“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
What a powerful picture. Jesus sending out his disciples with his authority. Jesus gives them authority to deliver people of demons, to cast out unclean spirits. They would go out and do ministry with, follow this, the delegated authority of Jesus.
Mark 6:7 Teaches Us that Jesus delegated Spiritual Authority on His Disciples
So hear these words in Mark 6:7, and then think about the great commission that Jesus has given to all of his followers, to you and me today. What did he say before he said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” He said in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go.”
So think about this even in light of what we were praying from Mark 5, Jesus’ authority over demons and disease and death. Jesus says, all authority is mine. Therefore, in light of this, I’m sending you out to go and make disciples of all the nations. So you and I go out today with the delegated authority of Jesus, with the spirit of Jesus in us. That’s Matthew 28:20. I will be with you always to the end of the age. The spirit of Jesus is in you and me today.
Just let that soak in follower of Jesus. You have the spirit of Jesus in you and you are going out today with the authority of Jesus delegated to you. To do what? To call people, to repent and believe the gospel. If you keep going down in Mark 6:12, so they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. So think about it like who are you to tell somebody else today how they should live, that they should turn from their sin and themselves and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. You don’t say that based on your own authority.
Mark 6:7 Reminds Us Jesus has Delegated in Us Spiritual Authority
You say that based on the authority of Jesus. The King has entrusted his authority to you to go to people today and to say, if you will turn from your sin and trust in Jesus, repent and believe in the gospel, you will be saved from all your sins and restored a relationship with God for all of eternity. What a message. And you don’t have power to say that in and of yourself. I don’t. But we do based on the authority of Jesus, who we represent as we go out. He gave them authority.
He has given us authority to call people, to repent and believe in the gospel. So let’s do this. Christian brother or sister, let’s not be silent with the gospel. Let’s not sit back and do nothing. When the authority of heaven has been entrusted to us today in our schools and workplaces and neighborhoods, and communities, in the cities where we live, help us to go God and proclaim.
Let’s go and proclaim this gospel with authority, with compassionate authority. Oh God, may it be so. God, help us to do what you have commanded us to do, to go and make disciples today, to go and proclaim the gospel today, to go with your authority, Jesus, and to lead people to life in you. God, help us not to sit on the sidelines with this great commission you’ve entrusted to us in all the places where we live.
We pray that you would help us to do ministry today with your delegated authority. To wisely, responsibly, boldly, compassionately, humbly, confidently talk about you, share the gospel, lead people to life and you, make disciples of you. God, help us to do that today, wherever we live, and around the world.
Praying for the Ryukyuan People
Lord, we pray today for the Ryukyuan people of Japan, these indigenous peoples of Japan’s Ryukyu islands. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to the over one million Ryukyuan people of Japan. We pray for the small number of believers that are found among this people group right now. Lord, we pray for their strength. We pray that they would know that they have your authority.
Pray that you empower them. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel all across Japan, including these indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu islands. Oh God, help us to be faithful, to obey the great commission in each of our lives today with your authority entrusted to us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
