Why did Jesus send the disciples out 2 by 2?
You cannot study the stories of Jesus without noting two amazing things at work: miracles and disciples being sent out. Interestingly, neither of these are emphasized in your typical church today. We do not send out disciples, we try to bring in the lost. We do not preach miracles and healings because we do not know how to make that happen and if you talk about it you look like a kook.
I want to show you how the two are connected.
God’s original plan of two
Yeah, you are thinking of the two in the garden. I could say a lot about that, too, but I want you to look at the Ark of the Covenant instead. The Lord designed it with two angelic creatures standing on either side of it. One oft-missed point is that they were both facing each other (Exodus 25:20). There the Lord promised to appear and meet with man (Exodus 25:22). Since that is a physical representation of a spiritual truth, in Isaiah 6:3 we see the living demonstration where the angelic creatures call out to one another about the greatness of the Lord. His presence was so thick it was like a cloud! I thought about these verses after hearing Dr. Fred Childs preach on them recently.
Notice that when at least two witness the glory of God, He shows up in mighty power. What do disciples do? Go out in pairs and declare the goodness of the Lord. Do you want to see the goodness of the Lord? You can bring heaven on earth just by copying what we see in the throne room.
Disciples go out in pairs
I know people often use these Scriptures to show why we should praise the Lord in church, but He wants to fill all the earth with His glory.
Peter and John went out two by two. Paul and Barnabas went out declaring the goodness of God. Later Paul and Silas went one way while Barnabas and John Mark went another. Paul was so committed to this principle of team ministry that when he entered Troas he could not stay since Titus was not on site with him. Even though a big door was open for ministry, he left until he could find a godly person to team up with.
Disciples see miracles
Do you want to see healings and miracles in our day? Yes, faith is key. Yes, we need to pray, fast, and give. However, we also need to team up with other committed disciples and announce the goodness of the Kingdom of God.
When we share the good news with others, God will confirm His word with signs following. If you are not seeing any miracles, you need to revisit the Scriptures. When we follow the Master’s plan, the Master will show up!
What was the plan? Wherever two or three are gathered as His representatives, there He is in the midst. When Jesus shows up, hearts are moved, disease is cured, minds are changed. One important thing for you to do is find a strong teammate to join for ministry purposes. Declare the majesty of God and watch your world be filled with His presence.