Day 66: A Road Map For Missions

Luke 10:1-16

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

 ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.   ⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
   ⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
   ¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[b]
   16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”


We've been meeting lately with a group that's planning a mission trip to Christmas Island next summer. Some of us have been on many missions; some have never been before. It's interesting to see the differences in the attitudes toward the trip and the differences in what people are concerned about. This passage is a good one to consider before going anywhere "foreign" (read: outside of your normal realm of experience) with the gospel. 


I have to say that I never have, and still don't, understand why they were to greet anyone on the road. But the rest of the passage is an excellent road map for missions.


1. Eat and drink whatever they give you (mentioned in both v. 7 and v. 8). In other words, be grateful for what others are giving you out of the goodness of their hearts, and be considerate of the fact that they may have different cultures or customs. Don't lose your influence and look like a jerkface because you don't like fill-in-the-blank. Don't be a diva.


2. Do not move around from house to house. Honestly, I'm not sure of the original purpose behind this one, but I know a good purpose for it now. I have actually known people staying in homes on mission trips who have asked to stay with someone else because they didn't want to sleep in the floor, or because the person didn't have food they liked. Umm... no. Again, don't be a diva. Remember that your purpose is to proclaim the message of Jesus, and he had "no place to lay his head". It's pretty hard to proclaim his message when you're not even willing to sacrifice a little bit of comfort for a few nights. As my college instructors always said, "No complaining while campaigning!" Your attitude will show people the way to Christ... or not.


3. Heal the sick (meet their needs). People cannot listen to you if there's an enormous need smacking them in the face while you're trying to talk. Think about the last time you had to sit through a class while you were super hungry... it's no different with those you're trying to teach. If they're hungry/cold/sick/worried, they can't focus on your message. First, heal their physical need to the best of your ability. Then you can begin to meet their emotional need. Which leads us to...


4. Tell them, "the Kingdom of God has come near to you". Share what you know! Everyone has a personal story of faith. I've found that it's good to start there. Be excited... you know the most exciting story that has ever been told. The kingdom of God has come near to you! Amazing!


5. When you enter a town and are not welcomed... not everyone will listen. It's a fact of life. And it's okay. Don't feel like you have failed personally. The decision to follow Christ is one that every person has to make individually. Not everyone who heard Jesus followed Him; in fact, most people didn't. Why should it be any different for us? Shake it off and move on.


These are simple thoughts, but we proclaim a simple gospel. Sweet.