What Do Disciples Do - 1 - Go

Scripture: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Luke 10:1–11 NIV

1 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. 2 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. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

Luke 10:16–20 NIV

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

7/6/2025

Order of Service:

Announcements

Opening Worship

Prayer Requests

Prayer Song

Pastoral Prayer

Kid’s Time

Offering (Doxology and Offering Prayer)

Scripture Reading

Sermon

Communion

Closing Song

Benediction

Special Notes:

Week 1: Communion

Opening Prayer:

God of all nations and peoples,

your Son commanded his disciples

to preach and heal throughout the world.

Grant us, by the power of the Holy Spirit,

the zeal to proclaim the good news of peace and justice,

and gather all humanity into life with you. Amen.

Go

Birthdays

Many people don't know Jesus. People know about Jesus, but they don’t really know Him, and sometimes, I think the world prefers it that way.

This week, we celebrated our nation’s 249th birthday—and our church’s second birthday. Both were born through costly separations. We celebrate them not because they were easy, but because what we lived in before was no longer acceptable.

New beginnings often arise this way—through disruption, pain, and change. In Jesus’ day, the people of Israel were deeply divided. Their ethnic identity dates back 4,000 years; their nation, over 3,000 years. And yet they had spent most of that time under foreign rule, as slaves or exiles. We have probably known more political and religious freedom in our nation than they ever did in their history.

By the time of Jesus, they were under Roman rule. Many had tried—and failed—to revolt. They often connected faithfulness to God with political resistance, as religion and politics were often intertwined in their world. Their leaders focused on defending their power in Jerusalem, the symbol of their heritage and hope. Occasionally, they would even lash out at their enemies, trying to revolt, but it always ended badly. The people were desperate for independence and could not achieve it. They clung desperately to the "Law of Moses" as they referred to it, instead of God Himself. They knew about God, but they didn’t know Him. That was the climate of the world when Jesus began calling and sending out disciples in ministry.

Jesus did not come into the world to take us out of the world or to defend our way of life. He came to face our enemies and He called his disciples to go with Him, sharing the good news that His Kingdom was on the way. And they went, because disciples of Jesus go where He sends them.

Disciples Sent

Disciples of Jesus go where he sends them, because they do as they see him doing.

Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, we see Jesus doing the hard work of ministry — preaching, healing, casting out demons, even raising the dead. Then, He invites the Twelve to join Him and empowers them to do the same. But it wasn’t easy. Without Jesus physically present, the disciples struggled. They faced rejection. They traveled from Galilee through Samaria toward Jerusalem, often unwelcome and misunderstood. And now, in today’s passage, Jesus does something surprising. Despite limited success so far, He sends out even more — 72 disciples this time. He doesn’t scale back. He multiplies. And He sends them out with little support — no money, no supplies, and no guarantee of welcome. Instead of teaching them to argue or retaliate, He tells them to move on—to follow the Spirit’s leading to the next “person of peace.” That’s someone whose heart is open, where a real relationship can form, and where Jesus can be shared.

But notice Jesus is not interested in the number of people reached. He tells the disciples to stay with the people who receive them, for as long as they are welcome. He specifically instructs them not to go door-to-door. They are not supposed to be out making converts or collecting donations for a cause. They are building relationships and welcoming people into the family of Jesus. And here is the secret of working through these relationships and “people of peace”. Every person we meet out there has family and friends who also need Jesus, at least one or two of them they are closely connected with, and if you stay with them long enough, they will take you to them, or bring them to you, and ask you to share Jesus with them just as you shared with them.

I had a friend who once worked in a church and wanted to take on a neighborhood for Jesus. They tried to go out into the streets and give away free hot dogs for two or three weekends, and then invite everyone to church. They were seeking to reach as many people as possible. He met one man who was incapacitated and could not get out of his house to get a free hot dog, let alone come to church. They had to go to him. I told my friend that he had an opportunity to bring Jesus and the church to that man’s house. Can you imagine what the neighbors would experience if they saw Jesus transform this man’s house into a place of worship, where people came to meet Jesus? That would be pretty awesome. But you know what is even more powerful? Can you imagine what that man would experience, going from a place that He could not leave, a kind of homebound prison, to seeing that Jesus moved in with him and now his home had become a church?

This is how the kingdom grows: one relationship at a time, not through marketing campaigns or mass events, but through people faithfully following Jesus to the next open heart. But let’s be honest — that’s hard. It’s tempting to confuse peace with comfort. To only talk about Jesus with people we already like or who think like we do. But that’s not how transformation happens. Jesus never said, “Go find the friendliest sheep and invite them to join you.” He said, “I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

It sounds harsh. It sounds impractical. But Jesus wasn’t calling disciples from the respectable, law-abiding, easygoing crowd. He called people who would be radically changed — and then radically sent.

Sheep and Wolves

Jesus didn’t just call polite, churchy people to follow Him. Some of His disciples had violent pasts, public failures, and reputations that made them unworthy in the eyes of their communities. We have their pictures around the walls of our sanctuary today. Most of them had pasts and personal issues when they met Jesus. Remember Paul? He led the persecution of Christians before he met Jesus. He looked far more like a wolf than a sheep. But that’s the kind of person Jesus calls. And when they follow Him, they’re transformed—from wolves into sheep. Then He sends them out to preach, teach, heal, and deliver others from the evil that ruled their lives. The lamb of God goes out among wolves, bringing peace—and He sends His people to do the same, under His guidance and power.

But here’s where we often go wrong: instead of going to the wolves, we go looking for other sheep—especially ones already in the pen somewhere else. We strive to grow the church by attracting individuals who already hold Christian beliefs but are dissatisfied with their current place of worship. Researchers have stated that this transfer growth has been ongoing for the past 50 years, and today, studies show that 80% of church growth comes from transfers, rather than new believers. Why? Because feeding someone else's sheep is easier than reaching wolves. But if we keep trading sheep between churches, we're playing a messed-up game of musical chairs, taking away people each round instead of chairs, and when that game ends, we will be nothing but a room full of empty chairs.

Jesus isn’t asking us to collect other people's sheep. He’s sending us to the wolves.

Yes, sometimes wolves show up in sheep’s clothing—pretending to follow Jesus just to fit in. And we have to be careful not to be deceived. But even those people need the real Jesus—not just the appearance of faith, but the new birth.

So here we are again: sheep among wolves. Vulnerable. Sent. The question is, where is Jesus sending us, and which wolves is He preparing to be born again as His sheep?

Go

The simple answer is: we follow where Jesus leads. We watch where He is working and we go with Him. Sometimes, He gives us a clear sense of "Don’t go there." It’s more than discomfort—it’s conviction. But just as clearly, He points us toward people and places where He is already at work, inviting us to join Him. If you pray for open eyes, He will open them to show you where He is working.

You don’t have to look far to find “wolves” around you—people shaped by a world that teaches them to consume and use others. Take a walk down your street. Go shopping. Visit the hospital. They may know about Jesus, but they don’t know Him. And without Him, they will die in their sin. That’s why we’re sent.

We’ve got to stop asking Jesus to rescue us from the world. He’s already going into it—and He’s taking us with Him. He doesn’t need us to defend Him or protect our way of life. He’s already defeated sin and death. What He wants is for us to follow Him—to be peacemakers, not just peace seekers.

Go back to the text for today. Jesus took those disheartened disciples who faced rejection and sent them out in greater numbers. And the amazing thing? It works. The disciples went out, and although they faced rejection from some of the people they met, they returned excited and rejoicing because healing had occurred. Demons fled. People heard the good news. They weren’t selling Jesus—they were inviting people to get to know Him. And He gave them power to do what He called them to do.

And did you notice how Jesus responded to their celebration? He told them not to celebrate the supernatural power they had used, but to celebrate what God had done in their lives, writing their names in the Book of Life. Being the hands and feet of Jesus is not about what we do; it is about sharing what He has done and witnessing Him doing it in the lives of those around us. It is not about what we have to give the world; it is about revealing the giver of all good things to them. If you are preaching, teaching, healing, and freeing people from spiritual oppression, I guarantee that you will need Jesus right by your side, guiding and giving you the authority to do that work, or it won't work.

But you will see that power at work when you go where He sends you. I saw pictures of people praying for me several weeks ago, and someone, probably more than one of you, was given a gift of healing, as I experienced a miracle. Nothing against the doctors, but they did not give me any good news, and what I experienced went against everything they said would happen. Thank you to whoever prayed for me. I was also blessed this week by several devotion videos that some of you have made and shared. Thank you for that. Pastor Marvin Cheek spoke with me on the phone last week and has been watching your videos. He is now working to get the church he attends to share their faith in a similar way as well. God is already working through you to share Him with the people He sends you to.

Now, who’s next?

Who needs healing?

Who needs to be set free?

Who needs to hear the gospel?

Who needs to be fed the Word of God?

Jesus is still sending His disciples.

Will you go?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, we gather today as Your precious people, those You gave Your very life to save from sin and death. We are grateful that you have written our names in your Book of Life. We thank you for continuing to bless us every day with good things we know we do not deserve. Open our eyes to see your lost children around us. Open our ears to Your voice that calls and equips us with gifts to share with them. Open our hearts to love them with Your love, a love that far surpasses our own. And get our shoes on our feet, ready to follow You to them, bearing your gifts, your love, and our witness to all we have seen You do in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.