Luke 10:1-12
After
this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two
by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said
to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray
earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go
your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry
no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever
house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is
there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, fit will return to you. And remain
in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer
deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town
and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say
to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a
town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust
of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know
this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more
bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (ESV)
When Jesus sent out the 72
missionaries, he sent them to prepare them for the fact that Jesus would be
coming to them. Jesus never just
"shows up" unannounced. Jesus
never goes anywhere that he is not welcome.
Beginning with John the Baptist, who was a voice calling out in the
wilderness to "Repent," there have always been those preparing the
way for Jesus. As we go to Uganda, we
need to keep in mind that we, too, are preparing the way for Jesus. Like the 72 commissioned by Jesus, we too
have received a commission from Jesus.
Looking at the commissioning sermon above, there are several important facts
we need to remember about our time in Uganda.
First. The harvest is plentiful. Just as we are preparing the way for Jesus by
declaring the good news of the gospel, the Holy Spirit has been preparing the
way for us by drawing those whose hearts are receptive. The harvest is ready; all that is needed are
the workers.
Second. It may seem strange that Jesus
told the 72 missionaries to pray that the Lord of the harvest send workers when
the 72 were the workers. The reason is
that 72 workers would not be nearly enough to do the work the father has
planned. The work we will be doing is
only one small part of the work God plans to do in Uganda. Pray that God will continue to send workers
into his harvest.
Third. Trust in God's Provision. Jesus specifically forbade the 72 from
"going prepared." That is not
to imply that we are to go unprepared to Uganda, but it is to reinforce that it
is God who will be meeting our needs, not ourselves. Pray that God will meet all our needs during
the trip. Not only the ones we know
about and have been preparing for, but also the ones we do not yet see and
cannot prepare for.
Fourth.
Expect Difficulties. Every
mission of God will face resistance. The
devil works diligently to thwart the efforts of believers and works even more
diligently to silence the message of the gospel. We do not yet know how we might experience
resistance, and we should pray that God will clear the path so that we don't
experience that resistance, but we should not be surprised by it when it
happens. Jesus didn't prevent the 72
from experiencing that resistance, but rather encouraged them by reminding them
that the Kingdom of God will not be hindered by it. When we face resistance, shake it off and
move on. Do not let it discourage or
cripple our mission.
In your quiet time today, pray for the
harvest in Uganda. Pray that God will
continue to send laborers to Uganda.
Thank God in advance for the provision he has already given and for the
provision he has yet to give. Finally,
pray for courage, endurance, and boldness in the face of any resistance that may
come our way.
Father, I pray that each member of this
team recognizes the commission we have received as your Ambassadors. Like the 72 you sent out while on earth, help
us understand our part in our greater mission.
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