Living Room Study

Luke 10

“When you enter any town and they welcome you, eat the things set before you.  Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near you.’  When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into the streets and say, ‘We are wiping off (as a witness) against you even the dust of your town that clings to our feet.  Know this for certain: The Kingdom of God has come near.’  I tell you, on that day, it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.”  Luke 10: 8-12

Today’s passage is a message, tailor-fit for the modern church. 

First, it never ceases to amaze me how unaccommodating some Christians are, when it comes to personal evangelism.  When Jesus sent out the “70”, He directed them not only to heal and to preach, but also to be socially gracious.  In an age when the rules of kosher dominated the behavior of the average Jew, Jesus instructed His “missionaries” eat whatever was set before them.

The point is: It is possible to be so Heavenly-minded that you are no earthly good.  Jesus is not commanding His followers to break God’s law.  He is righting rabbinical interpretation of God’s law.  Winning souls is of utmost importance to God.

Second, it also amazes me how timid some churches are.  It’s like they are afraid to simply share the Gospel, for fear of offending people.  Here’s a rule: If nobody’s rejecting your Gospel, you’re probably not sharing it.  If you’re not sharing it, you might wanna check, as to whether you ever received it.

In short: We can be so Worldly-minded that we are no Heavenly good.

Jesus was telling the “70” that the message of the truth is to be proclaimed, whether it is welcomed or not.  Why should people uninterested or unreceptive in the Gospel be evangelized?  Because the message itself is powerful, since it comes from God, it may cause them to change their minds.  Note that Jesus’ disciples were not merely commanded to show opposition to those who rejected the Gospel, but to also condemn it.

Part of our effective witness is going the extra distance to clarify the Gospel to all.  We are commanded to make certain, that people fully understand what they are accepting or rejecting.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins