Bags Fly Free

Do we think we are smarter than Jesus? We act like it when it comes to planning mission work. The Master says, “take no bag” and yet we try to figure out how to crate and ship the entire house from Texas to Timbuktu. Even on short-term mission trips we spend a lot of money for extra bags and pay overweight fees. Jesus has wisdom that we do not often practice here in the West. What He is saying is that “God will supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Jesus is also saying that if you Go; if you obey His command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), even to the ones that are wolves (Luke 10:3) and will devour you, then you will be forced to depend upon God’s providence through the hospitality of strangers. No hotel booked. No baggage fees. You don’t even know where or how you will eat. This is what is expected of you. Look back at the words of Christ just before our ReVerse: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Let’s take a mission trip exactly like Jesus directs us to – what do you say – who’s with me?!

The success of a mission is not measured by how much money we spend or by how many resources we have. We are not able to plan every detail and cannot know every circumstance. What Jesus expects of you and me is to first, Go, simply because He commands it. Next, He expects us to be bold and trust in His protection as the Good Shepherd. I don’t mean that no harm will come to you. Often sheep are attacked before being rescued from the mouths of wolves. Jesus also expects us to trust Him and not be concerned about how the mission will happen without a wallet, bag, or extra clothes. He gives the location, the task, and the instructions. We need to follow those like a good soldier. Lastly, He does not want us distracted from the mission. This happens when we do not stay focused and start to see other priorities as more important. If God’s mission takes a back seat to your life or mine, then we are “greeting people along the way” and have forgotten that the goal was to preach the Gospel and heal the sick in the next town. Where have you been sidetracked in life and how can you refocus on the mission of reaching the lost for Jesus?