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Luke 9:1-6, When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.  If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”  So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

I love this passage!  Just as God sent Jesus to proclaim and demonstrate the Kingdom, Jesus sent his disciples to do the same.  He sends them into the villages, into the neighborhoods, into the places where they people were.  He didn’t wait for the people to come to them – he sent them out. 

They didn’t need a lot for their journey.  I’m assuming it was an act of trust.  God would provide what they needed.  If they were welcomed, they would stay and proclaim the Good News of Jesus.  If they were not welcomed, they weren’t to sit around and complain, they kicked the dust off their feet and kept going. 

Jesus sent them.  Jesus sends us.  John 20:21 reads, Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  He is sending you.  He is sending me.  The model is not to sit in a church building and wait for people to come.  The model is to go into the neighborhoods, to go into the grocery stores, to go into the schools, the workplaces, the clubs, the bars, the golf courses.  You get the idea.  We are to go.  And we don’t need a lot of stuff – we just need Jesus.

Do you live like a sent person?

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Help me pay attention to the promptings of your Holy Spirit and live as a sent person.  More of you, Jesus, and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.