Show and Tell

“The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.” Luke 10:1 (NLT) 
Jesus trained the disciples with a show and tell model; or more accurately—a tell and show model. He went out and proclaimed the good news, healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead—all while his disciples watched.
Jesus then sent out first the twelve, then the seventy-two with instructions to do what He did.
So the model was: Listen to what Jesus said, watch what Jesus did; then go do that to others: tell and show.
The beautiful thing about Jesus’ training was that it was not based in technique (five steps to casting out demons, or three steps to healing); it was based in relationship. They lived with Jesus, slept beside him, and ate meals together; three years of intimate relationship.
And out of that relationship—listening to Jesus and watching him do the stuff—they began to sound a little like Him and look a little like Him.
So what it means to be a Christian today is the same as then: we are followers of Christ who are to go tell and show. If you think you’ve been slighted because Jesus is not physically present with us as he was with the early disciples, think again. We have the added bonus of the Holy Spirit of Jesus living inside of us.
And if for some reason you think that only the twelve Apostles were called to the tell and show model—remember that this verse in Luke tells us that Jesus sent out not only the twelve, but also the seventy-two. The tell and show model is for every follower of Christ.
-Pastor Dino Griffin