A Training Manual for Mission Trips (Luke 10:1-9)

A rescue mission only works when someone is willing to go into the hard place, and the most striking part of the World War II story we open with is the leader’s honesty about the cost. That same honesty shows up in Luke 10, where Jesus appoints seventy-two disciples and sends them ahead of him with a clear-eyed view of what the work will feel like. If you have ever wondered whether your life has a purpose beyond the next obligation, we lean into a simple line that reframes everything: your life is not an accident, it is an assignment.

We trace the logic of Jesus’ “training manual” for mission and everyday discipleship: the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few, and prayer is not an optional add-on. We talk about why Jesus sends people in pairs, why dependence is built into the instructions, and why obedience to Christ does not come packaged with comfort. “Lambs among wolves” is not meant to scare us into hiding, but to remind us who is sending us and who is ultimately in charge of the outcome.

We also get practical about integrity on the road: staying focused, resisting the urge to upgrade our comfort, and choosing to serve people rather than use them. And when results show up, we highlight the discipline of deflecting praise back where it belongs by pointing to the kingdom of God. If you care about Christian mission, evangelism, calling, and humility, this is a passage worth sitting with. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review telling us which principle challenged you most.

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Transcript

A Rescue Story Sets The Stakes

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Near the end of World War II, I have read that an airplane carrying members of the U.S. military crashed into the dense New Guinea jungle where cannibal tribes were known to live. A rather daring rescue was was necessary and it did succeed. But I read that this is what happened. A lieutenant colonel stood before sixty-six men in his battalion, and he he needed ten volunteers for this rescue mission. But first, he gave them an honest portrayal of what it would involve. He told them first they'd be jumping into uncharted territory. Second, the jungle would be so thick they might never get past the trees. Third, if they survived the jump, the tribes who lived in that valley were cannibals. Well, when he finished, he paused and asked for ten volunteers, and all sixty-six men stepped forward. But how's that for a recruiting strategy? Life's gonna be difficult, there isn't gonna be rest along the way, the natives are gonna be hostile to your message, but there are people in that valley down there who need to be rescued. Well, that's the theme of what happens next in our chronological study through the Gospels. We're gonna skip over now to Luke and chapter ten, where Jesus is giving seventy-two disciples an honest portrayal of the harvest field. He's gonna send them out on what we could call their first missionary journey. And Jesus is giving them, in a sense, the training manual, beginning here in verse 1. After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, that is, other than the twelve disciples, and sent them on ahead of him two by two, into every town and

Jesus Sends Out The Seventy-Two

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place where he himself was about to go. Now sending them out two by two not only provided fellowship for each team, but encouragement. And in addition to that, it fulfilled the Old Testament's requirements that two witnesses would be necessary to provide valid testimony. Now, who are these seventy-two disciples? Well, they're unnamed. It's possible that many of them were people that Jesus had healed, you know, formerly blind, uh lame men, lepers, because they'd been healed by a man whom the religious leaders were opposing, well, they would have never been allowed back into Jewish society. They would have remained ostracized. So Jesus evidently is collecting around himself, these individuals, and he appoints them here, Luke writes. And there's a wonderful principle that I want to draw from this scene before we go further. Here it is. God has appointed you for a place, and he's appointed that place for you. See, the word here in the text for appointed, he appointed them, refers to the appointment of someone to an office. So Jesus isn't just tossing these disciples to the wind. He's appointing them to a place within his divine plan. And let me tell you, beloved, you're not just randomly going through life today as a disciple of Christ in some

Your Life Is An Assignment

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haphazard series of circumstances. Your life is not an accident. Your life is an assignment. You happen to be on assignment from God today. Well, let me draw out another principle before we go further. Here it is. There is always more to do than you will ever be able to accomplish. Jesus says here now in verse two, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. That's a nice way of saying you're going to need help. The job I'm assigning is really too big for you, so start now praying for helpers. You know, maybe you've already discovered the fact that you always need one more volunteer. Well, take our beloved, you're praying to

Pray For More Laborers

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the Lord of the harvest. That phrase means he's the Lord of it. He's in charge of it. The entire operation. He alone can provide the people and the provision that you need as you serve him there on your assignment. So pray and trust him to provide. Well, here's another principle I want to draw out from this training manual. Here it is. Obedience to Christ will not automatically make your life comfortable. Jesus says such here in verse three. Go your way. Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. That's like saying, strap on your parachute. I'm going to send you down there where cannibals live, and they're going to want to eat you. Well, there's nothing more defenseless than a lamb among a pack of wolves. But I want you to notice the most important words in that phrase are

Lambs Among Wolves And Dependence

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these I am sending you out as lambs. That's another way of saying you're not going to be alone. You see, their defenselessness is going to remind them of their dependence. If they live or die, it will be by his appointment and only by his permission, because he's the one sending them. And because he's sending them, no one can stop them unless by his own divine appointment. Now is the Lord asking us to do something today that he wouldn't do? Well, let me remind you that Jesus will eventually show these disciples what it means to become a lamb surrounded by wolves. You see, the Lamb of God is going to be crucified. He's going to be crucified, though, according to divine appointment. Now here's a fourth principle as you keep a realistic perspective on your appointed assignment. Here it is. Now we get that from these traveling instructions beginning right here in verse four. Jesus says, carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Now, Jesus isn't telling his disciples not to be friendly, don't say hi, but to treat their mission with a sense of urgency. You need to understand that in these days, a greeting that could last through an entire meal or maybe even an entire day. Don't do that. Stay on track. The lack of a money bag

Urgency And Daily Provision

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or extra clothing here, this is going to create total dependency on the Lord's provision every single day. You see, when you're serving the Lord, it's easy to become more interested in what God is doing through you than what God is doing for you. You miss those moments of provision. And I think that's the point of verses five and six here and the potential of a son of peace being their host. A son of peace here would be someone interested in believing the gospel message, hosting them in their missionary journey. So these disciples are going to have to trust the Lord to lead them to those homes, to a host. They're going to have to trust the Lord even when they don't find a sympathetic host, an audience that's interested in their ministry. Now here's another principle. Don't forget that people you encounter are to be served, not used. Here in verse 7, Jesus says, Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide. Do not go from house to house. In other words, don't be on the lookout for a little nicer house or a better offer. You see, these disciples aren't supposed to move into a village and then move up the ladder as they stay there. Jesus is telling them, stay in the first house that offers you hospitality. Now let me give you another principle. Expect your personal comfort zone to

Serve People Without Upgrading Comfort

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be stretched in ways you didn't expect. That's specific, isn't it? He's saying, wherever you land, whatever home offers you hospitality, eat whatever they're cooking. Reminds me of when my three brothers and I traveled with our missionary parents on deputation, and we we'd pull into some driveway where we were invited to eat dinner. My mother would always turn around and repeat that little poem. Now remember, boys, where he leads me, I will follow, what he feeds me, I will swallow. Well, that's exactly the point here that Jesus is giving these seventy-two men. Here's one more principle that I want to highlight today. Principle number seven. Here it is. Make sure you deflect any praise back to God. Jesus says here in verse 9, heal the sick and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you. You are, in other words, representatives of the king of a coming kingdom. You can imagine, can't you, the excitement in some village over these miracle working disciples? The blind can see, the lame can walk, the disabled are cured, the paralyzed

Deflect Praise To The King

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are up and running around without any pain. I mean, the village leaders are gonna want to meet this pair of disciples. The crowds are gonna want to honor them. Invitations for housing, for meals are gonna follow. Notice carefully what the seventy-two are told to say. The kingdom of God has come near you. In other words, this isn't about us. This is about the kingdom of God. This is about our king. And this is just a taste of our king's power. And our king alone deserves the praise and honor and glory. Well, there are more principles to come in this training manual. We'll get to some of them in our next wisdom journey. And until then, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.