Sent out
As we continue in Mark's Gospel, I pick up the second part of chapter 1 verse 17, and Jesus says, having said, “Come follow me”, he now goes on and says, and “I will send you out to fish for people.”
“Go”
There is a powerful thing which we don't really take seriously enough in our world today, and that is the word “go”. And sending out is the nature of the church. The word “ecclesia” is the Greek word for church and it's the called out ones, the sent ones, the summoned ones. And so right from the beginning of Jesus's ministry, he's modeling for us what church should really be. And that's a church that is being sent. And he says, “and I will send you out”.
Now the word “go”... Just think for a moment as you read the Bible, have you encountered the word “go”? The word “go” appears in the Bible over 1500 times. And so if we are not going, then we are simply a gathering of disobedient Christians, because right at the essence and the beginning of Jesus's ministry, he says we should “go”.
“Stay”
The word “stay” in the Bible only appears about 60 times. He is saying to us, only 6% of the time, “stay here, be replenished, be able to recover and be strengthened in the spirit.” But the dominant 94% of the times Jesus is saying “go”! Stay, yes, but go 94% and therefore we are encouraged to be those who follow Jesus in the going.
The going is to people who need the good news, people who need to hear that God loves them. And so we are transmitters of God's love and power. We are passing that on. We don't have to invent the good news. It's already there for them to know that they are utterly, irrevocably, unconditionally, extravagantly and eternally loved.
An Offer of Good News
That's our offer to people: Come get to know this, Jesus, and I've been sent to you in his name. And so today, be prayerful around the names of people that come to mind, but also the people you rub shoulders with. Maybe God is sending you to that person to be an instrument of good news in this day and you can drop a seed into their life of the Gospel of God's love.
Plant seeds of God's love in every conversation. God bless you.
