Sent

"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. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the Son of Peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." (Luke 10:1-11)

In this passage, we find Jesus appointing seventy of those who had been following Him and receiving His teachings. He sent these seventy out to do a work of ministry. He sent them in pairs so that they might encourage and support one another. He also empowered them to preach the gospel of the Kingdom, and to work miracles of healing and deliverance.

It is so very important for us who are Christians to understand that God has appointed us to serve Him. He is not satisfied with the passive faith that is content to sit back and let others witness of their faith and share the Word with others. God has a work for each of us to do. We are told that we are the individual members of the body of Christ. If we are all members, then we must all operate properly in order to have a healthy, fully-functioning body. If some members do not function, then the whole body is hindered. It's like having an arm that hangs loose at your side, and cannot be used. It affects the entire body, making all the other members work harder in order to compensate for the arm. No wonder the church today is crippled, and its testimony is weakened. What Isaiah prophesied to the Jews in his day is true of the body of Christ today, "From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." (Isaiah 1:6) We must take our appointment seriously.

It is also vital that we be sent, and not merely go. I can think of a hundred good things that I could do that would only testify of my goodness, but not bring glory to the Lord; and it is Jesus that men must see in us, and not we ourselves. Therefore, to be sent often means to be uncomfortable. He calls us out from the places where we are warm and cozy, and sends us to places where we must rely solely on Him. "Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way." We may begin to squirm when the Lord sends us. It may not fit into our agenda, or align conveniently with our time table. We may not know what we will do once we get there, or what we will say. We like having our purse near to cover every unexpected scenario. God, however, is the Master of the unexpected. We must learn to be at peace with where God sends us. "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." (John 20:20-22)

If we believe that the Lord sent us, then we must also believe that He has empowered us. "...and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." The Lord Himself will tell us what to do, and what to say. It is He who gives us the power to do what we cannot do on our own. Our text tells us that Jesus "sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself would come." We are never alone. Where the Lord sends us, He will surely come. This is the glory of true ministry: that the Lord Himself will be manifested in the words that He gives us to speak.

Paul relied on God to empower him in his ministry. He said to the Corinthians, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (I Corinthians 2:1-5) To Timothy, also, he wrote, "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." Paul was well aware that the effectiveness of his ministry was dependant on the degree to which he was resigned to the Lord's will, and reliant on the Lord's power.

Even Jesus relied on His Father to direct the work that He did, "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." (John 8:28) How much more must we rely on the Lord to direct us, and be with us.

It is time that we quit letting our fears, and our inhibitions, and our doubts cripple us. It is time that we rise up in faith and believe that what the Lord has called us to do, He will accomplish in us. He is the Potter, and we are the work of His hands. He is able to mold and shape these formless lumps of clay into the beautiful vessels that He intends for us to be. "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed." (Hebrews 12:12, 13) It is time for the church to be the church!

"Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." (Jeremiah 1:6-9)