He Gave them Power and Authority

Sometimes for our debt coaches, visit team and clients, the journey out of debt can seem long and difficult, waiting for a DRO to be processed or juggling a limited budget to make ends meet. It can be hard for our clients to welcome the team into their home and their lives, and hard for the team to see the struggles they are going through, but it is a privilege to be invited in and help the clients through the debt free process, but also to know that they are worth more than money, they can rebuild confidence through compassion and care and the message of love that the team bring with them.

Luke 9 excerpts (NIV)

9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ...

6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. .... 9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him...

12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

When Jesus sends out His disciples, He has confidence in them to give them responsibility to carry out His work. Even when they doubt and the task seems impossible, He equips them for the task and equips them abundantly. Through Jesus, God has elevated humanity and has given us the task to introduce others to Jesus. Often His mission may not be what we think it is! The disciples are surprised and can't understand how they will feed over 5,000 people, but through Jesus' guidance and provision they are able to complete the task. And we can too.

Christians Against Poverty is not just about freedom from debt and the worries that financial difficulty and poverty can bring, but is about bringing that message of Jesus' loving guidance and provision into the homes and lives of our clients to help build a firm foundation for a more confident and lovingly supported life. Sometimes we can't see the result of this, but God nurtures it and takes it onwards. So we should never stop praying for and doing what we can to help introduce others to Jesus and the gifts of the Spirit.

Colossians 1:9 (NIV)

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives