My friend, let us praise our mighty and powerful God on this Monday morning! Blessings to you and yours as we begin the new week!
Read Luke 10:1 – 20 (again).
Last Friday, we began to look at perhaps only the second evangelical work recorded in the Gospel. According to our reading, the Lord Jesus sent out the seventy in groups of two (vv 1) “before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.”. This act of sending disciples ahead is very closely related to the reference to John the Baptizer in the opening of Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1:1 – 3): “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”.
But as we read further in today’s passage, take note that the “sent seventy” are given a series of specific ministerial instructions by Our Lord that each of us, as laborers in the Lord’s harvest, should carefully consider:
(vv 4) – “Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.”. Jesus wants us to stay “on point and on mission”. It is as if He is warning us not to be distracted by either possessions or (unnecessary) relationships when building His Kingdom. Colossians 3 says it like this: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”.
(vv 5-6) – “But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.”. The peace that we have in and through the Lord is one of our most powerful witnessing tools. And we should walk in His peace with confidence. According to Judges 6, when Gideon encountered the the LORD, “the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”. Psalm 85 promises us “I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints;”. And finally, Philippians 4 assures us “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”.
(vv 9) – “And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”. How I love this particular ministerial command given by Our Lord! In a very matter-of-fact and amazingly unassuming way, Jesus tells us to go and do miracles to prepare the way for Him. Yes, just as if He was simply saying, ‘Oh, and by the way, go out and heal people.’. And I think that we all, as Believers, often forget this important aspect of our ministry. To underscore the emphasis that should be placed on signs and wonders as a part of evangelism, here are just a couple of examples of what Jesus Himself said about works and miracles: “The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.” – John 10:25; and “no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.” – Mark 9:39. This is why Jesus told the seventy to declare to those who were healed “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”. Brothers, let us make opportunities for the Kingdom of God to come near to those we meet by audaciously expecting a miracle for them – and for our part, that means we must be willing to pray for every person who needs a touch from Our Lord.
Our passage is so rich with important Kingdom insight that we will finish up tomorrow, God willing.
Until then, my friend, here is my prayer for all of us, as laborers in His harvest: Thank You, Lord, that You send us out before Your face to prepare the way for You! I pray that we would be focused today on building Your Kingdom here on earth; that we would walk in Your peace, the peace that is complete and beyond all understanding; and that we have eyes to see needs and courage to pray for miracles for those who seek You, Lord Jesus! Amen!