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Jesus has powerful but simple things He wants us to do. We don’t need a lot of equipment to complete His mission today. He will supply us everything we need. He does His work through us. We are the equipment.

This is hard to keep in mind. In our world, we think the more we have, the better the buildings, the better off we are. We mistake a building for God’s church. God isn’t impressed. Jesus isn’t amused.

In God’s World (Kingdom), He doesn’t need our equipment. He is God. He can do anything and takes pleasure in turning water in wine. I think it may even amuse Him to confound us. Just saying!!

“Take nothing for the road,” he told them, “no staff, no traveling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt.”

Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Luke 9:3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

The Twelve had been ordained some months before and had been traveling with Jesus as His helpers. Now He was going to send them out in pairs to have their own ministry and to put into practice what they had learned. This was their “solo flight.”

But before He sent them out, He gave them the equipment needed to get the job done, as well as the instructions to follow. The parallel passage in Matthew 10 reveals that the Twelve were sent only to the people of Israel (Matt. 10:5–6). Luke does not mention this since he wrote primarily for the Gentiles and emphasized the worldwide outreach of the Good News message.

Power is the ability to accomplish a task, and authority is the right to do it, and Jesus gave both to His Apostles. They were able to cast out demons and heal the sick, but the most important ministry He gave them was that of preaching the Good News message. The word preach in Luke 9:6 describes a herald proclaiming a message from the king, and in Luke 9:6 it means “to preach the Good News.” They were heralds of the Good News!

Jesus told the Apostles what to take on their journey, with an emphasis on urgency and simplicity. They were not to take a “begging bag” along but were to trust God to open up homes for their hospitality. Matthew 10:11–15 tells how they were to select these homes. If they were refused, they should shake off the dust from their feet, a familiar act performed by orthodox Jews whenever they left Gentile territory.