In Conclusion to my time in Tarneit and Wyndham ...

·         In Luke 10:1-3, Jesus first sends his disciples, then calls them to prayer, and then sends them again ... 'off you go' – no greater statement on the connection between prayer and action, or if you like, prayer … and being a party to the answer to that prayer.

·         This is not ‘pray and sit back’; nor is it ‘go on your way’ in your own strength, but rather: ‘go on your way in the prayerful expectation that others are going to join you on the journey’ … and this is not your mission, but God’s mission – and the ones being reached should be the ones who will in turn reach others with the Gospel.

·         This text sets the expectation that those who join as a result of prayer, will not be ‘pew-sitters’ or passive self-interested people, but rather co-workers and true disciples (of Jesus); this will be a growing movement of mission-minded people.

·         In this ‘going out’ the disciples are representatives of Jesus – they will go where he wants to go, they will act as Jesus wants to act, they will speak what Jesus wants to speak; so this will be a Holy Spirit led movement bearing witness to Jesus. And certainly in ‘going’ like this, we will be out of our comfort zones.

·         This connects well with Colossians 4:2 … “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving”. While in a 24/7 prayer mode, we are to keep alert to all the opportunities that present themselves to bear witness to Jesus (to the Gospel, to the mystery of Christ), with a thankful heart that God is going before us, with us and behind us … that God’s Kingdom will grow.

·         Every day is a day for prayerfully ‘going out’ – every interchange during the day counts for something. We don’t have to be called or sent – we have already been called and sent. We don’t have to discover our particular mission field – where we live is already our mission field. This makes for an exciting, challenging and purposeful life … both individually, and also collectively in the Body of Christ – where shared giftedness allows for effective teamwork.

·         This is the Christian life, the Jesus-following life – to receive the grace of God, made most evident through the forgiveness made available to us via Jesus’ death on the cross, and to live out the resurrected life of Jesus through the Holy Spirit … prayerfully being involved in God’s mission in the world – “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.