In Matthew 10, we’ve been look at Jesus sending the 12 disciples out on their first solo missionary journey. There’s another principle we need to notice about this.

Matthew 10:9-10

9 "Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,

10 or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.

Jesus first tells them not to make any money in this service of Him. He doesn’t want the disciples to give the wrong impression to people, or give them any reason to think that they are only in it for the money.

But then He tells them not to even go home and pack! Don’t even take a duffel bag! The second coat He speaks of was very important in that time. The coat (or cloak) was more like a heavy robe they would wrap around themselves. At night, when it got cold, they would wrap this coat around themselves to stay warm. They always carried extra sandals, and a walking staff to help them over the rough places in the road.

But Jesus tells them not to even take basic supplies for their tour – only to take what they had with them. What is He trying to do? He’s trying to teach them to WALK BY FAITH. They’ve had the classroom lessons, but now they have to actually put what He has taught them into practice.

God has many things to teach you. Many of them are in the Word of God. But to live a life of walking by faith, and trusting the Lord, can only be learned by doing it! This same principle applies to many things we learn in the Bible.

For example, we can learn how to pray, we can study the prayer life of Moses, we can look at every single passage in the Word of God that has the word prayer in it. But you will never truly understand prayer until you do it! When you pray, God will teach you many more things about prayer as you see how it works in your life.

Almost contrary to common sense, these disciples are have to going to learn to trust the Lord to provide for their needs as they are out doing His will. Jesus tells that the worker is worthy of his support. They had already had the classroom training on the subject. Jesus had taught them that God will provide exactly what we need to accomplish what He has for us to accomplish:

Matthew 6:25-31

25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

27 "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

28 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,

29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Then again in:

Matthew 10:29-31

29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

The disciples now have to step out of their comfort zone, and trust the Lord to provide. They had to take a step of faith.

As we continue to grow in our Christian life, by taking in the Word of God, God will give us opportunities to apply what we have learned in study to our real-life walk with Him. The true Christian life is not just a life of learning what the Word of God says, but of taking what we learn and making application to our daily life.

He has things to teach you that you can only learn by doing!