The Lord did not issue employee handbooks to his disciples prior to his Ascension into Heaven. Instead, he handed them a map:
You will be my witnesses; beginning in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, Samaria, even to the ends of the earth.
What’s the difference between a map and a handbook or an owner’s manual or a set of step-by-step instructions? The latter provide information, the other incites adventure.
I once rode the Continental Divide on horseback with a buddy who was a hunting guide based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
For nearly a week, we explored 12,000-foot peaks. The horses ploughed through snow up to their chests. We inched our way across mountain slopes covered with boulders. We snaked our way up switch-back trails with walls of rock on one side and thousand-foot drops on the other.
I never felt so alive!
The topographical maps that we carried were hard to read. Trail markers were scarce. When we lost our bearings, we had no choice but to press on, looking for signs of an ancient path.
After that trip, I realized that Christ doesn’t need more preachers. He needs trailblazers.