Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness....These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. [Matthew 10:1, 5-8 NASB]At the end of chapter nine, Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." [Matthew 9:37-38 NASB] Immediately thereafter, He called His disciples to send them out.
There is a principle here. Sometimes the Lord will show us where a need lies. I'm not talking about grand spiritual visions, but simply that we recognize that there is a need. It could be any need at all, from helping a neighbor who is sick or injured, or traveling overseas to feed the poor and preach the gospel. Don't think that any need is too small and not worthy of attention, nor that a need is too great and impossible to fulfill.
If you see a need, pray that God will fill that need. You may find that you are the answer to that prayer.
Let me take a moment to say this: Don't Panic!
A Christian will intercede for many needs in the world. Just because you pray about a need, doesn't mean that you will be called to fulfill it. But, you should be willing to go and fill the need you pray for if God calls you to do so.
If you feel called to fill a need, let me say this: Don't Panic!
Jesus didn't just randomly pick some people out of the crowd and send them out. The were His disciples. They had been learning from Him, and were trained by Him before they were sent out. And when He sent them, He empowered them. He gave them authority and power to do exactly what they were instructed to do, which is to preach the gospel, cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead.
Jesus said, "freely you have received, freely give." He does not ask us to give more than we have received. Are you called and gifted to be a pastor? Don't try to be an evangelist. Are you called to be an evangelist? Don't try to be a pastor. Give freely of what you have received, but don't try to give what you haven't received.
The key here is to find your gift - that which God has given you. Perhaps your gift is hospitality, and you can host dinners to encourage friendship and fellowship withing the church. Or God might bless you financially so that you can give to the needy. You may be gifted at organizing events, or listening to people who need emotional support, or...the list goes on and on. There is no calling too small or too large. It is God who calls, and He will equip you for whatever He calls you to do.
If God calls you to heal the sick and raise the dead, He will give you the authority to do so.
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