Readings for today: Matthew 10, 14, Mark 6:7-56, Luke 9:1-17, John 6
I leave Sunday for Africa. I will fly out of Denver around 9PM and arrive in Dessie, Ethiopia on Tuesday at 4:15PM. Tee to green, it’s a journey of about 36 hours. Dessie is located in the Amhara region of Ethiopia in the northern part of the country where a conflict has been raging off and on for a couple of years. Dessie itself was occupied for a period of time before the government recaptured it last year. We are heading there to train church planters. Last spring, we launched fifty new church planters into the area and we are planning on launching seventy-five more next week. We will spend our time praying for them. Worshipping with them. Training them. Interviewing them. Partnering with their local, indigenous denominations to make sure they have the resources they need. It’s a hard work. They will be ministering in an area where there is not only political conflict but religious conflict as well. They will face persecution. They will face opposition. They will face hostility. But they are not alone. Jesus is with them. The Holy Spirit empowers them. They’ve been given authority to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, cast out demons, and raise the dead. It’s why I love being around them so much. They remind me of the first apostles.
Apostle is a word that simply means “sent one.” It’s less a title and more a description of a role. Apostles are emissaries. Their purpose is to convey a message. It was commonly translated “messenger” in ancient times. One can easily see why Jesus picked up this term. He was sending His disciples out on a mission. Their job was to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God in word and deed. They were to speak God’s Word and then demonstrate the authority of God’s Word through the performance of miraculous signs and wonders. It was a powerful combination. One that put them at odds with the local political and religious authorities. As a result, they would face hostility and opposition and persecution and yet many would believe their message and receive saving faith.
Every single Christian is called to be an apostle. Every single Christian is sent out by Jesus to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. Every single Christian is called to risk everything for this endeavor. Our lives. Our livelihoods. All our worldly wealth and possessions. We are to hold nothing back in our attempt to reach the world with the gospel. This is what set those first disciples apart. It’s what set the early church apart. It’s what still sets apart Christians in places like Ethiopia, Djibouti, or South Sudan. They are changing entire villages and regions as they faithfully and sacrificially give their lives to answer the call. Are we not called to do the same? In whatever village, town, city, or region where we’ve been planted?
Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 15, Mark 7, 8:1-10