"Go Out Together"
Mark 6:6-13
Sunday, June 10, 2012

Introduction: I remember my first public speaking class. We were told that we had to write a speech and then give it to the class. If you know anything about public speaking, writing a text for speaking is much different than writing a text for reading. So the challenge for me was twofold: how to write a speech. And then having the courage to speak it to the class./    Have you ever had an experience like this? An experience where you were asked to do something that was not only out of your comfort zone, but also out of your current ability?

In Mark, chapter 6, the disciples had been comfortable watching Jesus talk to others and make the speeches. But all of a sudden Jesus decides it is time for the disciples to try it./    Yikes! How scary is this?/             The truth is, while the text talks about how this was a challenge for the disciples, I want us to all understand that in some way or another the challenge is for us as well.

I.                   Follow the Buddy System- (Mark 6:6b-9; Deuteronomy 17:6)

a.      Go in pairs- As we think about Jesus sending the disciples out, and we

think about their fear of going, it is interesting to note that Jesus didn’t send them out by themselves, but in pairs. Unlike the “public speaking” class, the disciples weren’t asked to do the assignment on their own. They were given a partner; a buddy. I believe this was for several reasons: first, there is safety in numbers.

EX. 1- If you have ever worked with kids, you know that whenever you take a group on a trip, you always have them “buddy up” so that if they were to somehow get separated from the group, they wouldn’t be by themselves./  Second, having a partner gives you more courage and confidence because you know that you don’t have to do it all yourself; there is someone else helping you in the task. But even more important, the third reason is because there is truth in more than one witness. As Deuteronomy 17:6 tells us in regards to the law: “On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.”/  In a court of law, there is much more truth found in a testimony if it is corroborated by two or more witnesses. So Jesus sending out the disciples in pairs gives more authority to the testimony, to the witness they will give.

EX. 2- In the original Matrix movie, there is a character called NEO who discovers that all that he knows and believes of life is not true. The film is about a world in which the Matrix is an artificial reality created by machines to subdue and make use of the human population/  as an energy source/  by growing them and connecting them to the Matrix. Neo comes to join a group that is seeking to destroy the Matrix and free the humans from these machines. To do this they must destroy agents of the machines who are seeking to keep the truth from being revealed. Each time they go to attack these agents, they go in pairs or in groups. However, the leader, Morpheus, is captured in one of the trips, and so Neo goes back himself to save Morpheus. This is almost his undoing, because he has no back-up and no help!

b.      Take nothing on the journey- But if this assignment given to the

disciples wasn’t tough enough, Jesus tells them to take almost nothing with them on the journey…. I have some props here to help us with the lesson. First the things they can’t take: bread (meaning they weren’t supposed to take any food), a bag (meaning they weren’t supposed to take any extra clothes), and money (so they couldn’t buy anything). The things they could take: a staff, a tunic, and sandals. Why are they to take almost nothing?

            It is simple, Jesus is telling them that they are being sent on a trip in which they are to trust God. God will take care of their needs, and by taking almost nothing, they will have to depend on God providing for their needs.

EX. At the end of the year we always have a time when we are called upon to make a pledge to the church. You get a pledge card,  you fill out the card and then send it in. The Session collects the cards, calculates what has been pledged, and then with your help, we form a budget for the next year. The challenge in this process is that the pledges don’t always match the amount needed to balance the budget. Even more they are not guaranteed amounts. We don’t know for sure that this money will be coming in. Often times if people don’t come to church, they don’t give their pledge. Or if people move away, their giving ends. SO, the budget is really a faith budget. MEANING that we set a budget for what we believe God is going to provide for our church.

            This is what the disciples were being asked to do, trust that God would provide for them through the generosity of others. When they went to a home, they would be in need of lodging and food. They would have to trust that people would share their faith in God by giving them a place to stay and food to eat. And if not, they were to move on.

II.                Follow the Kingdom Path- (Mark 6:7, 10-11, 13)

a.      Learning the Path- So Jesus gives this call to His disciples. It is a call

to take what they have hopefully been learning from Jesus, and seek to apply it to ministry. It is a mid-term of sorts. Remember, Jesus is training the disciples to carry on the ministry after He is gone. Jesus knew that His time was short, and the people of this world would be the ones to continue it on. So Jesus is giving them the opportunity to learn how to do this by doing it themselves. I’m sure that Jesus didn’t expect for them to get an “A” on this assignment; he expected that they would make some mistakes. But all the more, it was to help them to evaluate where they needed to grow, and what would really be expected of them once Jesus left.

EX. There is a story of a Junior High minister, who was one day teaching his kids about how to tell others about Jesus. As the lesson was going along, he noticed that the kids were getting bored and not really listening. So he stopped the lesson, and said to them: “Okay, let’s go out to the park and practice what we have learned.” So he took them to the park, paired them up, and sent them out. Not too much time went by when the kids came back to their leader frustrated. “We can’t do this,” they said. “We don’t know what we are doing!!” they replied. “Would you please teach us how to do this better?” they asked. J And at this he smiled, because now they understood better.

            This is exactly what is going on with Jesus. Jesus knows that the tendency of human beings is to get lazy when all you do is watch and listen. So Jesus knew that if He sent them out, they would be all the more eager to listen and learn from Jesus. They would be all the more willing to plan and prepare for the final exam; that time when Jesus really would send them out because Jesus would be returning to heaven.

b.      Given authority- So Jesus is seeking to lead them down the kingdom

path. It is a path that is to be traveled on together. It is a path that is to be done with faith and trusting. It is a path that is to be done with the power of God behind you. That is why verse 7 tells us: “and (He) gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” Even though Jesus was asking the disciples to take almost nothing on their journey, He wasn’t leaving them empty handed. He was giving them what they needed the most; God’s authority; God’s power!

            And what was this authority going to mean for them? It was going to give them a place of honor to those who would accept them. When they entered a town and spoke to the people, those who had ears to hear would hear that these disciples were speaking the truth of God. And they would bring them into their homes and care for them. Secondly, it would give them power to do miracles. And so we see in verse 13 that the disciples were able to cast out demons and heal the sick. And just like with Jesus, the purpose for the miracles was to lead people to believe in Jesus. Thirdly, it would give the disciples confidence to know that they had the presence and power of God behind them.

            The disciples were following the path God has for us all. A path that leads us to speak the truth of God. A path that leads us to repent of our sins and call others to do the same. A path that leads us to seek God’s mercy. A path that calls us to reach out and care for each other. A path that can sometimes lead to rejection/   but that rejection shouldn’t be taken personally, rather should cause us to move on to others who might be more receptive to following the path of God with us.

III.             Follow the Plan- (Mark 6:7, 12-13)

In this passage we can see Jesus’ strategy for ministry. Jesus wasn’t here to do the ministry Himself. Jesus was here to teach and lead others so that they might be prepared to do God’s work. And God calls us all to follow the plan that He has set in motion. The plan begins with selection:

1.      Selection- God selects us to carry on His work. But not all will hear or

follow the call. That is why Jesus tells the disciples that “If any will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” Jesus is in essence saying that the dust of that town or village is defiled by their rejecting the disciples’ message of Jesus. We should not waste our time and energy on those who do not hear or are not receptive. We should move on to someone who will listen and follow.

2.      Association- When we find someone who will listen, we are to associate

ourselves with them: eat with them, get to know them, share all we know about Jesus with them. Let them see our struggles and our shortcomings. Let them see that we are sinners, but we have received the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

Know that leading people into a deeper commitment to Christ takes time.

3.      Consecration- Obedience. The disciples had a choice. They could have

chosen to not go out as Jesus directed them. But to do so was to choose obedience. So many in our society are not obedient to God’s call. You look at their lives and do not see obedience to God. We ourselves have to decide if we are going to be obedient. I believe that God is calling us as a church to join together in discovering the plan that God has for our church. We have some important and challenging decisions in front of us as we think about how to get more people and money into the church. Obedience takes sacrifice. Sacrifice means we have to give up something that is important, for something we believe is more important. I believe there is nothing more important than living out God’s call on our lives and our church. Are we going to choose to do this together?

4.      Impartation- Meaning Jesus gave Himself away. He came to give Himself

(mind, body, and spirit) to the disciples. And His call to them, as He sent them out, was for them to impart themselves to whoever received them. Do you seek to give yourself away to those who listen to you? It can be challenging, but very rewarding, and a fulfillment of God’s call on your life as a follower of Jesus!

5.      Demonstration- As Jesus demonstrated living, and loving, and healing to

the disciples, Jesus was now calling them to go with God’s authority and demonstrate this to others. I don’t know if they were surprised at first when they actually were able to cast out demons and heal people, but I do know that it made an impact on their lives and on the lives of those who were impacted by this power of God. And as you and I go out and live faithfully for God, as we go out and love others and pray for healing for others, we will be demonstrating God’s love and God’s power.

6.      Delegation- The sixth part of Jesus’ plan was delegation. As I said before,

Jesus wasn’t here to do the ministry all by Himself. His plan was to delegate this authority to the disciples, who would in turn delegate it to others, and on down the line of history. Jesus’ sending out of the disciples was the first step of delegation. And when we choose to step out for Jesus, we are accepting that this plan has been delegated to us as a part of the body of Christ.

7.      Reproduction- Last, the plan of Jesus was reproduction. Jesus was seeking

to reproduce Himself in the disciples. That is in fact what a disciple really is; one who seeks to become like the one who is discipling them. In our lives, we are hopefully helping others to grow in their faith so that they might be able to step out for God. You do this by teaching others from the gifts you have. For ex., if you have the gift of helps, you might be involved with a certain ministry, say setting up for the luncheon. To reproduce yourself would mean that you involve others with you and in doing this you help them learn how to give in their giftedness. By doing this, we increase the involvement of those who are serving God.

            (Taken from “The Master Plan of Evangelism” by Robert E. Coleman)

Conclusion: We are called to do ministry and outreach in pairs or in groups. Why? Because it is easier to do with others. Even more, mission is bigger than any one individual. It is the job of the church to do together. That is why it is such a joy to belong to a church, because God calls churches to affect communities. As we join together to reach our community, it is more fun and effective when we do it with others. We need to continually think about mission, and how we can reach out into our community. I want to see us being a church that is seeking to “Go Out Together” and make a difference for the kingdom of God, with the power and authority of Jesus Christ behind us. And I hope you will be excited to be a part of this as well: By helping to come up with ideas; and by being involved. My prayer for you and for our church, is that by our actions we will show our commitment to living out the kingdom path, and fulfill God’s plan for our church. Amen.