When Jesus sent the Twelve out to proclaim the kingdom, He told them not to acquire money, extra clothing, or even basic provisions for their journey. But why would He send His messengers out seemingly unprepared?

Was this a lesson in poverty? A command for how ministry should always operate? Or was Jesus accomplishing something much greater through these unusual instructions?

And what do we do with the apparent differences between Matthew's account and Mark's, where the disciples are specifically permitted to take things Matthew seems to prohibit?

As we continue our verse-by-verse journey through Matthew, we'll look beyond the list of what the apostles could and couldn't carry to consider what Jesus was teaching about the kingdom, those sent to proclaim it, and the King who sent them.

Because sometimes the most important part of an instruction isn't what we're being told to do, but what it reveals about the One giving it.

Unshackled Life Podcast
Real talk about faith, freedom, and following Jesus.

Why did Jesus send the Twelve to Israel first? What did He mean by the lost sheep of Israel? And why did He command them to heal the sick, raise the dead, and freely give what they had freely received?

As we continue verse by verse through Matthew, we begin examining the King's instructions to His apostles in Matthew 10:5–8. But understanding these instructions requires us to look back at what moved Jesus to send them in the first place.

In this teaching, I explore the connection between the lost sheep, the promises of God in Ezekiel, the miraculous authority given to the apostles, and the compassion of the King who sent them.

Are we reading this passage as instructions about ministry, or are we missing something much greater about the One giving those instructions?

Join me as we continue through the Gospel of Matthew.

Raw. Real. Rooted in Truth.

What exactly is an apostle? What authority comes with that calling, and how much of what we associate with apostleship actually comes from Scripture?

As we prepare to work through Jesus' instructions to the Twelve apostles in Matthew 10, I begin with an overview of the entire commission and then take a closer look at something in the opening verses that raises some important questions.

There are assumptions about apostleship and spiritual authority on both sides of the continuationist–cessationist debate that I believe deserve to be challenged. And one of the Twelve presents a particularly interesting problem for some of those assumptions.

What does it mean to be commissioned and sent by Jesus? What does it mean to be given authority? And what can we legitimately conclude when God uses someone in ministry?

Let's examine the text in context and consider what it actually tells us.