“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in
their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every
disease and sickness. When he saw the
crowds, he had compassion on them,
because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew
9:35-36)
Yesterday evening at Kensington Training Camp, Steve
Andrews taught from this passage. Jesus
saw the needs around him and was filled with great compassion - a word in Greek
which actually means a heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, visceral reaction. Jesus knew he’d soon be leaving, no longer
able to teach and heal people in person.
He needed help to carry out his work.
“Then he said to his
disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to
send out workers into his harvest field.”” (Matthew
9:37-38)
Steve confessed to wondering, even doubting, how the church could meet an ocean of needs
with only a pool of resources. That’s
when the Holy Spirit reminded him that there’s
really an ocean of resources - and we’re not talking about money, we’re talking
about people.
Jesus told his
disciples to pray for more workers, but then in the very next verse he sends
them out themselves. Hey! (Matthew
10:1)
God expects us to notice
the needs around us, to have his heart and compassion, and to be his hands and
feet in the world. He expects us to
pray, but not just pray, to also go.
And if we’re not sure where, how, or when…start somewhere. When we do, the workers aren’t few, but many!
Last night we commissioned 4 mission teams doing just
that. People stepping across time zones
and comfort zones as the hands and feet of Christ. Please pray for them.
And please consider if
the Lord may be calling you to lead a team of your own. If so, I’ve written a blog series to help you
get started, and I welcome any questions or comments that you have.
Leading Mission
Teams:
