“They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” (Mark 6:12-13).

Jesus drove out demons and healed the sick repeatedly during His ministry. The Gospels are filled with those stories. His compassion for suffering individuals motivated Him over and over again.

What is remarkable about this passage of Scripture is that Jesus extended His ministry through His disciples. They weren’t perfect. There were times Jesus questioned their grasp of His message. In the Gospel of Mark He identified their difficulty in understanding Him. They were worried about bread when Jesus had twice fed crowds miraculously. “Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?’ ” (Mark 8:17-18).

It is easy to build an account from the Gospels that show the slow development of the Twelve. What is encouraging is that, as weak as they were at times, He still used them to do ministry and gave them all the power and authority they would need. He still does that for us. Powerful ministry isn’t about us; it’s about Him and how awesome He is. Don’t let the fact that we are still growing and learning stop us from doing what He has sent us out to do.