apostolic community

“After this the Lord appointed 70 others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.”
After what? After Jesus healed and taught and called followers. After the twelve were with him and women supported him. After Pharisees confronted him and teachers of the law questioned his authority. After he traveled from town to town and house to house sharing the good news that God was in their midst overcoming evil with good, through the compassionate love of this man from Nazareth. After he set his face toward Jerusalem.
Before the church can be the church, Jesus teaches. Jesus’ life, his words and actions, are they not the raw materials for what it means to be the church? Nobody practiced apostolic ministry until Jesus showed them what it meant to enflesh the love of God in human relationship. 70 people. Sent ahead with a mission and a practice. Notice that the church’s mission is carried out by an entire community! What if every Sunday morning worshipper at Zion had a real sense that what they were about to become and do on Monday was apostolic ministry---the ministry of Jesus? Bring peace and healing to a house, a town, a village. Reside there. Live among “the wolves”, aka the spiritually hungry. Whenever you serve generously, say “the kingdom of God has come near to you.” Essentially, be the church where you are everyday! Because your actions on behalf of others point to God’s incarnate love for all people. People will experience God, as we live like Jesus. We live like Jesus when we embrace the missio dei, the mission of God as a kind of corporate sent-ness. We are apostles, sent out by Jesus, to teach what He taught. Followers of Jesus are not pew sitters. They are disciples and apostles and workers.

To whom are we sent?
How do we begin to embody Jesus’ message and mission?
Who needs healed? Who needs peace? Who needs our compassion? Who needs our presence? Who needs our help?
If you are not already part of a learning experience that will prepare you to be sent, then get into one. 7 am on Wednesdays and 9 am on Sundays are two such learning times. A church that is not apostolic, sending out workers to make Christ known, is not a disciple-making church. A church that is not making disciples is not following Jesus. A church that is not following Jesus is not the church.