Were you ever that kid who rode the bench? You just wanted to get in the game. Like John Fogerty’s 1985 classic Centerfield, “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play…” The lyric describes a kid with his old worn out glove, a homemade bat, and shined up spikes longing to be a contributing part of the team. 

Perhaps you've felt like that at church. 

Idaho pastor and author Jim Putman wrote a best selling book entitled, Church is a Team Sport. When we become disciples we’re called out of the stands, down onto the field. Yet, a person might feel a bit overwhelmed, not quite sure what the score is or even what game is being played, perhaps feeling like a bench warmer. Is there a place for me on God’s team?

Continuing on in our salvation story we read that as Jesus traveled south, through the region of Samaria to Judea on his way towards Jerusalem, he sent seventy other disciples ahead of him to prepare the way for his arrival. Luke, the only one of the gospel writers to include this particular story, looks forward to the global scope of the church’s evangelistic mission and even perhaps to his own personal involvement in that missionary task. World evangelization would not just be the job of the twelve Apostles. Jesus would include other disciples as well. In fact, global missions is a task that involves the entire church, calling each one of us off the bench and into the game.