# 299 - Today's Living Word comes from (Mark 3:14-15) Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:”
So Jesus establishes the office which is to be the pillar of His New Testament church....the Apostles. He draws them close that they may be properly trained. His ultimate goal is to send them out to proclaim His Word.
And His plan was to endow them with the same kind of power that He had exhibited when he walked this earth. They would be specially gifted to be able to heal people of their afflictions and cast out demons.
Jesus bestowed this power on His disciples on the Day of Pentecost, and we read about it's first application in the 3rd chapter of Acts when Peter is accosted by a lame man begging for money. “Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6)
What was it that Peter had? He had the power to heal, given to him and all the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost by Christ. This power added clout and verification to their message and the Apostles used it wisely as they went into the world to build the Lord's church.
The office of Apostle in it's strictest sense no longer exists. They have served the purposes of our Lord. They have verified their message with signs and wonders and preserved their message in the words of the New Testament. Remember, their message is His message, and we are to heed their words.
You may not be an apostle, but the Lord has gifted you, use your gifts wisely in service to Him and His church, so that the verified message of the Apostles continues to go forth.
I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.
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