We do not have to do this work alone. Jesus sent his disciples out as partners.
Part of the reason Jesus sends them out as pairs, aside from it being a customary Jewish practice at that time, is that without any other provisions he is making his disciples dependent on relational awareness. They had to learn teamwork. They got to hold each other accountable.
Most importantly, they were strengthened by the presence of another person. It is scary to go it alone, especially when we are doing things that make us really uncomfortable.
Snow Cones.
You might not know this about me, but I have fairly severe social anxiety when it comes to meeting people. This is especially true if I have to be the one who has to reach out and make the introduction. Some people told me that I would need to get over that if I ever wanted to be a pastor. I disagreed.
We don’t have to be good at everything, and I’m just really bad at making introductions. So, what have I done to get around that? I don’t go alone! I have someone else introduce me or I have them bring people to me and break the ice. Or, for some weird reason, when I’m in a group, I am brave enough to reach out.
CASE IN POINT: During VBS one year, we gave out snow cones outside of our main doors. Many kids playing the adjecent park came to get them. There were also a couple of adult guys passing by the one day. They took some snow cones and one used our restroom. There must have been at least 10 of us still standing there while they were eating their cones. I just began talking to them and asking questions about who they were, if they were part of the village, ect. Turns out, Mike and Nate actually live right around the corner from me in Boardman and were visiting their friend Chris who lives in the village. I would NEVER have talked to them if I had been alone.
I strongly encourage us not to try to do this stuff alone. Following Jesus was never meant to be a solo mission.
StainedGlassRebel 