Day 10, Matthew 10 
When we consider the twelve men whom Jesus chose
to be His apostles, we realize that it is God who
qualifies people for ministry. Four of the twelve
were unschooled fishermen, one was a former tax collector,
and one was a former right-wing revolutionary (Simon
the Zealot). On the other hand, there is little doubt
that these men were chosen because of what God saw
in their hearts. Eleven had a sincere love for Jesus,
while one possessed the seeds of betrayal.
Jesus sent them out, not just to preach the gospel,
but to heal the sick and cast out demons (Matt. 11:7-8).
Those supernatural signs would validate their message
of repentance. We see the same pattern in the book
of Acts. Why then do so many of us believe that God
has changed His methods for building His kingdom?
We need God's supernatural power just as much as
the original apostles did. This is the reason to
be baptized in His Spirit (Acts 1:8).
Jesus' instructions to the twelve are certainly
applicable to modern ministers whom He also sends.
Reading and heeding Matthew 10 would
likely do more good for modern Bible school and seminary
students than years of sitting in classrooms. This
is a message from the Head of the Church!
The apostles were not to go out laden with money,
but were to trust God for provision as they went
(10:9-10). Theirs was a journey of faith. Tragically,
many modern ministers are not only laden with money,
but they strangely claim that this is the evidence
of their great faith!
The twelve were not to waste their time on unreceptive
villages. People who would not repent after hearing
their message and seeing their miracles were doomed
(10:15). The apostles were to shake the dust off their
feet and head towards the next town. If this one
spiritual principle was followed by modern ministers,
we would not have 95% of the world's preachers endlessly
preaching to 5% of the world's people.
Why should anyone hear the gospel twice until everyone
has heard it once? You've probably noticed that most
of the reports of modern, genuine miracles
are coming from places where everyone hasn't heard
the gospel twice. What is the difference? God is
trying to reach those people who have never heard,
whereas He has shaken the dust off His feet
long ago where everyone has already rejected the
gospel multiple times.
The twelve were to expect hardship that would test
their devotion. Notice that the large majority of
what Jesus told them fell under this category (10:16-39),
and His words obviously have application to all true
disciples (10:24-25). Following Jesus always results
in slander, persecution and rejection, at the minimum.
It could result in worse--hatred from one's own family,
or even martyrdom, which has been experienced by
millions of believers throughout the centuries. Jesus
never promised exemption from these things. But He
did promise that His Spirit would be with us (10:20),
that God greatly values us (10:29-31), that we would
find our lives in losing them for His sake (10:39),
and that we will be rewarded (10:41-42).
Most sobering are Jesus' warnings, not about the
world, but about God. We should not fear those who
can only kill our bodies; rather, we should fear
the One who "is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell" (10:28). Jesus spoke those words
to His devoted disciples, one more indication that
the modern theory of "once saved, always saved" ought
to be questioned.
Jesus had other warnings. If we deny Him before
others, He will deny us before His Father (10:33),
not exactly another promise of unconditional eternal
security. Thus our persecutions serve as tests of
our true devotion, and this is why so many true believers
have refused to deny Christ in the face of death.
If we love mother, father, son, or daughter more
than Jesus, we are not worthy of Him (10:37). If
we do not take up our cross---an obvious analogy
for embracing the suffering that comes with following
Christ---we are not worthy of Him (10:38). In light
of such words we must ask: Is modern Western
Christianity Christianity at all?
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