Matthew 10:9-15: “Jesus Gives More Practical Ministry Advice
Prior To Sending Out The Twelve On A Missionary Journey”
by
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In this study we are going to continue from where we left
off before and keep observing those general ministry principles to learned from
Jesus sending out the 12 on this internship of ministry
2.
VS 10:9-10 - “9 “Do not acquire gold,
or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or
even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his
support”” - Jesus
teaches His apostles that those whose vocation is ministry deserve to be
supported for their work
2.1.
The apostles were not to try to plan to provide for all of their needs,
but rather they were to trust in the Lord to put it upon people’s hearts to
support them
2.2.
GENERAL MINISTRY PRINCIPLE #4: The Christian missionary must learn to live
by faith and trust in the Lord to provide for him as he steps out in faith and
goes where the Lord leads him
2.2.1. It is good for us to learn
to step out in faith, and I remember Hudson Taylor saying before he left for
2.2.1.1.What we might think would be
putting the Lord to the test normally he would consider missionary training as
he would sometimes actually place himself in situations where he would have to
trust the Lord to provide his monthly rent, etc
2.2.2. George Muler was a man who
learned to walk by faith
2.2.2.1.His autobiography is
actually more than a bit dry as it contains mostly just his journal of God’
providing for His needs on a daily basis
2.2.2.2.He was a man who trusted God
to allow him to support many other ministries besides his own, including other
missionary’s salaries and an orphanage
2.2.3. Are you walking by faith in
God, or is your faith partially in your own abilities, career, parents, bank
account, investments, retirement plan, etc?
2.2.3.1.If you aren’t, you need to
learn to trust in the Lord only
2.3.
We see here in these verses that the apostles had to trust in the Lord to
even provide for them extra shoes should their’s wear out, or an extra coat
should their’s be torn or get wet
2.4.
They were to have to learn to look to the Lord to even protect them from
wild beasts or robbers, and thus they were not even to take a staff to support
or protect them should they run into trouble on the highways and byways
2.5.
We in the Calvary Chapel movement don’t place an emphasis on asking for
money because we believe that ‘where God guides He provides’, however when the
topic comes up in the scripture we teach about it just as we teach about all
other topics vital to a Christian’s walk
2.5.1. Christians need to realize
that it is their responsibility to tithe to their church so that their leaders
who minister diligently to them can be supported
2.5.1.1.In 1 Cor. 9:7-14, Paul
quotes from Deuteronomy in teaching that those in the ministry are to be
supported by the ministry, “7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own
expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends
a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? 8 I am not speaking these
things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these
things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox
while he is threshing.” God is not
concerned about oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes,
for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the
thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 If we sowed spiritual
things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you? 12 If
others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use
this right, but we endure all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the
gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat
the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their
share with the altar? 14 So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the
gospel to get their living from the gospel”
2.5.2. There is a principle of
interpretation regarding the scriptures that I want to share here, and that is
that if the Lord instituted anything prior to the giving of the Old Testament
Law, then it is always going to be part of plan for His people. Even though the word ‘tithing’ is not
specifically mentioned in the New Testament (Paul does mention to the church
about offerings being gathered on the first day of the week by the church), it
is should be observed by God’s people for Abraham tithed (gave a 1/10th)
to the priest Melchisidek, that mysterious person who comes out of nowhere in
Genesis and who is described in Hebrews as being a type of the priesthood of Christ. Then, later Moses was given by God the Law
and in it tithing was an essential part.
2.5.2.1.In Malachi 3:8-12, God
challenged the faith and obedience of Israel by telling them to test Him to see
if He would not bless them abundantly if they would be faithful in their
tithing to Him, “8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say,
‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 “You are cursed with a
curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 “Bring the whole
tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me
now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows
of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11 “Then I will
rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the
ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of
hosts. 12 “And all the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a
delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts””
3.
VS 10:11 - “11 “And into whatever
city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it; and abide there until
you go away”” - They were to
find those who were worthy to stay with
3.1.
GENERAL MINISTRY PRINCIPLE #5: The Christian missionary needs to be careful where
he stays during his ministry, for there is advantage to staying with faithful
believers
3.1.1. The missionary must be
focused in his work and time of devotion with the Lord, and where there are
many distractions it will not provide an environment for effective ministry
3.1.2. I believe that in most cases
it is best for Christians to live with other Christians when possible, for this
serves as a hedge of protection for them
3.2.
GENERAL MINISTRY PRINCIPLE #6: The Christian missionary should “move with
the movers” and never waste his time on a “dead duck”
3.2.1. Those who have not yet
decided in their heart whether or not they really want to follow the Lord
cannot be discipled, and the Lord must first break them before effective
discipleship can occur
3.2.2. So many times we Christians
can waste our time working with the wrong people, we should spend our time
working with the ones who are the most excited about learning more about the
Lord and serving Him, regardless of how naturally talented or gifted they may
be, for God will use those who simply make themselves available to Him
3.3.
GENERAL MINISTRY PRINCIPLE #7: The Christian missionary should always try to
fish where the fishing is good
3.3.1.
Time can best be spent by going to that place where the seed has already
been sown and where God is already moving, and that place where God will use
them in the greatest way may be unique for each individual
3.3.2.
It is a unique ministry where one is called to break the hard fallow
ground and must be faithful to just sow the seed being content with very little
in results, yet some are called to this type of ministry
3.4.
GENERAL MINISTRY PRINCIPLE #8: The Christian missionary should not be moving
around, but rather stay put in one place
3.4.1. You cannot have effective
ministry if you are moving from house to house or city to city, for effective
ministry requires time for the seed that has been planted to be watered, feel
the heat of the sun and the nourishment of its light, and soak in the nutrients
in the soil where it is planted
4.
VS 10:12-13 - “12 “And as you enter the
house, give it your greeting. 13 “And if the house is worthy, let your greeting
of peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your greeting of peace
return to you”” - Give the
house a greeting when you first go to stay there
4.1.
Jesus commands his apostles to properly greet those whom they met, for to
give a proper greeting is to create a very crucial first impression upon the
minds of the people, and it sets the precedent for all that you shall do in
ministry afterwards
4.2.
It seems that perhaps Jesus is saying here that when you give a house you
enter a proper greeting in the Lord that you will be able to tell very quickly
whether or not the person who lives in the house is a person who loves and
obeys God, and thus you would be able to know whether or not you should stay in
that house
4.2.1. This is perhaps what is
meant by either letting your greeting come upon the house or having it return
to you
4.3.
Jesus practiced what He preached:
4.3.1. In John 20:19, when Jesus
appeared to the apostles after His resurrection, He first gave them the house a
greeting saying, “Peace be with you!”
5.
VS 10:14-15 - “14 “And whoever does not
receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city,
shake off the dust of your feet. 15 “Truly I say to you, it will be more
tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for
that city”” - Jesus gives
the apostles instructions about what to do when people refused to receive them
or to heed their words
5.1.
Jesus commands the apostles that when they go to a city or a people who
will not receive them into their houses or listen and heed their preaching of
the good news of God’s kingdom and of repentence from sin to living for the
Lord, that they were to give the people a sign of their impending judgment for
this by publicly shaking off the dust from their feet as they leave the city
5.2.
It is a very serious sin to refuse to listen to those who are sent from
the Lord to preach the gospel to you
5.2.1. Jesus says that the people who
rejected the apostles and their preaching will have a less tolerable judgment
in hell than will the people who were judged when God destroyed the cities of
5.2.2. In Hebrews 10:26-31, the
author of that book gives those who turn away from the Lord after learning of
Him a stern warning about the horrible sin and consequent judgment that comes
for any person who refuses to receive and submit to the gospel of the good news
of God’s Son after hearing the message, “26 For if we go on sinning willfully
after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice
for sins, 27 but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of
a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law
of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How
much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under
foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by
which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know
Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His
people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to
fall into the hands of the living God”
5.2.3. Truly the worst sin that can
be committed is to reject Jesus, for He is the greatest and most valuable gift
in all of the universe, therefore the only sin that will send a person to hell
is to refuse to accept Christ as one’s Lord and Savior
5.3.
Note that there are a few things that are implied in Jesus’ statement
about the judgment of those who reject the apostles’ preaching as have a less
tolerable judgment in hell than the people of
5.3.1. The people of
5.3.1.1.This then gives us proof
that God does not anhilate people whom He judges, but rather on the day of the
Great White Throne Judgment of nonbelievers they will be cast into an eternal
hell
5.3.2. This story also teaches us
that there will be degrees of judgment for non-believers who are cast into the
lake of fire for eternity
5.4.
A note to be made here is that these words of Jesus were for the apostles
for a period of time and as they went out to reach a very select group, the
Jews, therefore we should not always think that necessarily God wants us to
follow these instructions to the letter, and it may be much more profitable for
us not to knock the dust off of our shoes if someone does not immediately
receive us and our ministry today