SENT FORTH ON A MISSION
Text: Mark 6:7 – 13, 30
Introduction:
• 1986 decided to major in secondary education
• Transferred to Ohio University
• Took courses in curriculum development, educational psychology, media methods, teaching methods, and mathematics
• Before I could get my diploma and teaching license, I had to complete student teaching
• Supposed to take all that I had learned and apply it in a real situation for an extended period of time
• Spring of 1989 I began my student teaching
• Disciples had been taught by Jesus, had watched him heal and cast out demons, had heard him preach and teach to the multitudes
• Now it was time for them to do their “student teaching”
• Jesus sends them out on a mission to take all that they had learned and apply it in a real situation for an extended period of time
• Before they leave, He gives them some specific instructions about how they are to carry out their mission
• His instructions to the twelve give us an indication of what we should do when we are sent to carry out a mission for Jesus as well
I. Everyone had a job to do. (v. 7)
• Notice that he sent out all 12
• Jesus has a mission for every Christian
i. It’s true: some of us are pastors, some of us are teachers, some of us are evangelists, some of us are missionaries
ii. But the majority of us are called to do other things
iii. 1 Corinthians 12:27 – 30 “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?”
iv. Jesus doesn’t send a lot of Christians to Africa, but He sends a lot of Christians across the room or down the street
v. Every Christian has the mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the lost
vi. How we do that depends upon what God has gifted us to do
II. They were not to work alone. (v. 7)
• Acts: Peter and John; Paul and Barnabas; Paul and Silas
• Jesus does not send out Lone Rangers
• We are all expected to work together to accomplish the mission
• We need the strength, support, and encouragement of our brothers and sisters
• That’s one reason why it’s so important to be faithful to church
III. They received their power and authority from Jesus (v. 7)
• “You don’t understand…I’m not talented, I don’t know what to say, I don’t have the resources”
• The disciples were to use what Jesus had given them through teaching and experience to accomplish their mission
• Jesus never sends you to do anything that He doesn’t prepare and equip you for
• Sending you to witness to your next door neighbor? Pray for insight in what to say and how to approach him.
• When Jesus sends you, He is working on the other end as well
• The great mistake and failure of a lot of Christians is that they try to accomplish their missions on their own strength, intelligence, and abilities
IV. They understood that their mission was urgent (vv. 8, 9)
• The people that they were sent to needed help and they needed it now
• No time to go home and pack and gather supplies
• 2 Corinthians 6:2 “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.”
• If Jesus is sending you to go and talk to someone about their soul, don’t wait…time is running out
• You don’t have the guarantee of tomorrow; and neither do the lost
V. They were to identify with the people they were sent to (vv. 8, 9)
• They were to go to the poor and hungry as one who was poor and hungry
• Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California and author of The Purpose Driven Church says that they spent months researching the backgrounds and characteristics of the people in the unchurched area they were trying to reach
• Came up with a composite of the typical lost person in their community, “Saddleback Sam”
• Well educated, likes his job, skeptical of “organized religion”, likes contemporary music, and is overextended in both time and money
• Rick and his staff dress like the people in the community in hopes to win their trust and confidence
• 1 Corinthians 9:20 – 23a “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake…”
• You may not have to change the way you dress or the kind of music that you like, but you need to be willing to accept the differences of the people you are sent to
• They don’t have the same likes and dislikes; they don’t have the same values; they don’t see things the way you do
• Doesn’t mean you have to agree, but it means you have to be willing to work around it or even with it
VI. They were to be content with whatever support they received (v. 10)
• If someone offered them a meal or a place to stay, they were not to turn it down for a “better” offer later
• Door to door visitation; on fire, excited about it, concerned for the lost, wanted to see the church grow; announced to church; 2 people show up; get discouraged, angry; should have been thankful for the 2 instead of getting upset about the 98 that didn’t show up
• God may send you on a mission and you get all excited; don’t be surprised if no one else is as excited about it as you are
• Be content to work with whoever shows up, and to use whatever God provides through others, and God will bless it
VII. They were to understand their limitations (v. 11)
• Jews would shake the dust off their feet after leaving Gentile territory to show that they wanted no part of their heathen lifestyles
• For a disciple to do this to Jews would be to say that they were acting like heathens if they rejected the message of the Gospel
• It was meant to serve as a warning of coming judgment in hopes that the people would change their minds and repent
• The message here is that the disciples were supposed to understand that rejection was possible, and some people would not accept their message
• You need to do everything and anything that Jesus sends you to do to reach the lost with the message of the Gospel – but don’t forget that those you reach out to have a free will, and God will not force them to accept what you have to say
VIII. Their mission was to extend the work of Jesus (vv. 12, 13)
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
i. Five levels of needs that every person has to have met
ii. Physiological needs – food, water, sleep, health
iii. Safety needs – home, job, protection
iv. Love and belonging needs – friends, family, church
v. Esteem
vi. Self-actualization
• Lower level needs have to be met before upper level needs can be addressed
• If you want to address people’s need for a relationship with God (love and belonging), you might have to deal with their physiological and safety needs first
• Jesus healed and cast out demons (physiological and safety needs), drew a crowd, and preached the message of the Gospel to them (love and belonging needs)
• Jesus gave the disciples the power to heal and cast out demons, and told them to preach the message of the Gospel
• You and I are to continue the work of Jesus today
• You may not have the power to heal or cast out demons, but you have the power to visit the sick, help the poor, feed the hungry, care for the hurting
• Matthew 25:37 – 40 “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. “
Conclusion:
• Mark records that the disciples went out and completed their missions and reported back to Jesus (v. 30)
• They are called “apostles” for the first and only time in Mark in v. 30
• “apostles” comes from Greek word apostolos, meaning “one sent forth”
• There are no apostles today, but all Christians are still “sent forth”
• We are sent out to extend Christ’s work
• Matthew 28:19, 20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”
• Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
• There are 6.7 billion people in the world today, and the vast majority of them are lost; how are we ever going to reach them all? One at a time.
• Where do we start? Indonesia? Russia? Saudi Arabia? Right in your own back yard.
• You’re not in this alone; we need to work together
• Some will receive us; some will not; tell them anyway
• It’s urgent that we go to them now, while there is still time
• Go in the power and authority of your Lord and Savior
• One day we will report to Jesus, and tell Him all that we did, and be blessed by the presence of some of those we went to
