Making Disciples

Devotional

Day 1: Sent as Lambs, Led by Lions

Jesus sent seventy-two disciples ahead of Him, two by two, into towns He planned to visit. They carried no money or extra sandals, relying wholly on His authority. Their mission mirrored His own: proclaim peace, heal the sick, and declare God’s kingdom. But He warned them plainly—they went as lambs among wolves. [01:09:34]

The Lamb’s confidence comes from the Lion’s presence. Wolves devour lambs, but lions devour wolves. Jesus didn’t send them unprepared; He sent them under His sovereign care. Their safety lay not in their strength but in His promise: “I am with you always.”

When you feel inadequate for God’s work, remember your weakness magnifies His strength. Who in your life needs to hear that following Jesus means walking with a Lion?

“Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”
(Luke 10:3, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to replace your fear with trust in His fierce protection.
Challenge: Text one person today: “How can I pray for your courage this week?”

Day 2: Two Witnesses, One Mission

Jesus paired the seventy-two intentionally. Two by two, they entered hostile towns as living proof of God’s faithfulness. Their partnership fulfilled Deuteronomy’s requirement: truth confirmed by multiple witnesses. But it also provided strength—when one grew weary, the other carried the torch. [52:32]

God designed discipleship for community, not isolation. Paul had Silas, Peter had John, and Jesus Himself sent workers in teams. Shared labor sustains joy and guards against burnout.

Who is your “Barnabas”—someone who walks beside you in ministry? If you’re flying solo, why risk collapse when Jesus offers companionship?

“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
(Ecclesiastes 4:12, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for someone who has strengthened your spiritual journey.
Challenge: Invite a believer to coffee this week to discuss shared ministry goals.

Day 3: White Fields and Working Hands

Jesus compared the world to a field ripe for harvest. Farmers reading the sky knew urgency—delay meant ruined crops. Yet He stunned His followers: “The laborers are few.” The problem wasn’t unwilling hearts in the field but absent workers holding scythes. [59:43]

God’s harvest thrives on urgency, not convenience. When we see coworkers, neighbors, or family as “white fields,” complacency becomes unthinkable. The clock ticks—eternity hangs in the balance.

What relationship have you neglected because harvesting feels uncomfortable?

“Lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest.”
(John 4:35, ESV)

Prayer: Confess procrastination in sharing the gospel with one specific person.
Challenge: Write down three names of non-believers; pray for them daily.

Day 4: Begging the Lord of Harvest

Jesus didn’t say “recruit more workers” but “plead with the Lord of the harvest.” The Greek word for “pray earnestly” implies desperate, persistent asking. Why? Prayer aligns us with the Sender’s heart. He owns the harvest; we simply join His work. [01:06:33]

Prayer isn’t a last resort—it’s the first weapon. When Paul faced prison, the church prayed fervently. Chains fell, guards converted, and the gospel spread.

What impossible situation have you stopped bringing to God?

“Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers.”
(Matthew 9:38, ESV)

Prayer: Spend five minutes silently asking God to send workers to your city.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder to pray at noon today for unreached people groups.

Day 5: Flowing In, Pouring Out

The Dead Sea dies because water flows in but never out. Jesus warned against stagnant faith—disciples must both receive and give. The seventy-two returned joyfully, reporting demons submitted in His name. Their power came from staying connected to the Source. [57:12]

Are you a reservoir or a channel? Mature faith isn’t measured by how much you know but by how much you pour into others.

Who needs your intentional investment this month?

“They returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’”
(Luke 10:17, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one person you’re called to disciple this season.
Challenge: Buy a coffee for someone younger in faith and ask about their walk with Christ.

Sermon Summary

Luke 10:1-3 sends the storyline forward with Jesus appointing seventy-two and sending them out two by two into towns he is about to visit. The text makes the mission plain: disciple-making runs on the power of the word, not on men or methods. From Genesis 1 onward, God’s word creates life, and wherever the word is central, real growth becomes normal. The risen King’s Great Commission lands as a command, not a suggestion. Commands hit different. Like the garage wall that said, “Stop, Judy,” the Great Commission reads in all caps and ends with an exclamation point, not a question mark.

Luke frames a ministry transition as Jesus turns his face toward Jerusalem. With the cross in view and time short, Jesus narrows his focus to equip disciples who will multiply. The sending of seventy-two widens the scope beyond the Twelve and hints at a global mission. The pairing “two by two” honors the law’s demand for two witnesses and also embodies biblical wisdom. Ecclesiastes says two outwork and outlast one. The early church repeats the pattern. In choosing pairs over wider coverage, Jesus chooses sustainability over scale. Lone wolves flame out. Community becomes a gift that keeps saints warm, lifted, and steadfast. A Dead Sea life that only takes in and never pours out grows too mineral-heavy to sustain life. Healthy disciples both receive and give. A simple rhythm helps: find a Paul to pour into you, a Timothy to pour into, and a Barnabas to walk alongside.

Then the harvest speaks. Jesus is not needy. The shortage is not in the fields but in the laborers. Fields white for harvest call for urgency, not delay. Sovereignty should make saints less anxious, not less urgent. The Lord rewrites stories when his people open their mouths, even with the neighbor blasting music at 2 a.m. The Greek for laborer signals exertion, the kind that suffers and sacrifices to bring about gospel effect. On a globe filled with the unreached and a nation full of people surprisingly willing to listen, the problem remains the same: too few workers.

Jesus prescribes the response: pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest. Plead. Prayer is participation in providence. The crop is his, and he gathers it by sending his people. The sending comes with a sober promise: “lambs in the midst of wolves.” Confidence is not in the identity of the sent, but the Sender. Lambs walk among wolves because a Lion walks with them. Wolves devour lambs, but lions devour wolves. John 10 seals it: no one can snatch his sheep from his hand. Therefore, do not say, “Four months, then the harvest.” The fields are ready now.

Key Takeaways

1. The word creates lasting gospel growth [44:44] Scripture does the heavy lifting in disciple-making, from creation to new creation. When the word is central, growth is not manufactured but birthed. Methods help, but only the word creates life and sustains fruit. Anchor every effort to preach, teach, and obey what God has said. [44:44]
2. Community sustains disciple-making over time [54:27] Jesus sent disciples two by two, choosing health over sheer coverage. Ecclesiastes and Acts testify that pairs endure what solos cannot. Lone wolves burn out; shared burdens build staying power. Receive from a Paul, invest in a Timothy, and walk with a Barnabas, so life flows in and out. [54:27]
3. The harvest demands holy urgency [01:04:28] Jesus is not lacking; the fields are. The shortage is workers, not opportunities. Sovereignty should quiet anxiety, not quench zeal. Act now where God has placed you, trusting him to change stories as the gospel is spoken and embodied. [64:28]
4. Prayer participates in God’s providence [01:06:33] “Pray earnestly” means plead with compassion to the Lord who owns the field. God ordains the ends and the means, and prayer is how his people join his work. Name the lost, pray for laborers, and expect the Lord of the harvest to send and save. [66:33]
5. Lambs walk boldly with the Lion [01:10:00] Jesus names the danger and then names himself as the Sender. Confidence does not come from the lambs’ strength but the Lion’s presence. John 10 secures the flock in his hand. Go anyway, because the fiercest wolves answer to a greater roar. [70:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:02] - Friendship and Scripture opened
[40:01] - Prayer for illumination
[40:22] - Password parable and mission drift
[42:31] - Called to make disciples
[44:11] - The Word makes life
[45:26] - The Great Commission is a command
[46:49] - "Stop, Judy" and how commands land
[48:25] - Jesus turns toward Jerusalem
[51:30] - For all peoples, sent two by two
[54:27] - The gift of Christian community
[56:12] - Find a Paul, Timothy, Barnabas
[57:53] - Fields ripe, laborers few
[66:07] - Pray earnestly to the Lord
[68:49] - Lambs, wolves, and the Lion

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Luke 10:1-3 (ESV)
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”

Observation questions

What two reasons does the text give for Jesus sending disciples out “two by two” (Luke 10:1)?
How does Jesus describe the relationship between the harvest and the laborers in verse 2?
What specific instruction does Jesus give in response to the shortage of laborers?

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus prioritize sending disciples in pairs over maximizing the number of towns reached? How does this reflect God’s design for ministry?
Jesus says the harvest is “plentiful” but laborers are “few.” How does this contrast challenge common assumptions about evangelism and spiritual readiness in the world?
What does it mean for disciples to be sent out as “lambs in the midst of wolves” (v. 3)? How does this imagery shape our understanding of both the danger and confidence in disciple-making?

Application questions

A rhythm of “find a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas” was suggested for sustainable discipleship. Who is currently pouring into you spiritually? Who are you intentionally investing in? If either is missing, what step could you take this week to address it? [56:12]
The Dead Sea analogy warns against only “taking in” without “pouring out.” What habits or relationships in your life might be causing spiritual stagnation? How could you create a healthier rhythm of receiving and giving? [57:12]
The neighbor blasting music at 2 a.m. became an opportunity for gospel urgency. Is there a relationship or situation in your life where you’ve delayed sharing the gospel out of fear or inconvenience? What would it look like to act with “holy urgency” there? [01:01:24]
Praying “earnestly” for laborers includes naming specific people. Who are three unbelievers in your life you could start praying for daily? How might you also pray for boldness to engage them? [01:06:33]
Lambs walk confidently because the Lion goes with them. Where do you feel most vulnerable or inadequate in living out your faith? How does Jesus’ promise in John 10:27-30 reshape your perspective on that fear? [01:10:00]

Sermon Clips

Think about the way Jesus describes the situation, how we often think of it. We often think, oh, there's so many of us poor Christians in the world ready to share Jesus, so few in this cold, spiritually dark place willing to hear it. And Jesus says, no. No. No. Actually, the opposite is true. Jesus says there's far more people willing to hear the gospel than there are people willing to share it. [01:03:54] (27 seconds)

How then if we are sent out as lambs in the midst of wolves, how do we, with any degree of confidence, go and make disciples? Well, the answer is not found in the identity of the sent. It's found in the identity of the sender. Jesus says, go your way. Behold, I am sending you. [01:09:14] (28 seconds)

You see, to say Jesus is Lord of the harvest is to also say the crop belongs to him as well. The Lord of the harvest is the one who lived a perfect life you and I have all failed to live and laid it down to to pay the penalty for our sin by the means of his own shed blood. That whosoever would repent of their sins and trust in him will gathered in by the Lord of the harvest. Man, that's good news. It's good news. [01:07:11] (27 seconds)

Jesus tells us what our urgent response to this ripe harvest and the lack of laborers should be. He says, therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest there in verse two. Pray earnestly. Plead. This word we translate into two English words, pray earnestly. It's one word in the Greek. It simply means to passionately plead. There's a desperation Jesus wants us to pray with. [01:06:09] (30 seconds)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Why does Jesus send disciples out two by two

What does harvest is plentiful but laborers few mean

Why is Christian community essential for making disciples