What does it mean to live with genuine purpose? This message takes us straight into the heart of that question by grounding us in Luke 10, where Jesus sends out 72 disciples with a mission that is both thrilling and sobering. The central insight here is that purpose is not something we manufacture from within ourselves by cataloguing our strengths or following our passions. It is something bestowed upon us from outside ourselves, by a God who is a sending God. From Abraham in Genesis 12 to Moses in Exodus 3 to Jesus himself in John 17, the arc of Scripture tells a consistent story: God sends, and His people go.
We are invited to see ourselves as part of that same unbroken movement. The 72 were not given comfort or certainty before they left. They were sent as lambs among wolves, with no money, no supplies, and no guarantees. And yet they went. And it was in the going, not before it, that the power of Jesus met them. That pattern speaks directly to us. The life of purpose God calls us into is not a life of comfort first and obedience second. It is a life of trust, of letting go of control, and of stepping into the mission with open hands.
Discussion questions:
1. Jesus sent the 72 disciples out as 'lambs among wolves' with no money, no supplies, and no sandals - what does this radical dependence on God reveal about the relationship between trust and purpose, and where in your own life do you find it hardest to let go of control?
2. N.T. Wright's description of the Christian purpose includes announcing redemption, healing, and love through story, music, art, philosophy, education, politics, and more - how does this expand your understanding of what it means to participate in God's mission in your specific vocation or daily life?
3. Jesus warns his disciples not to rejoice that spirits submit to them, but to rejoice that their names are written in heaven - in what ways might we be tempted to find our identity in what we accomplish for God rather than in belonging to God, and what is the danger in that?
