Go! I am sending you…
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 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.
Sometime in my senior year of high school, after I had settled upon the study of Physical Therapy, my mom stopped me one day upon the stairs. “Did you know that you will have to dissect a cadaver in PT school?” I asked the discerning question, “What is a cadaver?” “A human body.” I remember pausing and thinking for the space of a moment or two (dissection in high school biology was not a necessity I enjoyed by any means and that was a frog). My mom asked, “Do you think you can handle that?” I don’t remember if this was my exact response but I do think it was something along the lines of, “We’ll find out.” It remains to this day one of, if not the, least enjoyed classes of my college career. Jeff and I began our second year of Encounter School of Ministry in September. I am still human and like to look before I leap upon occasion. Year One found us hosting physical and inner healing nights for family and friends, practicing prophecy. In other words, really stepping out in faith. As I reviewed the Year Two curriculum my “fears” were realized. Door to door ministry, sent two by two. One redeeming factor was that it was the first quarter so I could “get it over with” and not have it hang over my head the whole year. Each weeks study and practice led us along the path of preparation. We were called upon to pray with random strangers that the Lord placed upon our heart in our day to day encounters. We were called to share the Gospel of Jesus at the Door of our hearts to a non believer. Finally we were called upon to knock upon door after door in a predetermined radius to invite people to the Lord. I wonder how many of you have already made a mental note, “Do not enroll in the Encounter School of Ministry.” I did too at first. Yet two and a half years later Jeff and I headed out onto the streets of Appleton. There are several important lessons of note that I can share that I learned from this experience. First when you truly give your life to Jesus, your life is Jesus’. This call had nothing to do with me. It had nothing to do with success. Any rejection or success we encountered were His, not ours. Second, prayer is a powerful weapon. The Holy Spirit prompted me to lead Jeff and I in prayer as we approached each house, “May the peace of Christ reside within this house. If there is one who the Holy Spirit has been planting seeds of faith within resides here, let us bring them an encounter with Christ.” We prayed rote prayers upon the doorsteps as we waited for people to answer. I am sure there are some RING doorbell owners who had a good laugh. The power of that prayer resided within the fruit. Jeff and I were not nervous, peace was with us. We had a success rate of 50% talking to us (my best guess heading into the day was 10%). Third we witnessed a Gospel reality.
Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The second house we visited I saw a young gentleman working outside, easy pickings. We approached, introduced ourselves, and asked if he could use healing or prayer in his life. Turns out he is new to the area, a recovering alcoholic who had a recent relapse, just returned from an AA meeting, and seeking a church to join. We prayed over that man and I watched the power of the Holy Spirit affect him as tears formed in his eyes. I will never know the full ripple effect of our afternoon of evangelization this side of heaven. I do know that in that moment though, heaven was present and rejoicing, and it was well with my soul.
