Sell Everything, Follow Me

As Forrest and I are preparing for ministry and all that it entails, I keep thinking of Jesus’ command to sell everything and follow Him. While we are selling most of our things when we move and leaving most items behind, we are still taking some with us. Logistically, it wouldn’t make sense to buy a new wardrobe when we move to Europe, considering we have perfectly good clothes now. We still need to be good stewards of the blessings the Lord has given us.

However, there’s a passage I love where Jesus sends out the disciples without money bags or traveling bags, instructing them to preach the good news. I read an autobiography about a missionary named Brother Andrew who underwent this biblical missionary training experience. His group took one pound and went out to share the Gospel. They were expected to hold meetings and provide food and drink without asking anyone for money. And they had to return to their starting point with that one pound. Miraculously, they did. People would call and say, “The Lord put it on my heart that you guys need this cake,” and similar acts of divine provision. This is obviously the hand of God enabling them to accomplish this.

I have always focused on the fact that the disciples took nothing with them while Jesus was training them to be missionaries. I knew they were living off the generosity of others. I love this passage because as missionaries, Forrest and I will get to live as the disciples did. But I didn’t ever internalize the fact that Jesus was training them to rely solely on God. He taught them that He is in complete control. He taught them that He IS the Good Shepherd, and they lacked nothing (Psalm 119:1).

After this lesson, Jesus sends them out WITH resources (Luke 22:35-38). I keep thinking that I must leave everything behind as if I were in training. But as I read this passage this week, God reminded me that Forrest and I have already completed that initial training. We’ve learned (and will continue to learn) the lesson that the Lord is GOOD and truly does supply everything we need. When we were raising support for our mission trip to East Asia, we thought we ran out of time. We had the funds for one of us to go, and we were willing for me to leave Forrest behind. Suddenly, a thousand dollars came in a day, and we gave up our honeymoon fund. We gave everything we had to God and set out on the trip. Then the Lord, in His powerful authority, brought in every cent as we drove the last leg to the airport. God works at the 11th hour! I don’t find myself having many doubts that the Lord will supply everything we need. The Lord has taught us to depend on Him alone, especially with finances.

So now we are stepping out again and giving everything to God. But I am reminded through this passage that it is okay to take some of our personal items with us without feeling guilty. This time, we are taking our “traveling bag” and our “sword.” Since I am not a bible scholar or a seminarian, I won’t speculate on what the sword actually stands for. But in my life, I see it as my defense. I don’t need to walk into this battle unprepared just because I know and trust that the Lord will care for me. He still wants us to be prepared and be good stewards of what He has given us. We are currently coming back from our security training, and they brought up the biblical grounds we have to live with preparedness. One example is Esther; she committed to entering the king’s presence unannounced but waited three days to fast with others. To fail to take responsibility for our safety is to test God, not trust Him. God is not flippant about our security and our responsibility.

God will continue to grow us, but I am thankful for the training He has given us. Specifically, our short-term missions have better equipped us for our now long-term ministry. We are taking our resources and training to be best prepared against burnout or danger. But we will also take up our cross and follow Him. And we know that as we follow God, we will lack nothing!