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Follow Me: Learning to Lead through Following Christ
Lesson 3: Processed, Equipped, and Sent
“And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits…” Mark 6:7
“Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them out in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.” Luke 10:1
Jesus Had A Model of Leadership
Jesus had a distinct model of leadership. He was intentional in training those who followed Him for the purpose to which they were called. Throughout the gospels Jesus is seen preparing the disciples to carry out a specific mission. Part of His leadership model was to process, equip, and send them out on ministry assignments. In doing this Jesus provided the resources and support needed for them to succeed. Let’s consider two passages to see how Jesus did so.
What type of leader do you work best with?
What type of leader do you envision Jesus being?
The Sending of the Twelve (Mark 6:7-13)
Jesus called the disciples to send them out to fulfill His mission. Matthew, Mark and Luke all record Jesus sending the twelve out on a mission while still on earth. One might raise the question why would Jesus send them out while He was still with them. Let’s look together at Mark’s account of the sending of the twelve to answer this question.
According to Mark 6:7-13, what was the purpose of Jesus sending out the twelve?
How did He prepare them for their assignment?
As we read this passage, it appears that Jesus sent the disciples out to train them for the mission they would fulfill after His departure. It is clear, He did not send them out without giving them the resources and support needed for success. The disciples went as they were sent and did what they are assigned to do.
· They went in pairs (v. 7)
· They went with authority (v. 7)
· They went with instructions (v. 8-11)
The result of the disciples receiving the needed resources and support for their assignment was success.
How do we know this?
Three indications of success (v. 12-13:
· They preached men should repent
· The casted out manty demons
· They anointed and healed many sick people
The Sending of the Seventy (Luke 10:1-12 and 17-20)
Jesus not only prepared and sent out the twelve, He also sent out seventy others. We do not know who these men were, but we do know that Jesus prepared them for success just as He prepared the twelve. Let’s look at how Jesus provided them the needed support and resources for their assignment.
How was the assignment of the seventy different from the assignment of the twelve?
How did Jesus prepare them for success?
Jesus, the ultimate servant leader, did a number of things prior to sending the seventy out:
· He appointed them (v. 1)
· He identified their destination (v. 1)
· He shared the need prompting their action (v. 2)
· He sent them to meet the need (v. 3)
· He instructed them how to function (vv. 4-12)
In verse 17 we learn the result of the assignment.
What was the result?
After they returned Jesus continued preparing them for their assignment. He taught them two important leadership principles:
· Successful leadership is the result of operating in proper authority (v. 18-19)
· Successful leaders rejoice over the right wins (v. 20)