July 15, 2020
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The basis of a good working relationship is a clear job description. All of the good management people will tell you that. When you take a job, you should be able to get an answer to the question, "So what do you expect me to do?" When you're in college, they give you this syllabus with all that's going to be expected of you. Now, here's when the papers are due, here's all the reading you have to do. And even though it's a little overwhelming, it's sort of a job description for a college student. Here's what we're going to expect of you. When you go to football practice and you work on the plays, the coach lets you know that we're in this situation, this is your job; this is where you're supposed to be. That's your job description.
Now, knowing what you are supposed to do is vital when it comes to being employed. You're going to have the best working relationship when your employer has written your job description very clearly. One guy said, "I found out what my job description was the day I was fired." "Okay, that's what I was supposed to be doing, huh?" Well, a lot of people carry out their most important assignment without ever consulting their job description.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Job Description For a Jesus Follower."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Mark 3. I'm going to begin reading at verse 13. "Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted and they came to Him. He appointed twelve, designating them apostles..." Now, stand by; here comes the job description. Three responsibilities: "...that they might be with Him, that He might send them out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons." Okay, I think this job description really applies to anyone who really wants to follow Jesus closely as a modern day disciple. If you want to be the kind of person whom God can use, this is that kind of job description.
Notice the first part. Isn't that a surprising first assignment? "All right, guys, your first job is (drum roll please): Be with Me. Not to do anything. Spend time with Me." That's your first responsibility, to be with Jesus. You get in the huddle as a football player before you make any plays. You get in the huddle with your Lord, Jesus Christ, on a daily basis before you head out to the field. That's where the power comes from. You fill up with Jesus before you head into your responsibilities. That sums up your number one priority for this job, "Be with Me." Jesus said. "I chose you to be with Me."
Then He says, "I want you to go and tell people. I want you to go and preach." That's the second responsibility you and I have: To leave the safety of our little Christian cocoon and literally go and tell people verbally, not just with our lives, but verbally tell them that what happened on that middle cross was for them. Tell them what He told you when you were with Him.
And then the third responsibility it talks about is exercising authority over the devil. So the third part in our day-to-day is to push back the darkness. Jesus said, "I'm in the business of reclaiming lives and pushing back the darkness, and I want you with the way you live to do the same thing."
See, there are people that you know that are lives that Satan has. They don't know that. They don't intend for that. But he is having his way with them. So go in Jesus' power. Bring your Jesus into every situation and push back the darkness, and challenge Him that he cannot keep lives he now controls. And as you tell them about Jesus, you are part of the liberating of that life.
The job description for us as followers of Christ isn't rules, going to meetings, offices to hold, activities to go to. It's three exciting lifetime assignments: Be with Jesus, go and tell about Jesus, and push back the darkness with the power of Jesus. If you're doing those, you're doing the job and your Master is ready to say these precious words to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant."