Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:32-33)
Jesus is telling the disciples they will soon be scattered back into the world and He will be with the Father. They will now have to live out their faith and the mission given to them without the comfort of all their brothers being with them. If you’ve ever been on a mission trip or to a Church camp, you know how easy it is to be faithful and serve in that atmosphere. We are surrounded by like-minded brothers and sisters doing the work of Jesus.
By the end of the trip you are on a “Jesus high”. Your heart is filled with joy and you are overflowing with the love of Jesus. Then you get back on the bus and come back to your everyday environment. The body of believers is scattered back into the world. Now what? What do we do now that we are surrounded by people that don’t know Jesus? What do we do now that we are back to our daily routine? It can seem overwhelming. We don’t have all our brothers and sisters there to lean on. Jesus tells us to take heart; He has overcome the world.
I think the problem is we miss the true mission trip. We travel hours at a time to go serve with a church group and think that is the mission trip. While those trips can be exhausting and fulfilling at the same time, they are not the mission. Those trips are the training ground. The return trip home when you are scattered among non-believers is the true mission. That “Jesus high” that we experience is not meant to be the end of the mission trip. It is meant to be the charge that propels us back into the darkness. We must use that energy to charge into the darkness. We must reach out to others to invite them to Jesus.
If we can’t think of anyone to invite to church because, everyone we know already goes to church, that is a problem. It’s great that we have surrounded ourselves with like-minded brothers and sisters but that’s not who we are called to reach. May we be a people that gets out of our comfort zone and get scattered into the darkness. Let’s be BOLD! Let’s make Acts 4:29 our prayer today. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence”.
Love Y’all! Be Blessed!
Let Us Be A People 