Yesterday, we looked at the demon-possessed guy in Mark 5, whom Jesus sent off on mission before he had been trained. This is not an isolated incident. In the very next chapter, Jesus sends the twelve off on their mission, and they hadn’t had much training either.

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. (Mark 6.7 – 13, ESV)

My experience is that most church people in this country are ready for mission after they’ve taken “one more course.” But of course, they’re not ready then, either. I’ve written about this before. I first started thinking about this when I was teaching some seminary students in Haiti. I had presented Regi Campbell’s progression of one’s spiritual journey from his book About My Father’s Business.

• Apathetic (I would add that some are even Antagonistic)
• Beginning to seek (A simple application so far is that we might invite a “B” to church. An “A” we would invite to a backyard barbecue.)
• Confessing Christian (at some point we hope they cross the line to faith, but we hope their journey doesn’t end there)
• Developing disciple
• Excelling reproducer

My Haitian seminary students asked me, “How long does it take to go from A to E?” In The Navigators, we used to say that if you had a convert (a “C”), that person could become a disciple (“D”) in 18 months and in another 6 months, a disciple-maker (“E”). And there’s truth in that. But what do the gospels tell us? As I thought about it, the demon-possessed guy in Mark 5 came to mind. He went from A to E (missional activity) immediately. So did Matthew the tax collector who hosted a dinner party for his “sinner” friends. And the woman at the well in John 4 reached a whole village.

So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him…Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” (John 4.28 – 30, 39, ESV)

None of these three – the demon-possessed guy, Matthew the tax collector, and the woman at the well – were exemplary people. My Haitian students got it, “These were all bad people, and God used them right away. We wouldn’t do that!” I want to write more about that tomorrow.