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AGAPE 2 LESSON 2
OUR APOSTOLIC JOURNEY
Put together by Bongie Kuzwayo
The church in on an assignment: We are the ‘Sent Ones.’
• The mandate given to the first family in (Genesis1v28) is now in the hands of the church. The church is to be fruitful and multiply the image and likeness of God on the earth.
• The Elijah anointing to restore all things is also in the hands of the church. We are sent to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers.
• The Ezekiel’s apostolic/prophetic anointing has also been given to the church. We are to be aware of God’s present demand and declare it.
[Mark6v34—52] And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So, He began to teach them many things. (35) When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. (36) Send them away, that they may go to the surrounding country and villages, and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.” (37) But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two-hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?” (38) But He said to them, ”How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” (39) Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. (40) So, they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. (41) And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish; He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. (42) So, they all ate and were filled. (43) And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. (44) Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. (45) Immediately He made His disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the Multitude away. (46) And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. (47) Now when the evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. (48) Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. (49) And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; (50) For they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them, and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (51) Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure and marvelled. (52) For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
[John20v21] So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
[Mark6v45] Immediately. He made His disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.
There are two sendings here:
• The dismissing or divorcing of the multitude; now that they were satisfied with bread and fish.
• An apostolic commissioning of the disciples; sending them to meet with them later. This sending speaks of separation unto the Lord. You are to leave your country, friends, your father’s house. He said to Abram, “Get out – – – – to a place that I will show you (Genesis12v1)
Being sent does not mean all will be smooth sailing. The other side means the unfamiliar, uncomfortable, unknown, unpredictable. The first thing that greeted Abram after living his country,
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was famine. You need to depart with an open mind, and be ready for anything. Your assurance is that He promised never to leave nor forsake us.
[Mark6v47—48] Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. (48) Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them.
The disciples soon found themselves in distress; the wind was against them. It was the fourth watch of the night – they were in the middle of the sea. The fourth watch is the darkest hour before dawn, when there is no light (revelation). You may find yourself distressed and losing all hope of surviving. Even articulating prayer will be impossible. Vicious winds speak of false doctrines and waves speak of tribulation.
[Psalm18v4] The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
Jesus is absent, they left him on land. Even those who would intercede were dismissed. Everyone is resting and you are struggling to survive. The apostolic journey is boisterous.
[1Corinthians4v11—13] To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. (12) And we labour, working with our own hands. Being reviled we bless; being persecuted, we endure; (13) Being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Welcome on board: We are a “sent people.”
Jesus was sent by the Father; He is now sending the church. [Matthew28v18—20] And Jesus came, and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The apostolic people are well equipped. [Ephesians4v11—13] And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, (13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
• They have the Elijah anointing to restore all things (Acts3v19—21), before Jesus’ Second coming.
• They have the Ezekiel’s apostolic prophetic assignment to take the message to the rebellious (Ezekiel chapter2).
• The mandate given to the first family (Genesis1v28) is also in the hands of the church to multiply the image and likeness of God; to take dominion and rule in the midst of our enemies.
Take heart! There are BLESSINGS inextricably linked to being sent by Him:
• Because He sent you, He will see you.
(v48) Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
The word “saw” in Greek eido meaning to notice, to see in the sense of ascertaining what must be done about it. God sees everyone but He notices those He sends:
He noticed Hagar in distress (Genesis16v13).
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He noticed Jacob in distress in uncle Laban’s house (Genesis31v12—13).
He noticed Israel in distress in Egypt (Exodus3v7).
He noticed Hezekiah’s tears [2Kings 20v5—6] Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, surely, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. (6) And I will add to your days, fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”
He will notice you because He sent you:
[1Peter3v12] For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
[2Chronicles16v9a] For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
• Because He sent you, He will come to you.
(48) Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch if the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
In your time of distress, He will come to you. When everything looks hopeless, He is going to show up. When you are feeling abandoned, He is going to appear. He will come in a way you least expect Him. He came to Paul and Silas in jail.
[Acts16v25—34] But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (26) Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. (27) And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. (28) But Paul called with aloud voice saying. “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” (29) Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. (30) And he brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (31) So, they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you, and your household.” (32) Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. (33) And He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately, him and all his family were baptized. (34) Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them, and he rejoiced, having believed in God and all his household.
• Because He sent you, He will talk to you.
(v50) For they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them, “Be of good cheer! It is I: do not be afraid.”
He speaks to those He sends. Paul and two-hundred and seventy persons were exceedingly tempest-tossed as they were heading for Rome, and Paul testified that an angel of God had appeared to him. [Acts27v20—25] Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. (21) But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men you should have listened to me, and not have sailed to Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. (22) And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship. (23) For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong, and whom I serve, ‘(24) saying, ‘Do not be afraid Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ (25) Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.”
• Because He sent you, He will get into your boat.
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[V51] Then He went up into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marvelled.
You have to be very careful who you invite and welcome into your ministry. The only ghost you allow into your boat is a ghost walking on water. The Spirit of discernment comes in very handy. You must always test the spirits. Some gimmicks appear so supernatural and you assume it is God. Instead of the wind to cease, you find yourself having to contend with the whirlwind. If you have a Jonah in your boat, loosing cargo is inevitable.
This is a turbulent time for ‘sent ones.’ The fourth watch, though perilous is a time of extraordinary encounter with God. It was at the fourth watch when Moses and the children of Israel escaped Pharoah’s army. [Exodus14v24—30] Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. (25) And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” (26) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots and on their horsemen.” (27) And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So, the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. (28) Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharoah that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. (29) But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them, on their right and on their left. (30) So, the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
Jesus will calm the storms in your life. You will reach the other side safely. Be encouraged.
LISTEN TO AGAPE 2 LESSON 2 MP3