Findley Edge was a friend of a pastor I worked with in Louisiana. A professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Edge shared my pastor’s belief that every Christian is a minister.
Dr. Edge once told us about an occasion when he was preaching to a large congregation and fifty or sixty people responded to his invitation to serve the mission of our Lord and Savior. After the service, the host pastor told Edge, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with all these people. We don’t need that many ushers.”
One of Dr. Edge’s main points was that many people believe being a good Christian involves just three things: being good, attending church, and having a job within the church.
When Jesus defined the role of His followers, it was significantly different.
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness (Matthew 10:1).
How do we translate Jesus’ commission of the twelve into today’s environment, so we go further than the three beliefs Dr. Edge mentioned?
(1) Recognize Our Calling: Just as Jesus summoned the twelve, He calls us to join Him in His redemptive work. This calling is not for a select few, but for every follower of Jesus.
Do you remember gym class and having team captains choose players from a line of students? You are in a line of disciples, and Jesus points to you and says, “I want you to serve on my team.”
(2) You Are an Authorized Agent: The twelve were sent into Galilee with the same power and authority as Jesus. It is worth noting that the same Greek word is translated as both “power” and “authority.”
You probably don’t need power and authority to sit in a pew and listen to a sermon. On the other hand, if you are called to teach a group of grade-school children, you need the power of the Holy Spirit to help lead those beloved of the Lord to experience Jesus in a very chaotic world.
If you want to shine the light of God’s love where you work, you have authority and permission from Jesus to do so. You also have the guarantee of His power through the Holy Spirit if you surrender to His leadership.
(3) A Healing Ministry: How do you know the power of God is present? How do you know someone is authorized by God to serve Him in the world? When people are released from bondage to sin and evil spirits, you know that God is at work.
The same can be said about healing. It is worth noting that the first hospitals were created by followers of Jesus. They took the call, power, and authority to heal the sick seriously.
Dr. Paul Brand
Dr. Paul Brand was someone who took the call to heal the sick seriously. His parents were missionaries who included basic medical care as part of their ministry to rural people in India during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Brand used the power and authority of Jesus to serve people with leprosy in India and later at a clinic for patients in Louisiana. He ended his career as a world-renowned hand surgeon. Part of Brand’s missionary training was spending a summer imitating Jesus’ instructions to the twelve.
“Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you” (Matthew 10:9-13).
As he was about to travel throughout England on a mission for God, Brand was tempted to stash some money away in case of an emergency. He won the battle over that temptation and spent the summer serving Jesus in the English countryside.
We sometimes talk about “faith-building” experiences. The summer he spent serving Jesus was one of those that served him throughout his lifetime.
Brand was not the only one to benefit from the experience. God’s peace is more than a kind greeting, as in, “Peace to you.” Peace is a gift from God that His authorized agents can give to others.
Just as Dr. Brand received the kindness of strangers who provided food and shelter for his missionary work, they received the “peace” of God.” I’m sure he was a remarkable individual to have as a dinner guest. Just as I was blessed to have breakfast one morning with Findley Edge, the people who opened their homes to Brand were equally blessed.
Joggers Needed
If Christian service were an Olympic sport, Findley Edge and Paul Brand would be world champions. It is easy to know remarkable servants of the Lord and feel like we have little to give to the Lord’s work.
Think about the few athletes who make it to the Olympics, and then the very few who win a gold medal. That fact doesn’t keep millions from enjoying recreational sports.
Few people will accomplish what Paul Brand or Findley Edge did in their lifetimes, but that shouldn’t keep us from living to the fullest extent of Jesus’ call. He has called us to use His authority and power to be healing and life-giving agents in the world.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can teach children, live a Christ-like life at work and at home, and serve Jesus according to the authority He has given us. We may be just joggers in the spiritual realm, but joggers are needed, too.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 