Matthew 4: 19 - 20
Jesus called out to them and said,“Come and follow me, and I will transform you into men who catch people for God.” Immediately they dropped their nets and left everything behind to follow Jesus. (The Passion Translation)
Matthew 28: 18 -20
Then Jesus came close to them and said,“All the authority of the universe has been given to me. Now go in my authority and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.” (The Passion Translation)
Acts 1: 3 - 5
After the sufferings of his cross, Jesus appeared alive many times to these same apostles over a forty-day period. Jesus proved to them with many convincing signs that he had been resurrected.
During these encounters, he taught them the truths of God’s kingdom realm and shared meals with them. Jesus instructed them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift I told you about, the gift the Father has promised. For John baptized you in water, but in a few days from now you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit!”
I have hung out with a few missionaries over the years and I have struggled a little with these words to go. I love travelling and I love engaging with other cultures, but the whole idea of stepping into the lifestyle of a missionary is somewhat appealing, and terrifying all at the same time. I did some study in the area of missions a number of years ago and I also went to the Middle East for 6 months to see what it was all about. Coming home, I didn't want to just let the whole experience go, so I volunteered for 6 years with a missions organisation and did a masters degree in International and Community Development (which was no small feat).... I did everything but go, with the idea that I would need a clear sense of calling and purpose.
In fact I am still wrestling with the idea of heading off somewhere, having more recently received a few prophetic words along the same lines, and I believe God spoke to me directly one day whilst I was sitting and reading a book on missions. I suddenly felt uneasy in my Spirit, and I couldn't shake it. So I asked God what it was, and I felt like he was drawing a line in the sand and asking me to step over it. Really?? At the time, I gave Him a toenail... but I am not too surprised. I guess I have the calling now....
And so, I am also presently doing yet another missions course. Someone was preaching on missions the other day and asking the question about missions in general, "If we boil it down, what do we really want to go after? What is it all about?" Saving souls? Serving the poor and destitute? Making disciples? Seeking miraculous encounters with God? Or simply do we spend time loving on God and praying for His Kingdom to come? Does God even need us to see His purposes fulfilled? In my mind, the answer to each of these questions is 'yes'. Our ministry is always first and foremost to God and for God. Our love for him, and our devotional life is paramount. How we live that out is purely between each one of us and God, himself. An audience of one. When we come together as a wider body of Christ, all these things hopefully fall into place in a beautiful way.
I was doing a subject on preaching a few years go, and we each needed to prepare a 10 min sermon from a verse in the Gospels. I prayed about it and felt to preach on the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well in John 4. I was a little uncertain at the time, as this story is quite long for a 10 min preach and it is so incredibly well known. Was there anything significant or new to preach on? But I think there has been something on it for me, personally, in this season.
John 4: 28 - 30, 34 - 35, 39 - 42.
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.... ...“My food,”said Jesus,“is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.... ...Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
A few things come out in this passage. Firstly Jesus found himself stepping out across social norms. He crossed just about every gender, cultural, and socioeconomic boundary that there was. Jews in those days didn't associate with Samaritans, nor men so much with women. Also this lady had social issues that Jesus acknowledged and He ministered to her shame along the way. The outcome was not just one woman saved and redeemed, but the whole town encountered Jesus for a few days, and the woman, I would like to think, was probably not ridiculed quite as much by the town's people.
Ultimately it is Jesus who is the Saviour of the world. For God so loved the world, he gave His only son (John 3:16). We just can't save the world in our own strength, nor can we heal social rifts or change social norms. But Jesus can... And He invites us to follow Him and to reap a harvest with Him. I wonder how he disciples fared during the 2 days Jesus stayed in this town? Did they stand awkwardly on the side lines listening to Jesus, or did they indulge in deep times of conversation, feasting and prayer with the Samaritans? History doesn't give us this detail, but in those few days, most probably regardless of what the disciples did, the Samaritans encountered the living God, and Truth incarnate. The walls came down between the Jews and the Samaritans (the lesser cousins) with or without the disciples.
And so we, too, just like the disciples, are called to go. To follow Jesus wherever he may lead us amongst His harvest. We are called to go in His authority and also called simply to wait on and watch the Saviour of the world. We carry his presence after all. I can't save anyone, but Jesus can. My salvation is secure, and my works don't earn me brownie points, but Jesus still invites us to follow. And my God provides for whatever He may call me into. It is a fine line to walk. Jesus doesn't need me to save the world, but he uses what I lay down before Him. And I love the words of Jesus, that his food is to do the will of the father who sent him and to finish his work. There is nothing else he needs, nor is he distracted by. Can I live like this??
But wait.... For what? The disciples knew there was a job to do, and something was stirring in their midst. There was this promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was no longer with them but they had a promise. So they stayed together in their home town and waited. Simple obedience. And Jesus doesn't disappoint. Sometimes we are called to stay and wait as well. What season am I in? Right now I have a call and I am not sure of the direction. I don't want to be take myself up the garden path, so to speak.... I have better things to do with my life. Nor do I want to miss the mark that God might have for me. And so I wait for direction, and maybe a bit more of the Holy Spirit. I just hope I am not missing it. I confess there is a bit of FOMO going on. No easy answers on this one. I figure if God has gone to the trouble of such a clear calling, He will follow through with the direction. And in the waiting and the infilling, I am hoping for more of His authority and His presence and likeness in me.
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