Luke 10:1-4 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
Mark 18:15-16 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
How many of us have heard, Go! I am sending you out? I have made YOU the light and salt of the world. I have placed my giftings, my message in you. I have chosen you to carry out my will! All Christians should have heard that message, received that commission, for all of us have been transformed to do God's will. All of us have a divine purpose, a mission to accomplish. If we fail to recognize our divine purpose, our lives will be lost in the mundaneness of life. We will be like the disciples who tarry on the road: do not greet anyone on the road.
Primarily, our lives must be focused on God and his purposes. This doesn't mean that we shirk our daily routines or duties, but it does mean that we always seek to do his will, work in his harvest field, and fulfill our Godly role. We should be close enough to God to hear his voice, for He desires to use us, needs to use us. He will not reveal himself from heaven as the moon shining down on us. His face will not appear in the clouds. Rather, He manifests himself on Earth through his body, through us. But if we are not sensitive to him, if our lives and thoughts are filled up with self, we will not accomplish his will, we will not be his ambassadors, we will not expose the insidiousness of sin in the world. Our lives will be fruitless.
The Lord sent out seventy-two into the harvest field. They went out rather recklessly, not well prepared for the venture. Jesus commanded them not to take a purse, bag, or sandals. They had to go out in faith, believing the Lord will take care of them. Most of us would want adequate preparation or at least a strong sign from heaven that we are doing the right thing. Like Gideon, we would probably throw down fleeces left and right. But Jesus' followers proceeded out of faith, believing the Lord would take care of them. Surely, my Christian friend, everything in the spiritual world takes faith. No one will fulfill any of the unctions of the Holy Spirit in the Corinthian scriptures above without stepping out in faith, believing God will accomplish the tasks He has assigned. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
God will not physically force us to exercise any of the duties above. He will not force our mouths open to give a prophecy. He won't push us to someone who needs a healing. Neither will He move us around like a pawns on a chessboard. We are people of volition. We can choose to let God use us or we can choose not to be used by God. We can tarry on the road of life or by faith we can move on to perform God's mission in life. If we are to do good works, we have TO CHOOSE TO DO GOOD WORKS. If we want to be a witness, we have TO WITNESS to someone. If we are going to work in the church, we must commence TO WORK in the church by accepting a responsibility. If we are going to lead a Bible study, we must HAVE A BIBLE STUDY and invite people. All of this takes faith as WE FOLLOW God's leading in our hearts and then STEP OUT IN FAITH.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. You are the workers. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27) This verse goes on to enumerate the different gifts and responsibilities that have been given to separate members in the church. Jesus told the disciples to live by faith. In the church, we live by faith: we exercise the positions and gifts the Lord has given us by faith. We don't sit by the roadside, we GO. This is our reasonable service. This is what God plans for us, wants from us. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Pray that we will take up our service by faith. Pray that we will hear the voice of the Lord.
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