Tag: Missionary

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Three moments of faith in mission.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke and Mark record this cataclysmic event in the life of the twelve. Jesus sends them off on their first mission’s trip! Luke gets right to it, while Mark first tells us Jesus sent them out in twos. The Chosen, Season 2, Episode “Spirit,” captures it perfectly!

The mission: cast out all demons and heal all diseases. Telling everyone about the Kingdom of God.

Travel instructions: Take nothing. What? Yeah, no walking stick, travel bag, food, money or extra clothes. Wow. no stick, bag, cash or snacks – I’d feel naked! When they go into the town and stay at someone’s house, they should stay with that family until it’s time to leave the town. Later on, when Jesus sends out 70 people, Luke includes a phrase that modern mission’s organizations still use today. The idea is to look for the person of peace – “if a son of peace is there…” Realizing that every town has that unique person, likely ordained by God to be the “key” to the city. Jesus sets the high bar of faith for his followers.

First faith is this “power and authority to cast out demons and heal all diseases.” That’s a big faith. I have been on some mission’s trips and do not remember one of them including that in the mandatory pre-training!

The second faith is that God will use people to provide ALL the needs of the missionaries. It is well known that hospitality is a high priority in middle eastern cultures. If a family sees that its guest has some need, they are prepared and honored to meet that need, even sacrificing their own needs to provide for others. I’m sure the disciples were well cared for in that area.

Luke records Jesus third faith requirement. What happens if I am rejected? Rejection is hard, no matter what century or circumstances you’re in. Jesus tells them, if the town refuses to welcome you – it’s on them NOT on you! Isn’t it interesting that Jesus gives them a framework to understand the possibility of failure? How often when things go sideways on a mission’s trip do we feel that it is our fault and we take responsibility for it. In Jesus training, he forewarns them that it is more likely it’s the people in the town, rather than something they might do wrong.

We might see these passages out of Luke and Mark as only applicable to the first twelve or the second seventy. We’ve got to realize, these stories are meant to be seen as critical for ALL disciples, then and now. As a follower of Jesus, the same three faith experiences in our mission of spreading the gospel is a part of the Kingdom of God. It’s fine for us to classify certain callings to full time or lifetime missionary work, especially in countries not of our own origin. But the reality is Jesus calls us all to the three part faith excursions to GO.

Go, cast out demons.
Go, heal all diseases.
Go, trusting God to provide our needs.
And GO, knowing that rejection may happen.

We (the Church) are really good at believing that all these “discipleship” scriptures are for the professionals of faith. Like there are those God has picked and they must really be good at it. Certainly, that is NOT me! Maybe you feel that you can throw God some cash to help others, which is wonderful to be a generous investor into missions. I still believe is a mandatory experience of a true follower of Jesus. Go on a mission’s trip. Cross a cultural boundary and experience God and people in other contexts. Just remember, Jesus has called all of us to both BE a disciple and to MAKE disciples! All those who profess Jesus as Lord have His power and authority to deal with demons and heal the sick. All of us who proclaim to be citizens of the Kingdom of God are called to live by faith, even to the point of experiencing the radical hospitality of others. And all who follow Jesus will experience failure in our witness and rejection by those who are set to oppose God instead of submitting to Him.

Prayer

​Dad,
Admittedly, faith is scary for us… or at least it is for me. I think everything I know about the miracle of my relationship with you is all about faith. You credited Abraham with righteousness because of his crazy faith in you. Faith to believe, faith to go, faith to sacrifice Issac, and faith to foresee the promised inheritance for the nation! When it comes to stepping out to deal with the demonic or to believe for healing of another – it’s really hard. Even now there’s a part of the Christian community that doesn’t believe it SHOULD happen, let alone could happen! I want to believe. Like the man said, “help me in my unbelief.”

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Living with one foot raised.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.” Luke‬ ‭10:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Travel was expected. These verses bring back memories. At one point in my life I was, as they say, an itinerant missionary. My travel days were light compared to my boss. I was out maybe 60 days a year, my boss, at least 150 days a year. So, yes, he had more air miles, car rental and hotel perks because he was a frequent traveler and fiercely loyal to his membership status. He also had far more travel stories while staying with people, in their homes. Dogs that guarded his door so he couldn’t use the restroom. Waking up with a cat sleeping ON his neck. Staying with a young couple who was pregnant and the guest room was next to the restroom where the wife had to frequently un-accommodate her stomach contents. Even his hotel stays were a series of midnight mishaps mostly mistaking the main door for the restroom, only to find himself locked out in his skivvies.

My home stays however we’re delightful and memorable. When I stayed with retired couples we would often stay up late into the night (like 10pm 😂) talking about God and the church. When I stayed with families with littles or youth it was a joy just to be a part of the holy-chaos of evening homework or morning exit plans. I always prayed WITH and for the families I had the honor to stay with. Every single one of them were peaceful and the “blessing” stood! Even though I was away from home, in a strange sense I felt like I was staying with family. This is how the body of Christ functions. There was a bond of kinship and care and I deeply appreciated it. Sometimes I was able to return for multiple years and could watch the family grow and change as well.

My boss had this idea that Christianity and followers of Jesus should provide what he called “Radical Hospitality.” I guess he was old-school that way. Having experienced a sense that God’s work is “out there,” and often finding a sense of home where there are these pockets of hospitality.

In the book Heroic Leadership, Lowney writes, “when people see the whole world as their home, they can turn a hopeful, interested, and optimistic gaze toward new ideas, cultures, places, and opportunities. By freeing themselves from inordinate attachments that could inhibit risk taking or innovation, they become poised to pounce imaginatively on new opportunities. And by looking at the future with optimism, they become more likely to find those opportunities and solutions. Loyola called it “living with one foot raised.” Jesus called his followers to live with this idea that our lives should not be so static that we never experience new or unknown, but to live fluid enough to raise a foot and go out – go forward in and with our faith.

Prayer

Dad,
I get far too comfortable when living or existing in one place. I probably yearn for a sense of safety and security as much as the next person, but I tasted adventure. I saw opportunity open up before my very eyes as I got out, or away from the familiar and the mundane. It was odd that after a few years of these “road trips,” I had grown accustom, not exactly comfortable, but prepared for what “travel” brings. Delayed flights, lost reservations or luggage, just the unfamiliarity of my destination. I got used to a loss of control. But in those moments, I was also learning that you are IN CONTROL and had a plan, or an alternate plan. Maybe even a better plan that I could have never made happen. My trust, my faith increased with unfamiliar, unstable, unpredictable moments. Thank you.