Preach Heaven

Matthew 10:7-10 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep” (NIV).

   Jesus made it totally clear the apostles were to be completely dependent on God as they embarked on their ministry mission to the Israelites.  They were to do what Jesus had been doing, thus they needed to completely rely on Him.

   Jesus said, “…Freely you have received, freely give” (10:8).  They themselves had received the message of Jesus.  They themselves had received His love.  They were sent out to do for others what He had done for them.  In fact, the word apostle means “sent out.”

   Verses 9 and 10 sure do show their need to be completely dependent on Him.  This was not a permanent standard for disciples of Christ for all ages.  This was a unique apostolic “short term” mission adventure, which truly required the apostles to trust Him.

   I think this order applied for the Twelve only for this one occasion.  I do not know for sure.  I have studied the ministry of the apostles extensively, and I think they had provisions years later as they embarked on ministry work to people of the world, a number of whom were not even anticipating the Messiah.

   All Twelve, counting the replacement for Judas, did ministry work until physical death.  Most traveled into foreign countries and territories.  For many, they went to multiple countries at first, and then settled into a foreign country for the long haul.  Some of the apostles had families.  For example, Eusebius quotes Clement of Alexandria regarding Philip being married and having daughters.  Eusebius goes on to quote Polycrates: “Philip, one of the twelve apostles who sleeps in Hierapolis, and his two aged virgin daughters.  Another of his daughters, who lived in the Holy Spirit, rests at Ephesus.” [1]  (Note that Polycrates contradicts Clement of Alexandria, since Clement said all of Philip’s daughters were married.  Yet the agreement is on the fact Philip was married with daughters.)

   However, considering the phenomenal accomplishments by the apostles, there is no question they traveled light!  We are not talking large camel caravans here.  And there is still a lesson in this unique command to the apostles for us today.  The lesson: the less stuff the better.

   One of many blessings of a job I had years ago as a student assistant at the Colorado Christian University Library was I got to talk a bit with the great students of CCU.  Once when checking out books for a student, we started talking about dorm living, and in the midst of the conversation she said, “We all have stuff.”  The manner in which she stated the obvious was a fresh reminder that “stuff” needs to be accepted.  Yet “stuff” also needs to be controlled.

   One of my three favorite quotes from Chuck Swindoll when listening to him on the radio years ago: “There is nothing wrong with owning possessions, so long as they are not possessing you.”  How true.

   I conclude by giving the illustration of what has happened to me ever since I entered my vocational ministry calling.  Since packing up my possessions into a moving truck in the spring of 1997 to drive over two thousand miles to begin a position as a youth pastor, I have given away, recycled, or thrown away much stuff of which I personally had no previous intention of parting with.  I have had to move many times in my ministry calling, and each move created a need to give away more stuff.  My last ministry move involved fitting everything I own, literally, into one car.  I now have a fraction of the stuff I had twenty-four years ago.

   Often, I did not want to part with certain possessions.  However, after doing so I was often glad, and even grateful, I no longer had a number of those possessions I gave away.  Regarding some of the other possessions, it was painful to give them away!  However, it was a life-long lesson to me of the fact that possessions in this world are temporary.

   Preparation is key to succeeding at anything, and preparation to do ministry work requires having certain physical provisions.  However, preparation for ministry work usually also involves being more mobile, thus getting rid of more stuff than you originally considered.  When a Scout, the Friday before a backpacking trip, we would have what we Scouts called a “shake down.”  If you follow Jesus, get prepared for a “shake down,” even if your mission involves staying right where you are.

   The lesson I think Jesus was teaching His apostles, and a lesson He wants us to get from their incredible mission adventure: Be dependent on Him, not your temporary possessions.

   Remain focused on Jesus in heaven.  Always remember what Jesus had His apostles preach during His three years of ministry work here on earth: “The kingdom of heaven is near” (7).

Hunter Irvine

[1] Eusebius, Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, 

trans. C.F. Cruse 

(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1998), 95-96.

Christ has a mission for us

Matthew 10:1-6

   In the previous passage which I wrote about last week, Matthew repeats a statement he made near the conclusion of chapter four.  I think he repeats himself in order to emphasize the mission of Jesus in order that we may be absolutely convicted and encouraged regarding our mission as disciples of Jesus.

   Learning of this mission of Christ, and starting to learn about a short-term missions adventure of the apostles, we still need to distinguish between the progression of Christ’s mission, the apostle’s mission before the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the apostle’s mission after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and the mission of all followers of Jesus in every generation since.

   First note that Jesus made it clear His mission during His three year period in this world was specifically to the Israelites.  The Messiah’s immediate mission did not extended beyond Israelites until He suffered on the cross.  Though Jesus had strict parameters for teaching, preaching, and healing, He was leading to His plan of being the sacrificial atonement on the cross offered to all people of all time.

   And as we learn in this passage, the Israelites were the mission field for the apostle’s mission at this time before the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

   After the resurrection and just before the ascension of Jesus, the apostle’s mission would be radically expanded by Jesus to the entire world.  Their mission expansion by Jesus is recorded in Acts 1:8.  The apostles were a group of Hebrews who would not normally even dine together.  For starters, the group included a Zion Zealot and a tax collector for Rome from the tribe of Levi, and fellowship between two such Israelites was probably unheard of.  Yet the Twelve, with a replacement for Judas, ended up becoming evangelists for Christ to countries in every direction.  If you are interested in learning about the missions of the apostles, see my blog entries from February to April of 2015, which were the result of countless hours of research: The Twelve Apostles

   Now what is the mission for you and me?  All people of every nation remain the mission field for Christians as it has been for all following generations since the apostolic age.  The command by Jesus in Acts 1:8 continues for all disciples of Christ until Jesus returns.

   Do note one difference between the nature of the ministry between the apostles and the rest of us Christians ever since.  Apostles were given the ability and authority by Jesus to physically heal people.  Yet I reiterate what I said in my last piece: I advocate the calling and ability the apostles were given to physically heal people from diseases, and to even physically raise people from the dead, was specific to the apostolic age.  Yet the Holy Spirit can still assist with physical healing in unique ways and unique circumstances.  This is aside from a spiritual gift of a person, and aside from diligent church attendance.

   I once rented a room in a townhouse from a person who is blind, a man who is a brother-in-Christ.  No minister ever restored his sight, and he was not expecting such.  Yet Jesus still does miracles in this world rooted in a spiritual nature, including healing for the heart.  And in order for us to do work as a part of our mission calling, we must rely completely on Him to be enabled to carry out the spiritual work of God, who is Spirit (as revealed in John 4:24).

Hunter Irvine

Be a minister

Matthew 9:35-38     Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (NIV).

   Jesus has called all of His disciples to be ministers.  Since Jesus is our example and our strength, we need to see what He did.

   First, Jesus taught.  One example of His teaching is found in what is now termed “The Sermon on the Mount.”

   And Jesus commands us to continue teaching about Him, which He clearly stated in what we now term the Great Commission, which was given after He was resurrected.  Now some have the gift for public teaching, as Timothy did.  Those of us with that gift should be encouraged as Timothy was encouraged in I Timothy 4:13-14.  I love teaching.

   Now some do not have a gift for public or formal teaching.  Yet most people “teach” a person or people in some manner.  Parents teach their children.  Even if parents do not methodically teach children lessons for life, just by their own behavior they are teaching.  Children learn much from the actions of their parents.

   Christians teach their co-workers by their behavior.  After I became a Christian, I slowly learned that co-workers were noticing my actions, and how I lived a different life than others.  I realized I had an added responsibility in my daily life.  Most of us have opportunities to teach people about Jesus by our daily behavior, as is detailed in I Timothy 4:12.

   Second, Jesus preached “the good news of the kingdom.”

   And disciples with the gift of preaching should preach.  Jesus instructed His disciples to go and preach, as recorded in Matthew 10:7 and Mark 3:14.  Timothy was likewise encouraged to preach as recorded in I Timothy 4:13-14.  Now a large number of churches restrict preaching to a tiny group of academic elites.  This is not biblical in my view.  Now ministry preparation is needed.  For example, my preaching class at CCU was one of my best classes among many great classes at CCU.  Yet successful preaching is a result of a lifetime commitment to learning from Jesus!  If you are called to preach, you must work hard just to get the opportunity to preach in America, and then you will need to engage in the hard work of preparing and presenting sermons.  Yet fruit will result.

   Third, Jesus physically healed people, as is stated in this passage and is shown throughout the first four books of the New Testament.

   Physical healing was also an apostolic calling, which is recorded in Matthew 10:1 and 10:8.  Yet I advocate the call from Jesus for the apostles to physically heal people of diseases and to even raise people from the dead was specific to the apostolic age.  Yet the Holy Spirit can still assist with physical healing in unique ways and within unique circumstances.  This is aside from a spiritual gift of a person, and aside from diligent church attendance.

   In this day and age, healing for the soul is a daily work of the Holy Spirit.  In the summer of 1998, I attended my third Promise Keepers event at the basketball stadium in Denver.  Near the conclusion of a full day of preachers on Saturday, Coach Bill McCartney preached.  Then he called people who needed healing to come down to the “floor” of the arena.  Then he called pastors to come down to pray with the people who needed healing.  One sentence of Coach McCartney stuck with me.  He said, “God can heal a broken heart.”  That is the work of the Lord God Almighty right here and now.  Jesus is the One who did miracles to physically heal people when He ministered here on earth.  And Jesus is the One who can do miracles to bring spiritual healing to all those who have faith in Him since His resurrection.  We disciples of Jesus need to keep encouraging people to turn to the Healer of our hearts.

   Having set the standard, Jesus makes a statement to His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few….”  This applies today!  I have long found ministry positions to be few and far between.  I consider ministry work to be one of the most challenging careers to enter.  Yet Jesus is not referring to open positions in Christian institutions at any given time.  Jesus is referring to the field of the human race.  For example, how many people in your neighborhood have received Jesus as his or her Savior and Lord?

   God’s plan of salvation was the sacrificial atonement of Jesus on the cross.  All of us people have sinned, thus all of us people deserved the resulting punishment of spiritual death.  Yet Jesus took our sins upon Himself on the cross, and suffered the resulting punishment of those sins, dying physically and spiritually.  Now God’s plan continues as He calls disciples of Jesus to tell the good news of Christ’s atonement. We Christians are called to proclaim the good news now!  The role of each Christian will vary according to her or his gift.  Yet God is calling all of His disciples to be ministers!

   Scripture makes it clear there is a special calling and office of church ministers, as is described in places such as I Timothy 3:1-13.  Yet all followers of Jesus are members of the royal priesthood stated in I Peter 2:9, and all followers of Jesus are called to contribute to carrying out the “Great Commission” in a manner fitting for each individual.

   Loving ministers for Jesus are needed.  I will refrain from telling some stories from some experiences I had this summer which illustrate the moral disaster taking place in our society.  You may have your own stories from this summer.

   Amidst this moral disaster, Jesus has compassion.  Called by the Father to minister to the Israelites for three years in this world, Jesus had compassion for them.  His compassion continues for everyone.  Jesus wants you to love people.  Jesus wants you to use your gifts to proclaim the good news of His atoning death on the cross.  Jesus wants you to be a minister for Him.

Hunter Irvine