Mark 6:7 CSB
[7] He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
I don’t know about you, but I love to play board and card games. Some of my favorite games are Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico, Thurn and Taxis, RummiK, and chess. While all of those games are really fun to play, there is one important piece of enjoyment in those games, and that is
other players! None of those games are fun to play alone. Think about even the sports we play – baseball, volleyball, football, soccer, tennis, etc, etc – none of those are fun to play alone either! God has built something into our human nature, that no matter how introverted you might be, you still need people in your life, and games are a simple, quick way to express community and friendship.
Christianity Isn’t Solitaire
It’s no different spiritually. We can’t live the Christian life alone. We need others to walk with us, encourage us, and to pray for us. The beauty of the gospel is that we are brought into community by the work of Jesus. Just look at the verse from Mark 6:
“He summoned the Twelve...”
The first thing Jesus does is call us to himself! The good news of Jesus is that God took the initiative to come to us, and cause us to be born again – even before we were looking for him! So even if you feel alone in your walk with God, you’re not! Jesus has called you, summoned you, to himself. Once your faith is placed in Jesus Christ, you’re not alone anymore.
“...and began to send them out in pairs...”
Even God himself doesn’t think “just Jesus and me” is a good idea! He calls us to himself, and right away puts us into community with other people. We are created with a need for God AND a need for others. It’s God’s design for life and ministry, because he knows that we’d be more likely to give up and abandon the mission if we were on our own. Even though we are often hurt most deeply by those closest to us, it doesn’t mean we should withdraw. The effects of sin are always going to be present in our lives until the Lord returns to set things right. But as we interact with others, we learn to live toward them with the same grace Jesus has for us.
“...and gave them authority over unclean spirits.”
He gave
them authority over the power of sin in the world. Whatever they would face, be it temptations to sin, opposition to their message, or just the ordinary suffering of life, together with each other and together with Christ they had authority over the darkness they would face.
Next Steps
Whatever you’re facing today, don’t do it alone. If you have someone you can reach out to, please do. If you don’t have a close friend you can confess your sin to or be open and honest with, pray that God would bring that friend into your life. Or, if you’re attending River City Church, we believe Community Groups can be the place you find this kind of community. Please visit our
Community Groups page to get signed up if you’d like to get into a group.
