“So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.”
- Luke 9:6
If one were to think that faith is only meant to be taught and received, they would be greatly mistaken. Faith takes action, faith is enacting on one’s trust in God. To be a true follow of Jesus then enacts on one’s trust and obeys the call of God to be sent one’s. Largely we live as faith consumers, we look for our next fill and try to get by until Sunday. Sadly, that is too true for far too many Christians. Little do they know being a true disciple also means becoming a sent one.
Disciples becoming Apostles:
Jesus was a good teacher, a miracle worker, and a great vision; but He was and is so much more. For He is Lord overall, the Messiah, the King of Heaven and Earth. When He came to man in the flesh, He came with that same Heavenly authority that would shake every culture and nation at its foundations from then to every generation after. In His authority He called twelve men to follow Him closely, so He can teach them, train them, and send them. This was known as The Way, and eventually became known as Christians. A Disciple’s primary role is to learn, they are students of both religion and life.
The Apostle has a different mission, the word Apostle literally means “sent one.” They are message curriers, the herald of king, like an email with flesh and blood. They go out and deliver. Them becoming an Apostle did not mean they were no longer a Disciple. But it did mean they picked up a joint role as an Apostle while being a Disciple.
The twelve found this out in the above verse. They have spent months with Jesus by this point and have witnessed His miracles and heard His teachings about the Kingdom of God. That same message is now the one they go out and proclaim, and with the authority given to them by Jesus to heal the sick. They were further told to live simply in this time. They were not to take a walking stick for support, and as they hiked from place to place, they were doing so without a bag. With no bag at their disposal, they carried with them no food, no money, and no extra cloths. They were first entirely dependent on God to provide for them, and secondly on the hospitality of the towns they visited. Their faith was a livable and reenactable trust.
Though we do not learn about their success in this initial sending, there is no question about the success of their latter sending. Simply read the book of Acts and you will just how far some of these men went, as they learned from the Holy Spirit more about Christ and shared the message of the Kingdom to people all over. Most of the twelve stayed in the middle east or worked their way through the Roman empire. One we know of went south into Africa and shared the Gospel with the Ethiopians; another went to India to which a modern group of Christians trace their roots to Him. How far will you go to be faithful? Just how wide is your trust? Is it static or is it breathing and moving? The sent one’s are Disciples who not only learn faith but live it out and share it.
Sent One’s Today:
Trying to address our consumer culture is like trying to tell a teenager to fast for a week. It’s borderline impossible because everything around us is marketed. Even this blog runs the risk of simply being something we consume. Going to church, reading your Bible, and even prayer can turn into things we simply consume. While to one degree that is not awful, because we are told to drink from the fountain of living water, and receive from God, doing so has a purpose.
When we consume something, we are seeking some form of satisfaction. When it comes to food it may either be satisfying the sweet tooth or to bring relief to the stomach. People consume sex and porn more than anything, and sadly the statistics of porn usage is no different in the church than by people outside the church. People go to it to find some kind of balance, control, or fulfillment that the rest of life seems void of. Others pour countless hours into their jobs because it’s their purpose and calling only to be overlooking the little blessing and leaps of faith that God has for them. We all have something that distracts us from being a sent one, because we decided to be fulfilled by something else.
Someone cannot live sent if they are wrapped up in consumerism and self-satisfaction. Being a sent one means not participating in consumerism but rather obeying and loving God to enact on one’s faith so that both one’s self and others around are formed by such faith. The was the life of the Apostles. The way they lived, how they talked and interacted and went about the business was different, it was purposeful but not a burden. It enjoyed the numerous blessings of God while proclaiming the Good News of a Kingdom of restored people because of the mercy of God.
So today, tomorrow, and the days to come, could we live a little differently? Live as if the Gospel is at the center of our lives, making the Kingdom of God a reality in the spaces we live, and share the Good News with the authority that has been handed down to the faithful. Could we trust as little deeper, a little higher, a little longer, a little wider? Could we work of the courage to grow a relationship? Could we be resolved to be a peacemaker in times of conflict where the solution is not win/lose or even compromise but is reconciliation? Let us live by faith, with lips that proclaim the Good News like a trumpet announcing victory. May we be sent ones.
Final Blessing:
The Apostle and the Disciple, when it comes to following Christ is to be one in the same. The Disciple simply distinguished that we are students and learning and developing faith. The Apostle marks us as sent ones, who are curriers of the authority and message of Jesus Christ. This means we live by faith, enact trust in the little and big areas of our lives so as to bring real change as we obey Christ. As we go forth may we proclaim the Good News about the Kingdom of God, that is being freely offered to us out of God’s mercy, and seek to meet the needs of the sick and hurting.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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