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Mark 6:7-13, Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.  And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

They went out and preached that people should repent.  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Jesus calls his disciples to be missional, to go into the towns and villages and proclaim the Good News of the Gospel message.  They weren’t supposed to wait for people to come to them.  Rather, they were taught to GO, GO, GO.  I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit.  This same model of ministry applies to us as well.  We are also Jesus’ disciples.  He has also called us to go into the towns, villages, streets, schools, shops, neighborhoods, and workplaces, to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel message.  The Christian life was never intended to be passive.

The other noteworthy part of this text is that Jesus gave very specific instructions to his disciples.  If they were not welcomed, then they were simply to wipe the dust from their feet and move on.  How often do we worry and stress over those people who don’t want to hear our message?  We think, “maybe if I had worded it differently” or “maybe if I could just be more relevant.”  We are just messengers and the Holy Spirit does the work.  While we should always care about those who are lost, we don’t need to be anxious when people aren’t interested in hearing about the Gospel.  Not everyone listened to Jesus and his disciples 2000 years ago, why in the world would we think everyone is going to listen to us?  Simply say a prayer for them and move on.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Give us the courage and motivation to go into our communities and proclaim your message!  In Your Name, Amen.