When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. Luke 9
I think that there are some hidden secrets in this passage. Jesus tells us over and over again throughout the gospels that there is power in His name. We will sing about it at church and talk about, but sometimes I forget that there truly is power in Jesus name. When I pray and truly feel like God is listening, despite my emotions of the moment, and say "in Jesus name," there is a power that comes over me. There is a lot of power in Jesus name.
I also struggle with the fact of saying "Oh yeah- let me just leave all my food, my money, and make absolutely no plans." That stresses me out, especially because I am a crisis-oriented person. For most kids in America we grew up hearing "be responsible" from our parents daily. Making plans is what we do for the future and if you are not already saving for your retirement by age thirty, then something is terribly wrong. You should just say "adios" now because you will be dying by the time you are sixty. Or at least that is what it feels like. The fact of the matter is that most of us aren't going to leave all of our things and go preach in villages, but God desperately wants us to be in a place where we are fully reliant on Him. It is in that place where joy comes. It is in that place where we realize that God truly does care and wants to care for our needs- emotional, physical, spiritual, social, etc. If we believe that God created this Universe, if God created us, if God knows all history (past, present, and future), than why on earth don't I rely on Him more for the little things- let alone the big things?
Since some of us are not going to be going to the rural bush of Africa, to the high desert mountains of Pakistan, or the jungles of Peru. We can make friends right here in Los Angeles. There are people everywhere. Did you know that there are over 100 recorded languages in LA and way more that are not even recorded- due to the influx of immigrants and foreigners? P.s. Got that figure from a Professor- not sure where he got it so do not quote me on it. I just love this, so much. I get so excited meeting people- probably due to my personality. If I could make it a goal, I would meet someone new every day. There is always a way to relate with someone- you just have to find the common ground.
Sorry I am going on a tangent. I just get really excited about these things. Last weekend I went to Echo Park with a friend and to my surprise we were the only white people in the midst of hundreds of Latin American families. I was in love. It was so comfortable- despite my lack of Spanish. The same thing goes when I go to Arabic Festivals. Maybe something is wrong with me. P.s. Recently I feel like my life is going to turn out like the lady in "Pray Eat Love."
So ending point: Jesus' name is strong. He wants us to rely on Him- which really is worth it. He wants us to be a light because after all we are imagine bearers.
