July 22, 2012 · Mark 6:7–13

The Jesus Buddy System

Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your…

“We must realize that it is part of our job to enable the spreading of the gospel. But even more, hospitality is shown to be the way of anyone who is truly on God's side. We see that in showing hospitality we show God. The inhospitable places received a prophetic dramatic action, to publicly show their shame of not being in line with God's mission. This church needs to be a place of hospitality. Our homes need to be open and hospitable. … The kids loved having the company. We got to encourage each other's faith. If you want to truly show the kingdom of God on earth, be a welcoming person. It doesn't matter if you are introvert or extrovert; hospitality is something we can all do in our own unique way. Perhaps you can help us by making this place friendly. Instead of relying on the pastors to do the greeting and making new folks feel welcome, step up and show that Jesus has made us a group that loves people. There is something about a friendly church that shows who God is better than any other. The final point I want to share is that this faith-life is not a solo act. It is done by the buddy system. Now, yes, the apostolic leadership has a certain role to play in sharing the gospel, but that does not mean everyone else doesn't need to be part of the mission. It merely means that we lead in visioning and demonstrating the mission. All of us are called to share Jesus in the places we are called to. I have been called to Toronto as a whole. I know that is my mission. It is a personal call. Your personal call might be to represent Jesus in your workplace.”