Mark 3: 7-19 (NLT)
Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him. Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him. And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.
Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, giving them authority to cast out demons. These are the twelve he chose:
Simon (whom he named Peter), James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
Poverty. Drugs. Alcohol. Gambling. Divorce. Depression. Suicide. Gangs. Racism. Violence. Failing families. Absent fathers. Sin. Evil spirits. Lost people. Hypocrite Christians. Gossip and back biting. Corruption. Unemployment. Storms and flooding.
When taken as a whole, reaching Greenville with the love of Christ is an overwhelming undertaking. And yet many of us try (or have tried in the past) to tackle every problem ourselves. But no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to be everything to everybody or meet the needs of our city on our own. Even Jesus, in his earthly ministry, understood this principle.
Though He is Jesus, he was wrapped in flesh at the time and dealt with the every aspect of the human condition. Meaning - he got tired, he couldn’t meet the needs of everyone, he needed help to save the world. So he chose twelve specific people to assist him in accomplishing his vision, twelve people to invest the majority of His time and energy with, twelve people who would branch out themselves and continue the work they were taught, twelve people who would invest in another twelve so that little by little, the world could be reached. Profound wisdom is evident in Jesus' decision to do so. And the same will be said of us when we follow in his footsteps.
Imagine if we quit trying to do everything and focus on the one thing Jesus designed us for. I'm not saying never do anything else but the majority of your time and focus.
Invest your time, energy, and gifts in a small number of people, realizing that you can’t meet every need in Greenville, let alone Refuge.
