745)."
• "From His family’s perspective, Jesus is a religious fanatic who is hurting the family name, and He is also a danger to Himself. He has to be stopped. He needs a straitjacket and padded cell."
•  The commentary offers a number of applications:  Know who you are and why you are here (3:10-12). Make time to get away. Take control of your schedule and calendar. If you don’t, others will (3:13). Surround yourself with others you can train, delegate to, and send out to do the work of ministry (3:13-19). Recognize that no matter how hard you try and how much you invest, some are going to disappoint you (3:19). Remember that ministry is a 24–7 calling that requires your constant attention and management (3:20). Understand that those closest to you may misunderstand you and even oppose you (3:21). Never forget: all that matters in life and ministry is that you please God and do His will (3:35)." 

Regardless of where we are, at home, at work, etc. we have a God-given mission and we may be distracted - yet we are encouraged to focus on this mission.  This calls for us to surround ourselves first and foremost with the Word such that we can remain in Him and bear fruit (John 15:4-10).  We will also equip and train (2 Timothy 3:16-17) ourselves and protect ourselves from sin and the prince of this age (Ephesians 6:10-19). We must also pray and practice other spiritual disciplines such as corporate worship.  Then we must surround ourselves with Godly brothers and sisters in Christ who support and encourage us - but also understand that these people will also from time to time let us down as they are human and broken as we are. Be alert and sober (1 Peter 5:8)!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, and brothers and sisters in Christ to support me in the role You give me as part of the Great Commission and in the church.  Thank You for my salvation and for these blessings that support and encourage me as part of my journey with You. I am not deserving of such blessings nor my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Acts 13:48

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48

While I have completed my study of Zechariah and it's time to transition to Malachi (as part of my study of the last four books of the OT using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book), I pause before moving to Malachi to study Acts 13-14 as preparation for my Sunday school discussion this upcoming Sunday. For today, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Look at Book video for Acts 13:48 (Part 1 of 2) where John Piper unpacks the text looking at the doctrine unconditional election.  The key question at hand is who or what was the decisive cause of our faith? The text is clear on this question - not just with this verse which describes how many Gentiles "were appointed to eternal life [and] believed."  It is God who is of course doing the appointing or election and this election is unconditional because there is nothing we can do to earn this election.  Piper refers us to John 10:26-27, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Timothy 2:24-26 which support this doctrine.  To conclude the lab, Piper then shares how there are several takeaways from the text in terms of how it should move us: (1) we should be humble because we know it is God who gives us faith and it is not of our own doing, (2) we should be thankful because it is a gift God gives us to us and it is of course of value (an understatement!) and a blessing, and (3) we should have hope for others, even the hardest of sinners because there is no obstacle to faith that God cannot tear down for someone to come to faith.  This also reinforces a key theme I've been looking at with Acts 13-14 - that Paul and Barnabas, as the travel on their 1st missionary journey, are persistent in sharing the Good News with others, even when some reject it.  When you allow the Holy Spirit to work through you to speak boldly about the Good News of Jesus Christ, it is Christ who is the decisive cause of whether someone listening will become one of God's elect.  When someone does not believe, it does not change our mission to continue sharing the gospel - our job is to share the Good News, not to soften hearts, bring someone to repentance, or to bring about election - these are all the job of God and Him alone.  We may be an instrument of His but not the decisive cause.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God and my Savior! Thank You for the gift of my faith!  I am not deserving!  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13

But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:51-52

While I have completed my study of Zechariah and it's time to transition to Malachi (as part of my study of the last four books of the OT using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book), I pause before moving to Malachi to study Acts 13-14 as preparation for my Sunday school discussion this upcoming Sunday.  Acts 13-14 comprise Paul's first missionary journey, as depicted by this map shows - from Antioch to Cyprus, to southern Asia Minor, and back to Antioch.  In Acts 13:16-41 Paul boldly proclaims the gospel to Jews in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia.  Many followed Paul after he spoke and this led to "almost the whole city gather[ing] to hear the word of the Lord" (v44). This led the Jews to be full of jealousy of Paul (and Barnabas his companion) and "began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him" (v45).  This led Paul and Barnabas to respond boldly in v46-47 that because the Jews rejected the Good News, were turning to the Gentiles who "rejoic[ed] and glorif[ied] the Word of the Lord as many as were appointed to eternal life believed" (v48). The Word then began to spread throughout the region (v49). The Jews incited persecution (v50) and drove Paul and Barnabas out.  But Paul and Barnabas shook the dust from their feet and went to Iconium (v51) and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (v52).  We are encouraged to know God's Word as Paul - notice how Paul confidently drew on his knowledge of the Old Testament and Biblical patriarchs/matriarchs - did and to proclaim the Good News boldly.  While we should strive to be clear and bold in the delivery of the Good News, we are not responsible for people's reaction.  If people reject God's Word, we are to continue to proclaim the Good News boldly.  We are to shake the dust from our feet and to continue sharing the Gospel. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God and You are my savior!  Thank You for Your Word, the the Good News that helps me know You better, including what pleases You.  I want to please and glorify You because You are worthy and it's because I exist.  I am undeserving of my salvation and how You speak to me through Your Word.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.   

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ[.]

Titus 2

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ[.] Titus 2:11-13 (ESV)

I maintain my pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I participate in a men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church.  This morning, on week 4-day 5, the focus is Titus 2:11-13 and scripture memorization for this text.

• For the grace of God has appeared: God is real and His presence manifests through God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Word...and in all things (Colossians 1:16-17).  This is of course true for believers but it is also true for non-believers as Romans 1:20 states that even for those who deny God, they clearly perceive Him "[and] his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature...ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
• God brings salvation for all people: Believers must profess and share God's Word with everyone per the command in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20).  John Piper shares that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was perfect except it lacked a public presentation of the gospel to all nations - this is the role of believers - to go into the all corners of the world and to share.  God brings salvation through His people - the saints. 
  
• This grace also trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives as we battle the dark forces of sin in this world and seek to bring the Good News into this world.
• While believers seek to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives, we are waiting for our blessed hope - the second coming of Jesus Christ as He promises to return at the end of times. This blessed hope helps us endure through whatever is thrown at us - we know that this life is temporary and God is saving a place for us in Heaven.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God and You give me my salvation that trains me and You give me a blessed hope - thank You!  I am not deserving of these blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus, and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.   

But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”

Isaiah 14-18

But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” Isaiah 16:14

I continue with my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, on Lesson 7, Day 2 the focus is on Isaiah 15-16, where we see an oracle concerning Moab. Moab is destroyed and suffers, yet a remnant survives (Isaiah 16:2-4).  This is yet another example of how God created Israel as His chosen people to be a light among the nations, yet Israel repeatedly disappointed God.  From the very beginning God sought to save people from all nations, and Moab is one such example.  Ruth was a Moabite and we know from Jesus' genealogy (Matthew 1), that Boaz and Ruth's son Obed was the father of Jesse and Jesse was the father of king David and from there Jesus was born. God's call for Jonah to go to Nineveh is yet another example - Nineveh was of course not part of Israel but God sought for Nineveh to recognize Him as the one true God and to repent from their sin - they of course did based on Jonah's visit (see Jonah 3).  I don't know the full extent of how a remnant of Moab (Ruth came before Isaiah) or how any of those that repented in Nineveh became part of God's plan but God does want to save all nations and He redeems sinful and broken people that repent.  This redemption plays out in our own lives as believers - sin and everything - are redeemed and used as part of God's plan. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God whose plan is perfect and who is able to save and redeem all - including sinful, broken people such as myself.  You have elected me, justified me, saved me, and You sanctify me - thank You Jesus for all the blessings You pour out for me.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sins of laziness, worry, etc. continue - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.   Please heal Lisa of her cancer and the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:8-10

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter five The Unsearchable Riches of Christ for All Peoples, pages 84-92. Here, Piper unpacks the greatest goals of missions by looking "backward through three successively smaller means to reach this goal." He works backwards because he wants to end with us - individual believers - and an examination of our role in the Great Commission. So, working backwards from the greatest goal of missions using successively smaller means, here we go:

1. the display of God's manifold wisdom (v3:10)
2. the gathering of God's global church (v3:8-9)
3. the preaching of Christ's unsearchable riches (v3:8-9)
4. the service of God's ordinary missionaries (v3:8)
   

In this chapter, I am highlighting key excerpts:

• "There are twists and turns in history that bring about God’s design in ways that no one ever dreamed. There are no wasted strokes on this canvas as God paints his wisdom in the history of missions." (page 90)
  
• "[I]t is going to take eternity for God to exhaust on you the unsearchable riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. It will take ages upon ages upon ages for the riches of Christ to be searched out." (page 91/Ephesians 2:7)
• "So here is one of the greatest incentives of all to give ourselves to missions. God intends to use ordinary, messy, small paint brushes on the canvas of the history of missions because every minute stroke of his brush matters. Every bright stroke of triumph and every dark stroke of
  suffering matters. He is an infinitely wise painter. He knows what he is doing with your life. Not one stroke will be wasted. You can trust him with your life. Yield to the wise hand that would paint with your life." (page 92)

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and mercy - I know, because of my sin - that I deserve death.  Yet You came to seek and save me - thank You Jesus! Please forgive me for my sin of harsh words, gossip, worry, etc. and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.