After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. Luke 10:1
The “after this” was after several people asked Jesus if they could follow Him, that is after they took are of some other things. He basically said that following Him was much more important. If you do that, the rest will take care of itself – He sees to that. I think that carries over into this sentence. Many sermons skip over it and go straight to the sow/reap part that follows. But, here I see Jesus sending people out to prepare the soil ahead of Him, so it can be sowed, then reaped. I believe that is what He calls us to do today after we decide to follow Him.
There is a period of time when we must follow the Teacher, and learn His ways. We grow in faith as we walk beside Him. But then, there comes a time when we have to step out and do His work, preparing hearts to receive His presence just as someone prepared ours. If you look back, you will discover events and people who were all part of the process of coming to Christ. Each served an equal purpose in God’s eyes. But also realize that it probably was more than one.
Jesus sent them out two by two for protection and also to keep each other positive. We should realize that when it comes to doing His will, which is to draw everyone to Him, it may take two, or twenty before that person’s heart and eyes are finally opened. So, here are two never’s –
Never pass up the opportunity to be kind, patient, loving and gentle. Even if it is just calling a clerk by their name and smiling, it may be the one thing they need that day.
Never think you are not doing enough. That’s the devil pushing your buttons. Do what the Spirit prompts you to do and leave the rest up to God.
There is an old Ray Boltz song, “Thank you for giving to the Lord”; In it, he describes a man’s entrance into Heaven and all the people he never knew he had influenced telling him what he had meant to their conversion. Even if your “mission field”; is only inside your house or into your workplace or neighborhood, it is a place Jesus is about to come. Prepare Him to walk into other lives by the little things you do each and every day. Do that and the rest will take care of itself- He see to that.
