Snorkeling or Scuba Diving?

Luke 10:3-9
"Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. ⁴ Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. ⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' ⁶And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. ⁷And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. ⁸Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'"


When we are on mission for God, we look for "ripe fruit". We look to see if the people around us are receptive- ready and open to listen to what we have to offer. 
We have been sent into the world (John 17:18). How did Jesus send them? You can see, in verse 4, they were sent with nothing. (If they were sent with with suck light packing, then they could move quickly?) They had nothing . . . making them dependent on Christ! Dependent on Him for provision! 


Sometimes, we get too caught up in our own stuff. If we try to go out into the world when we're tied down to our stuff . . . we aren't really going too far, are we? Some of you may have heard,"Do you own your stuff, or does your stuff own you?" I like to take it a bit further . . Do you own your stuff, or does God own your stuff? Just something to think about, I suppose.

We are sent into dangerous territory. We lambs are sent into the midst of wolves! But, "since we have such a hope, we are very bold." (2 Cor. 3:12; Prov. 28:1) There are people who are going to mock your savior! But we should be willing to risk our safety for the harvest. Our hunger for the crop overrides the fear of the wolves.

Colossians 4:5; Matthew 12:21

I'm not too sure how to correlate this into tonight's sermon/recap . . but when Pastor Chad Allen said something regarding snorkeling and scuba diving, it just stood out to me. Here's where I take it:
As Christians, I feel that we are too afraid. We are just merely snorkeling in the shallow pool of this spiritual business. I think we need to really decide what we are doing. We need to count the cost of being more than a fan. We need to realize that, ironically, we can't count the cost exactly, and we have to accept what is thrown at us. That's part of the cost: we don't KNOW how much it will cost us. We are going to have to give up everything and trust God completely- have more faith. We need to get gutsy and go scuba diving. I dare you.
We are sent into dangerous territory to connect with those who are open to the healing and hope found in Jesus Christ.