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Gospel: Matthew 10: 1-7
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One of the remarkable traits of Jesus was his ability to bring people together.
For example, today he calls the Twelve Apostles. Some of these men would’ve never been friends without the Lord.
Consider Simon and Matthew.
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Simon was a member of the Zealot party, a group of Jewish patriots who viewed the Roman Empire as an invading force that stole their freedom. They wanted independence and would do almost anything for it.
Then there’s Matthew, also a Jew, who served the Roman Empire as a tax-collector. Matthew would’ve been seen by Simon as sleeping with the enemy.
Somehow, Jesus brought these men together, uniting them under a single purpose – the salvation of souls.
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That’s what the Holy Spirit does today.
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The Spirit fosters harmony; inspires forgiveness; heals wounded hearts; and enables people with divergent – even conflicting – views to set aside their differences, to work together in building the Kingdom.
In what ways has the Holy Spirit made me a kinder, less judgmental person?
How do I work with others – especially those who are different from me – to build up God’s kingdom?
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If the Lord could pull together a divergent group of twelve imperfect men and inspire them to change the world as they knew it, then why can he not use us to do the same thing today?
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Image credits: (1) Joy Dara Ministries (2) Adobe Stock (3) Minij Kim Exhibition