Extraordinary Sending
Mary Ho in front of the Hall of Tyrannus where Paul preached for two years.
My heart has been feeling the heartbeat of families and friends who have sent their loved ones to the mission field—their loss, their grief, but also their commitment.
I catch the pain of it in Paul’s attachment to and then departure from the Ephesian leaders (the church in Ephesus, Asia was where he stayed the longest — for three years.) He was close to the believers and personally mentored the elders, often with tears (Acts 20:19). He ate in their homes (v.20) and was their beloved spiritual father. Ephesus was also where he was most fruitful. He made tents in the mornings and taught publicly in the Hall of Tyrannus in the afternoons. It was so fruitful that after two years, “ALL the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10). Historians estimate that 15 million people heard the Gospel. It was the height of Paul’s career, so to speak. Paul could have said, “The whole Asia is won, I’m going to stay to enjoy the fruit and the fellowship.”
Instead, Paul gathered the Ephesian elders and said, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Now I know that none of you...will ever see me again” (Acts 20:22-25).
I call this extraordinary sending. And so many of you have engaged in extraordinary sending. The elders wept that they wouldn't see him again.* They kissed and hugged him so tightly that Paul had to “tear” himself from them (Acts 21:1). The Greek word apospasthentas indicates a painful farewell.
And yet they sent him. They knelt down together to pray, then personally accompanied him to his ship and sent him from the port of Miletus.
Miletus sending is not sending out missionary #45 or #207. Miletus sending is sending out our best, the ones closest to us. Miletus sending is a deep love relationship. Miletus sending is agonizing while sending, praying while sending, and weeping while sending. It is embracing so tight that the person has to tear away. It is letting go of holding tightly, so that we may personally accompany them to the airport, the tarmac, and the plane.
I want to thank each of you who have sent out your loved ones. It was because you sent your loved ones at a great personal loss that many new followers of Jesus are gained. Like Paul, your loved ones were compelled by the Holy Spirit to go, to finish the race, and complete the task of proclaiming God’s grace.
*Paul actually did get to see his Ephesians again two years later after his Roman imprisonment.
Blessings,
Dr. Mary Ho, DSL
All Nations International, Inc. | International Executive Leader
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