Your Great Commission!
The Call of God!
Matt 10: 1 ¶ And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
In this passage of Scripture, we see Jesus commissioning His 12 disciples. There is much that we can learn from this, for Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and even as He commissioned these people, He has a specific commission for you, and your life.
Notice the word ‘power’ used here. In English we have two words, we translate as power. The one used is ‘exousia’, which we understand as authority. The other word, ‘dunamis’ means explosive power, like dynamite. In this case, they were granted authority in the kingdom of God, and that authority was over all demons, sickness and disease. When they commanded these things to leave, it was expected that demonstrated, explosive power would result, expelling diseases, and healing the sick.
Many think that once we become born-again, and perhaps even filled with the Holy Spirit, that we need to GO, into the harvest field He has provided for us. Yet, there is a call of God, then, after sufficient preparation, there is a commission of God. I remember my father, in serving in the navy, after four years of officer training, was granted his first commission as an officer. Though he had the rank when he enlisted, he did not yet have the authority to command men and equipment, until his commanding officers granted him a commission.
In this case, Jesus had been training, disciplining, growing and teaching his disciples, for a period of years in the Word of God. They had been hand-picked and called by Him, yet not yet commissioned. Notice that the call does not equal the commission! The qualification for the call is character, a seemingly forgotten message any more in the Body of Christ. (Job description of Christian leaders is 1 Tim 3:1-7)
I have also painfully learned, that the call and office of God, will come with a corresponding supernatural anointing, to perform signs, wonders, and miracles. Anointing does not equal appointing!
Just because I have received supernatural power with my heavenly calling, I need to learn how to walk in that power, so that I use it only to destroy darkness and devils, not people and ministries I am called to build, deliver, and set free. The word Christ, is not Jesus last name, but actually means ‘the anointed one’, referring to the oil of anointing upon His life, similar to that used to set one apart unto God in the office of a prophet or a king. In the case of the kingdom of God, this anointing oil refers to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit upon our lives. We are Christians – anointed ones, endued with supernatural power from God, to perform signs, wonders and miracles. Supernatural acts and actions should be normal in our lives, although it may take time, study, and discipline to grow into the fullness of our office and calling by the anointing, to that eventual day of appointing, in the timing of the Father. How often I have run ahead of God, excited about His supernatural acts in my life, instead of allowing the deeper work of instruction, sanctification, and purification of my motives to be performed inside of me, so that I could actually be set apart in the fullness of my leadership capacity.
5 ¶ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Notice here, that to have authority, one must be under authority.
Jesus is Lord, King, and commander in chief of our lives. We must be submitted, and committed to His leadership, and be seeking first the kingdom of God and His way of doing things, in every area of our lives. To do this, we must constantly study the Word of God, and be carefully listening to the voice, and promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Look at this verse:
5 ¶ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Jesus told them WHERE not to go (to the Gentiles or Samaritans), and WHERE to go (to the lost sheep of the house of Israel).
Jesus has specific places for you to go also, and places and countries NOT to go. I know of people who have received open visions of countries they are called to go minister to, even as children, yet in many cases, they reach middle age, before God actually releases and sends them to the nation they have known about all their life.
I know of a woman, who at age seven, had a vision of serving as a missionary in India as a child, and yet she married a military officer who put her though literal hell on earth with his alcoholism and immorality. Yet, he provided well for their family, and they raised six children together. After their children were grown, at around age 60, her husband retired, and attended a Full Gospel Businessman’s meeting, and got right with Jesus, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, God dealt with him to go as a missionary to India, and by the time they were 65, off they went, mom and dad Hallas, to go preach. They have now, more than ten years later, won multitudes to Christ, and have an organization that oversees 200 churches and ministries, all across India. It is never too late to obey God!
One morning in prayer, as I was praying for many nations, Holy Spirit spoke to me:
‘The earth is my playground for obedient children!”
Hence the name of our ministry: AOM Ministries from: Ps 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
I have asked for nations, and He has given them, and when I go, either in word or in person, He has given me authority there, AS I OBEY.
He will give you spaces and places, where you are called, His grace has made a way for you. It remains, for you to ask Him for nations, and to hear accurately WHERE, you are to serve, WHEN.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Next, we see that He told them WHAT to preach. You can never go wrong in preaching the gospel, the power of God.
Let me make it easy for you: Simply cut and paste this link:https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/the-gospel-the-power-of-god/
Yet, we are to teach the whole counsel of God, not merely salvation. Notice here He told them to preach ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand’. This is deep, and rather than try and teach the fullness of it here I would refer you to the kingdom series of books by Dr. Myles Munroe. Let me imply say, that the ‘kingdom of God’, or the ‘kingdom of heaven’, is the ‘supreme rule and reign of Jesus’. Everything we need for life and godliness has already been provided for us in God’s Word, by his exceedingly great and precious promises. When His promises are publicly proclaimed, He produces power to perform that which He has decreed, and His kingdom destroys all opposition, and answers the deepest needs of every human heart.
The gospel then, or good news, is the ‘manifest love and rule of Jesus’, and where He rules, there is peace, for He is the Prince of peace! When the Word of God is embraced and set in place in our lives, our families, communities, states, and nations, there comes peace – Shalom, literally ‘nothing missing, nothing broken’. The answer to every problem in life, in every area, is Jesus. WHAT do we preach? WHATEVER part of the kingdom the greatest need of the people is.
Now, I have learned over the years that Jesus, is ‘the Word was made flesh,’ John 1:14
As we study, grow, practice what we have learned, the word becomes flesh in us.
If we understand that the kingdom of God is the supreme rule and reign of God in the earth, then we see something interesting. The kingdom first must come to us, inside of us, as we learn the higher ways of the Word of God, and then, as we live, teach and preach that which we have learned and applied to our own lives, the kingdom of God flows through us, to the people in need.
So how do we prepare?
I am convinced that the fastest way to do this, is to attend a Bible school somewhere, where a myriad of instructors, seasoned from multitude years of walking with the Lord, can teach, train, and equip you for your specific gift and calling to this generation. It was a privilege to attend full time for me, in a new city and country, so that I could become immersed in the Word of God for the two year course of study, but many cannot do that, and do it part time, days, nights, correspondence, or on-line. In any case, get it done! No one can qualify you, but you yourself.
It is worth any price on earth, to be fully equipped to bear eternal fruit, and reap eternal rewards with our lives.
Yes, we learn certain things through our local church, and through Christian schools, and many great teaching ministries. We apprentice through serving in various areas of our church, or on short term missions trips, and these are wonderful opportunities to help us raise the right questions in our hearts, as we see the screaming needs of humanity, then go to God in prayer, and He answers by opening His Word to our understanding…
So then, while academic learning is essential, there must be corresponding life application, or we become mentally competent, yet practically inept. Certain things in the kingdom must be done, not merely learned. To say, that you can lay hands on the sick, and they will recover is great, but unless the disciple starts actually laying hands upon, and praying for the sick, the instruction is only mental. There are things the Lord teaches us over the years in a divine healing ministry, that did not come in a day, or in my case, even many years. I am still praying for the sick, still seeing them healed, and often, having to go back to the Lord, asking Him WHY!!! Certain people did not get healed…yet Jesus healed them all! As we become more like Him, we too, will see more and greater healings and miracles! It is a journey of lifetime growth.
When you preach, you will demonstrate, and this demonstration is a drug, for which I am ever addicted. As the sick are healed, demons destroyed, miracles wrought, and mighty signs, wonders and miracles accompany the preaching of His Word, I am ever humbled at the majesty, love, mercy, graciousness, and power of God. It never gets old, every time I see a wheelchair emptied, a blind eye opened, and deaf ear opened, I stand amazed at His great love and goodness.
Job 9:10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
WHEN to go, WHERE you are supposed to go, speaking WHAT He gives you to speak, there will be demonstration of the kingdom in power, might, glory, and love that humble us, and ignite worship, praise, and passion, like nothing else will.
When the 70 were sent out: Lu 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
Yet, Jesus did not end his instruction there, He warned them of the pride of satan, 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/test-the-spirits-love-truth/
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Yet, He was happy they went!
v21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
Let’s live to continually put a smile on Jesus face! You got to GO to do that!
Finally, let’s look at HOW we are supposed to go.
Godly vision can be spelled MONEY.
v 8.freely ye have received, freely give. (We may NEVER charge for the power and gifts of God in us!)
9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12 And when ye come into a house, salute it.
13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Now in this case, Jesus told these disciples to go, bringing nothing but the Word and power of God, and that people would care for their every need, food, clothes, transportation, and they did not need a weapon. I know people that live just that way: He speaks, and they move, and He supernaturally moves on the hearts of people to open homes, stores, and businesses, to them, and around the world they go.
Yet, I believe it is a fair prayer, to ask the Lord when, and HOW He would have us go to places He has called us.
At the last supper in Luke 22:35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing.
36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
In the first commissioning, He sent them to Israel, where the people had hospitality laws for strangers, and where they were generally protected, needing no weapon. Now, He sends them to the nations, and He commissions them to get a weapon, and to have money.
HOW are you going to go? By faith surely, but faith is not blind.
Faith sees ahead, and can provide for upcoming expenditures, and plans for the future.
Yes, surely there are times He may simply say, GO! Yet, there are other times He will specifically direct you how to raise financial support for something He wants done, and He will speak to others to get involved with your vision, and directive.
Your provision, is in accurately hearing and writing your specific vision, so that those called alongside to support you, can run with you in it.
Hab 2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
Hab 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
In case you are interested, here is mine, but you need to write yours! https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/aomministries-2015-master-plan/
This is the topic of an entire teaching, but let me say this. You were created for a purpose, on purpose. There is a reason and season for your life, and God, if you seek Him, will reveal to you, your specific vision.
It is progressive. In 2013, January, God clearly told me to birth AOM Ministries, and to close my companies, and to go full time.
Though I preached, taught, and prayed often 8 hours a day, it was not until April of last year, that I was able to have a 15 point yearly mandate that I have been aggressively working on since then.
Hearing accurately, then committing your current life’s mandate, to words, accurately, will take time. As you are doing this, recognize this principal: We often hear God accurately, but err in interpretation, or application, in our attempts to obey what He said.
Here is a perfect example of this:
In 2013 I felt the Lord tell me to pioneer 100 Bible schools, through the Victory IVBI program.
So, I interpreted that by trying to do that the way I had heard of other ministers experiencing success in doing this. I thought I should immediately travel to many countries, perhaps with evangelists hosting mass crusades, and then introduce the need for Bible schools at leadership meetings, and then carefully follow up with those leaders interested in hosting a school in their church and ministries.
Being a man of action, I began planning speaking engagements in several foreign countries, and sent out a support letter making the need know, believing that God would speak to people to pay my expenses to go to these countries.
Money did not come. So I stayed faithful with my daily disciplines of reading my daily Bible reading, completing my faith confessions, journaling, and spending hours each day praying in the Holy Spirit. I began to post the daily Bible reading on my Facebook page, to both encourage others to read through their Bible each year, and to keep myself accountable to this discipline. I then began to write up a daily devo, for people to read, and the rest is history.
This little devotional now goes out to thousands of people each day, and is growing in popularity daily, as people read, share, cut and paste, and email it around the world using Social Media and various internet.
This has resulted in contacts and Skype calls with many leaders, that I refer directly to Victory. My records show that as a result of these simple referrals, there have been 53 applications for schools in 8 countries! Only Heaven will be able to fully record the fulness of this!
I say this to make a point. Did I hear Holy Spirit accurately?
YES!
Yet, I erred in interpretation, and application. Truthfully, my two actual mission trips last year to Canada and Mexico, have not yet yielded even one school, while this Social Media outreach is growing, blossoming, and bursting at the seams!
Ac 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
It is this Word of God that is needed in the earth, not me, my great intellect, personality, charisma, or zeal and passion.
Jesus is Lord, not me, and it is truly He that commissions and watches over His Word to perform it, not me.
Job 33:15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
16 Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
When He performs His Word, He gets the glory, for He can handle it, for He is worthy!
When we perform His Word, we can become guilty, or at least in danger of pride. Satan himself, chief worship leader of heaven, fell from before the very throne of God, through pride.
How much more can we, sinful, broken humanity err….!
He will provide, if we remain humble. You have a call, a commission, a message, and a place and space, where you have been provided for, your great commission…
Let’s Pray:
‘Father, we say yes to Your call, Your preparation and instruction, You commission, Your wisdom, clarity and direction as we go, and You specific instructions as to how you have provided for me, my family, and the needs of those I am called to. Move in our lives today, and reveal, correct, direct, anoint freshly, and protect and provide for us, as we obey. Deliver and protect us from distractions, in Your name I pray Lord Jesus. Amen!’
