The plan to advance the gospel is older than the gospels. It goes back to the time of Jesus. It did not require an advertising campaign. There was no upper level hierarchy to fashion a program to be implemented at the local level. It was a program which required no funding. It was simple and nothing about it smacked of the complex. The gospel writer Luke tells us about it. "Then Jesus called the twelve together...and sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal." (Luke 9:1-2).
Mark adds that Jesus sent them out two by two (Mark 6:7). There is also a record of their return after finishing the mission. "On their return, the apostles told Jesus all they had done." (Luke 9:10). There is a word here we often miss. Jesus is interested in what we do in His name. He is interested in what we do to advance the Kingdom. It is not just the Apostles who have been called to go out in service, but each one of us who accepted the calling Christ has placed on our life.
It is not just about what Jesus would do, but about what each one of us is willing to do in His name. Everywhere we go, we go in His name. Everywhere we go there is an opportunity to advance the Kingdom. Everywhere we go there is an opportunity to express the love of Christ, to model the love which has transformed our life, and moments for offering acts of healing and compassion. The plan of Jesus to change the world includes each one of us. We are a part of what God is doing in the world and there is much to do.
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