One of the amazing things about the disciples is that they were ordinary men having followed ordinary vocations; but upon their spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ, they became men of dynamic divine power. When Jesus sent them forth, He commanded them to exercise divine power over evil spirits:
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Matthew 10:1
In Matthew 10:7,8, Christ issued a direct command to His disciples:
As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
These supernatural powers were the divine credentials of their office of apostleship. This is further substantiated in the Gospel of Luke:
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Luke 9:1
We find these disciples wonderfully carrying out this commission of their Lord and Savior. Christ also commissioned the second group of seventy disciples to go and preach:
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Luke 10:1,2
Then in verse 17 we read, And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. These disciples were amazed at their ability to use the power of God to set captives free.
The final command Jesus gave to His disciples and the Church of all ages is found in Mark 16:15-17:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.
This command has never been revoked or withdrawn. It challenges this generation today to use God's power to defeat the devil, just as it challenged the disciples the day Jesus gave the command.
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