March 05, 2010
Evangelistic Survivor
Within less than a week of each other, I had meetings in both Denver and Washington DC. In packing my bags I tried to think of all the contingencies - weather, lost luggage, delayed flights. I couldn’t fathom taking either of these trips with only the clothes on my back, no itinerary and no purse…although it would have been a breeze to get through security checks. When Jesus sent the Twelve out to preach, teach and heal he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” (Luke 9:3 ESV) It sounds to me like the Lord sent them out to play a game of Evangelistic Survivor.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----For twenty centuries Jesus’ disciples have had to continue living in a world that is seen. Although our God provides for us, that provision has not been outside the curse He pronounced upon Adam. We must work in the visible world for visible provisions towards visible goals to sustain our physical well being. Our frame of reference has become accustomed to this reality.
-----But Jesus sent His twelve disciples out to work towards the goals of the unseen world. He was bringing His invisible kingdom into this visible world. The psychological results of sending them out to depend entirely upon the directing hand of God through the effects of His emerging kingdom was beautiful. They had been at Jesus’ side learning the values and principles of His kingdom while they were still expecting it to become a political system amongst the nations of the world. However, in this mission they were to take their first steps into a kingdom that was to reach no more visibility than the networking of the people who became a part of it. They were entering a place of spirituality where their hope for their physical needs was certainly placed in what they could not see. What they learned was that the proper sharing of provisions with others was a definite aspect of the kingdom fueled by the joy of participation in each other’s needs and enabled by the peacefulness of faith in God‘s provision. As the people who heard and received their word made sure the Twelve were sufficiently fed and clothed, everyone saw and felt the basic aspects of the kingdom Paul would later enumerate: doing right to one another, having peace, and being joyful in the Holy Spirit. Therefore the experiences of both their own and of those who cared for them partook of the kingdom more fully than just in a mere exchange of a verbal message. The kingdom was lived amongst them all.
-----Even though we must go into the world with our provisions in hand, we must yet depend upon the same effects of the kingdom. We must remain close to the network, because that is where the opportunities we carry to others and the opportunities others have for us are exchanged, at least. Moreover, it is where the excesses of physical provisions are shared. It is still a kingdom no more visible than is its networking, and no less important to us than it was to the Twelve, for it is where His hand is working.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment