Two by Two

Jesus calls the twelve so that they can be with Him in Mark 3. They stay with him without being sent out by Him until Mark 6: “And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two…” (6:7) Between choosing and sending, Jesus nurtures and prepares them before sending them out into the mission field. It is important to notice that Jesus sends them out two by two. Lone rangers are not welcome in Jesus’ plan.

In ministry, there has to be a person or a small group of friends who can keep us checked. A spiritual life needs to be nurtured by the spiritual life of others. Spiritual friendship functions as a visible agent of the invisible God in Christian journey. If a Christian does not have a visible agent in his/her Christian walk, he/she lacks of a means to grow to be like Him (cf. 1 John 3:2). People is always God’s Plan A.

In How People Grow: What the Bible Reveals about Personal Growth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), Henry Cloud and John Townsend note:

If you are going to help people grow, you must understand the necessity of relationship for growth. Often people in the church who are teaching others how to grow eliminate the role of the Body. In fact, sometimes these people teach that their students don’t need people at all, that Christ alone is sufficient or that his Word or prayer is enough. They actively and directly lead others to not depend on people at all. They think that is wrong.

But the Bible teaches that all these things are part of the process, including other people. So, as we talk about all the different aspects of how people grow, we want to emphasize loudly the role of the Body. Years of research and experience back up this biblical reality: You must have relationship to grow.

Independence from relationship is independence from God himself, for he is present in his Body; it is also independence from the way he designed for us to grow…If you are helping others grow and you become aware of an area of life in which a person needs something from God, think of other people as part of the solution. (pp. 121-122)

We need people to grow. In ministry, we need at least one companion to walk alongside us. It is Jesus’ design for all disciples to travel two by two. We are not independent; rather, we are interdependent.