And He sent them, Anyway…
PART 2
Is this THE MODEL?
PART 1
When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples…He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. —Matthew 11:1
The Bible says Jesus gave instructions to His disciples – and then He departed from there.
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He has told them to do what to do and
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He has showed them how to do it and
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He has sent them to do it.
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Then He left them to go teach and preach in their cities – just like He told them.
It would seem that Jesus had complete faith in His disciples to go in His name.
It also seems Jesus did not just ‘lead by example’.
Leading-by-example seems like a poor phrase to describe Jesus. (In fact, the word “Leader” in the Bible is NEVER associated with being a Servant of Jesus. NEVER. So, should we add the phrase “servant-leader either. Seems like it’s just wrong.)
Furthermore, Jesus’ mission was NOT to train and manage “staff members”.
Jesus made disciples and sent them to do the same. Jesus did what His Father told Him to do, and taught others to do the same. (John 5: 15-30)
Did they all perform perfectly? No, they did not. But, Jesus instructed them, warned them, empowered them, encouraged them and He sent them, anyway.
Matthew 28 tells us that “16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”
But, Jesus sent them anyway. Then, Jesus departed to preach in their cities.
Jesus instructed them, warned them, empowered them, encouraged them and sent them, anyway.
Who were these guys – these Disciples – anyway? Well the Bible tells us some things about each disciple, but here is the summary:
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
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The disciples were Uneducated
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The disciples were Untrained
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The disciples were recognized as having been with Jesus
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And they went, anyway
These were the first True Christians. These were True disciples, called by Jesus.
Just as a footnote, let’s take a look at what a ‘wanna be’ disciple looks like:
“Matthew 8:19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Jesus seems to be saying (my tongue-in-cheek version) “We don’t have the time nor the place to start a “building program” or for me to become a CEO. For me, it’s the same as the birds of the air and the foxes, I live where I am and I stay on the move. Time is short and the mission of my Father is too great and too important for us to get sidetracked with worldly matters or become a record keeper, like you.”
A following verses gives us another example:
Matthew 8:21 “Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Astonishing, isn’t it? Calling the living as being dead?
For those of us who are made Alive by the Spirit of God, the mission is of utmost importance and of great urgency and is our primary calling in this life.
And it hasn’t changed from then until now.
The GREATEST ADVENTURE and GREATEST CALLING IN LIFE is still an open invitation from Jesus to YOU and ME.
So, is this what the Bible and Jesus is saying?
PASTORS: Gather your twelve who have been called by God and are recognized as having been with Jesus. Education and Training aside,
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You tell them what Jesus said to do
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You show them what Jesus did
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You empower them to go and do what Jesus did, and LET THEM GO!
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You go. You leave and go to their cities and preach and teach as Jesus did
Church ‘Leaders’:
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You go and make disciples and tell them to do what Jesus said to do
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You go and make disciples and tell them to do what Jesus did
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You empower them go and make disciples and tell them to do what Jesus did
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You leave and go to their cities and preach and teach as Jesus did
Christians / disciples:
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You go and make disciples and tell them to do what Jesus said to do
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You go and make disciples and tell them to do what Jesus did
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You empower them go and make disciples and tell them to do what Jesus did
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You leave and go to their cities and preach and teach as Jesus did
I would echo the Words of Jesus in Matthew 10:7
“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.”
Let’s Remain IN HIS GRIP, as we GO!!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
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