SCRIPTURE: Luke 10
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ [Luke 10:10-11] Whether we see it or accept it or not, the kingdom of God is near – at hand, all around us! This passage describes villages that do not recognize the kingdom that is near, but also a priest and levite who did not see the kingdom in the wounded man on the side of the road, and Martha’s inability to see the kingdom right in her home, in Jesus.
The kingdom of God is the world as God intended it to be, where hospitality welcomes guests to a village, where sick people find healing and support, where demon-possessed people find freedom, where wounded people receive care from passersby, and where people focus on Jesus as they do whatever they do (even dishes), and not on others flaws and faults (Martha’s problem was not what she was doing, but how she was doing it – she could have been serving with her heart full of Jesus, not full of bitterness).
Wherever we go in life, whatever we are doing, we are sent by Jesus to live and serve like Jesus. We are called to demonstrate and declare God’s way of life – loving, serving, blessing, helping, sharing, encouraging, etc. When we do this, the Spirit of God magnifies our efforts and multiplies the blessing – and the demons retreat. With Spirit-inspired boldness, we move into the world, wherever God sends us, and act and react as Jesus would. With His help, we demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control. And the people blessed by it, like the man wounded and blessed by the Samaritan, experience the nearness of the kingdom.
The more I think about this, the more I am convinced that ‘church’ is living the kingdom life in the world with other Jesus-followers. Jesus sent out the seventy-two in pairs, they were teams (partners, churches) encouraging and supporting each other in their kingdom activity. The central thing we do as ‘church’ is not come together on Sundays to be fed, but go out together through the week to feed. As we do this, along the way, we praise and pray together, study the bible together – all for the sake of equipping us for the main thing – our kingdom activity in the world with each other and Jesus.
How many wounded people do we drive past going to ‘church’?
PRAYER:
Lord, if necessary, kick us out of church and into Your world, and then show us how Your Spirit power can bless/change the world.
October 10, 2009
Luke 10
Jesus sends more of his followers out to spread the good news. He tells them how to go about it, what to do, what not to do etc. He is urgent in getting his message out since there are so many eager to hear the good news and be saved. Jesus tells his followers to keep it simple, don’t take a lot of stuff along, it just gets in the way and you won’t need it anyway. He tells them to greet the people and say God’s kingdom is right here on your doorstep! If they invite you in, great, if not, it’s their loss. Don’t wait around just go on to the next place.
Jesus then tells them how blessed they are with God as their protector from evil. No can touch them, God will keep them safe, none of the joy they are experiencing comes from their own abilities but from what God is doing in them.
Jesus goes on telling them the story about the Samaritan traveller who helped a stranger hurt on the side of the road, took care of him, paid for a hotel room and went on his way. This so called heathen did more for the hurt person than the priest or the religious Levite that came by earlier and did nothing.
This is how you should treat people Jesus says – like how the Samaritan treated the fellow in the ditch. These are the people that are your neighbours, not necessarily the ones sitting cosily beside you in your church pew reciting all the right words, singing all the upbeat songs.
He then tells the story of Martha – the kitchen gal, and Mary – the listener and worshiper. Martha, being upset that Mary is not doing anything to help her get the Thanksgiving meal ready wants Jesus to scold Mary, but Jesus says, now, now Martha, Mary has chosen the “greater” thing to do! So what is the greater thing?
I think there are many people sitting in our church pews today that are there so they can be served instead of serving others. They think they are doing the “greater” thing by just being there. I feel like that myself at times. I made it to church today, did my part, that’s pretty great! The trouble is…that’s where it stops. I go back home and serve myself.
The greater thing is… being in God’s word, worshipping him through music, prayer doing my daily devotional. Only then will God enable me to pursue greater abilities to help me be a servant to others.
God please help me to use my time wisely, not to waste it. Help me to choose you first! Fill me with goodness, kindness and joy so I can serve my neighbour as myself.
grace
Hello Norm,
Its not much of a dare really….the dare you made us… its just that it takes time and effort! And there is a great deal of effort for me to get into setting aside prescribed time for bible reading and then journaling and then contemplating in the SOAP way! I am one of these people that seems to be into everything – I am like a rustic at the king’s banquet – I want to try everything – and of course the result is that you become splintered or fragmented. So now i have decided on a new course of action and I am doing it via LDN – or rather I am using LDN as a tool to structure my new life stage. I am trying to be more in touch with my God and myself. So …why am I writing you this? well to let you know that when I get myself into this a little better I will start to share – but for now I am having a devil of a time just doing it. I mean I am turning down jobs for my Andyman Construction business but there is still so many things I need to do……
wipe the dust off our feet?
Does this sound like the love of God? Keep in mind that Jesus is talking about the reception the first disciples would receive from the Jewish towns they came to. This is part of God’s frustration with His own people for not welcoming His Son, His message of grace. But what it also means is that we are not to force our message on people. If they do not receive it, move on. This is not our rejecting them, it is our continuing our mission. God will keep working on them, He will send more people to them.
As Jesus sent out the 72, so too He sends out you and me. And I need to be like the Samaritan or like Mary or like the 72 – to keep the main thing the main thing. I am here to serve and serve I must. God’s purpose for His people, wherever they be, must be to share the Good News in all walks of life. I have been sent out in His vineyard and I need to focus and not be distracted like a Martha. I must not pass by on the other side but take up my task and follow what my Master has said – follow Me. Work in My vineyard. Practice hospitality. Show the love of Christ. Be My hands and feet and mouth. Become like me – Christian by name. They will see Me by your love – your doing, your serving. We are the Church – the body of Christ – living Christ in all what we do and say every day. Today Christ Is First.
But so many a time I walk by or have lost my focus in other preparations.
Create in me a clean heart oh Lord.
Plenteous of grace, descend from high,
Rich in Thy sev’nfold energy!
Thou strength of His almighty hand,
Whose pow’r does Heav’n and earth command:
Proceeding Spirit, our Defense,
Who dost the gift of tongues dispense,
And crown’st Thy gift with eloquence!
Refine and purge our earthly parts;
But, oh, inflame and fire our hearts!
Our frailties help, our vice control;
Submit the senses to the soul;
And when rebellious they are grown,
Then, lay Thy hand, and hold them down.
Chase from our minds th’infernal foe;
And peace, the fruit of love, bestow;
And, lest our feet should step astray,
Protect, and guide us in the way.
Make us eternal truths receive,
And practice, all that we believe:
Give us Thyself, that we may see
The Father and the Son, by Thee.