And preach as you go,
saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.
Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey,
nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. And
whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with
him until you depart. As you enter the house, salute it. And if the house is
worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace
return to you. And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words,
shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say
to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah than for that town.
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Do you believe that
the gospel has power to change your life and the lives of others? Jesus
gave his disciples a two-fold commission to speak in his name and to act with
his power. The core of the gospel message is quite simple: the kingdom (or
reign) of God is imminent! What is the kingdom of God? It is that society
of men and women who freely submit to God and who honor him as their Lord and
King. In the Lord’s prayer we pray for God to reign in our lives and in our
world: May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Jesus also commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which
he did – bringing the healing power of God to the weary and oppressed. The
gospel has power to set people free from sin, sickness, fear, and oppression.
The Lord will free us from anything that keeps us from loving him and our neighbor
with joy and confidence.
Jesus said to his
disciples: Freely you have received, freely give. What they have
received from Jesus they must now pass on to others without expecting a favor
in return, whether it be in form of a gift or payment. They must show by their
attitude that their first interest is in serving God, not receiving material
gain. They must serve without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity.
They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and
not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light – only take
what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them – in order to
concentrate on the task of speaking the word of the God. They must do their
work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to
others, without expecting special privileges or reward. “Poverty of
spirit” frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample
room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on
him and not on themselves.
Secondly, Jesus said:
the worker deserves his sustenance. Here we see a double-truth: the
worker of God must not be overly-concerned with material things, but the people
of God must never fail in their duty to give the worker of God what he or she
needs to sustain themselves in the Lord's service. Do you pray for the work of
the gospel and do you support it with your material and financial resources?
Jesus ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject God’s invitation
and refuse his word, then they bring judgment and condemnation on themselves.
When God gives us his word there comes with it the great responsibility to
respond. Indifference will not do. We are either for or against God in
how we respond to his word. God gives us his word that we may have life –
abundant life – in him. He wills to work in and through each of us for
his glory. God shares his word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly
and simply to others. Do you witness the truth and joy of the gospel by word and
example to those around you?
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“Lord Jesus, may the
joy and truth of the gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those
around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.”
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