The Mission : Matt 10:5-20

A wise man prepares for his death. He plans about his life after death, the life of his children and spouse after he is no more. He trains his children to be self sufficient in his absence so that they can provide for themselves rather than begging.

Our Lord knew he would not remain for long with his disciples (Mk 9:19;Jn 7:33) so He trained them to catch fish. He did not just give them but showed them how to catch by themselves.

When He trained them, He sent them out for mission. Our Lord knew His mission so well that He did not go out of His mission goals. He was going to the cross, but He had to keep followers who’ll take the mission ahead.

We have our newly baptized among us today who have just entered into the mission of our Lord. Today we are also celebrating with our new converts who just confessed Christ this last Sunday which was Easter. We are not celebrating a graduation, but an entrance into the mission of our Lord. What is therefore our mission?

a)      Mission statement vs 7: Go and Preach! What were they to preach? “That the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus wanted them to preach His kingdom reign from heaven. This is not an earthly kingdom as He was fulfilling the prophecy. He asked them to preach just that which he taught them and what He has been preaching as we can see in Matt 3:2 and Luke 10:9. Jesus came to earth to destroy the works of the devil (Hb 2:14, EP 4:8). He came to openly crush Satan and his evil works (Gn 3:15, Mk 3:23-26). He therefore made a public show of Satan by openly destroying his works (Col 2:15)

Jesus gave the 12 the authority over unclean Spirits, to cast them out. Though He knew the ultimate and public display over Satan will be on the cross He showed His authority over evil even before the cross. They were to minister to the people freely because they were freely given. That is the principle of christian behavior.

-          Today, so-called prophets prophecy for money

-          So-called prayer warriors pray for money

-          I saw a tract with a text; “To contact prophet Bismark, call Tel no. xxxxxxx: Prophetic consultation = 5000 frs”. Falsehood has entered into Christendom and false teachers and prophets have entered with their own principles.

-          Listen to what the Lord says: “You received it freely, so you must give freely”

-          Some of us will not go to Christian meetings and seminars if the church does not give us transport or pocket money. Or some of us will say they have to pay for my transport because they are the ones to be blessed. They need the Doctor and you are now the Doctor. Now, where is the sacrifice in your Christian walk?

b)       A mission has a destination. To where were they sent with this message and authority? To the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Why would our Lord chose only Israel and exclude the Gentiles and the Samaritans? This commission was specific only to Israel. But Jesus also healed non Israelites. He also mentioned in  Mtt 15:24 that He did not come only for the Lost of Israel. No wonder the scriptures tell us that the judgment will come first to the Jews, then to the Greek (Ro 2:9,10). Yes, they first had the promise of God, they have to be prepared for the cross and they shall be judged first because they first received.

Jesus sent them to prepare the way for the cross and establishment of His kingdom reign. He had sent them in 2s and now He is doing again but to the Lost of Israel to whom the messiah was promised. Then after making a public display of Satan on the cross He will ascend to heaven and send the Holy Spirit on the apostles in Acts 2.

Then they will go into all the nations (Mtt 28:19, Mk 16:15). The mission was clear and the disciples stick to their missions. How many Christians today know their mission? How many are faithful to their mission? Many of us modify our mission on the way because we want to please man rather than pleasing God. We prefer to jump and skip very essential steps in our mission just to please ourselves rather than the master of the mission.

-          That is why we find pastors who would accept calls only from big churches. Yes, because the big churches have money. They claim they have worked enough and need to eat now. What a mess! We want to get the mission fees before we get unto missions. But our Lord says, the worker is worthy of his food. The mission fee is paid in the field. Go and you shall be catered for. God is not a liar because He prepares those who will minister to you because of the word you shared with them. He says “whoever gives to a righteous man because of his righteousness will receive the reward of a righteous man”, and people who are transformed by His word know these things. Our mission is not to get more material things, but to preach the word and He says, when you seek first His kingdom and righteousness ALL these things will be added unto you. How can men of God preach these things and do not understand? Let’s pray that God will open the eyes of their heart so that they can understand and live the word they preach.

-          We find Christians who would only go to big churches that have been build. They don’t want young churches where work is needed. No! They know small churches need workers and people who can give for the financial needs of the church and for its missions.

-          They do not want small churches that can only grow if people go out for door-to-door or outdoor evangelism. They want to came and sit on our pews and comment on the theology of the pastor or his level of English and whatever.

-          What is your mission? Are you doing what the master has called you to do? Do you know that you are a priest? Do you know that you are called to evangelize? How many people have you talked to about Christ? But Christ says “Go to all nations and preach the word”. Prepare the people for His second coming! It is a divine command and that is your mission. You either obey it and do it or you disobey and stay back. If you are not doing that consider yourself a disobedient Christian who cannot bring glory to the master.

-          Our Lord sent the 12 to prepare the road to the cross. He is sending you now to prepare his coming. It will be terrible when he comes because it will be judgment (Vs 15)

c)       What are you do execute in the mission? The Mission was to be executed immediately. So our Lord asked them not to take any extra material with them that would burden the trip. The worker is worthy of his food. The preacher would be paid but they are not to go out for material blessings. Reason why they were not to move from house to house but to stay in one house in the city till the end of the mission (Mtt 10:11-13)

d)      How were they to behave in the mission? They were to behave well throughout their trip (vs 16) They were to be wise, cunning and prudent in their work for the master ( 2Cor12:16,Ep 5:15). They are to be harmless as doves; symbol of peace, innocence and purity. To do this they must exercise a degree of wisdom.

Unfortunately for us, some of us who claim to be disciples of Christ are not like doves. Some of us are responsible for the trouble and persecutions the men of God face today in our churches. We want power, influence, or whatever even money to the point that we persecute other disciples on their mission.

e)      What shall we do then? There is good news for you who may be persecuted for the mission. “Do not worry what you’ll say or how you’ll say it” God will give you what to say. The Spirit of God who indwells you will speak for you. Do not be distracted from the work. The how is not your problem. You just have to do your mission and God will take care of how you’ll answer questions of distraction. Our Lord knew that the enemy will want to distract his disciples from their work to which they were given. Therefore, our Lord Jesus is saying this to you now: “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light. And what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops” vs 27

Confess Jesus Christ before men and He’ll confess you before God the Father who is in heaven.

Are you ready to witness to others about Christ?

Have you started to prepare for the Lord’s coming in evangelism? If you have not, then you have failed in your mission. Wake up and do what your master has asked you to do.

Shalom!

Responsibility of Parents (Deut 6 :4-7)

Happy mother’s day ! How many mothers are here this morning? You are a mother because you have a child. You are a mother because you have a responsibility. Children are a gift from God (Ps 127:3) They are like arrows and happy is the man who has many (Ps127:5). If you are not a parent, at least you are a child and so God wants you to take your responsibility. It is the responsibility of parents to train their children just as the children have the responsibility to obey their parents and help their parents. That is what they are supposed to do and so parents are like discipling their children in all things.

That means your child can only be like you for luke 6:40 says the disciple is not more than the master, but can only be as good as the master. Being a parent is not enough to deliver. It is more than that! You need to guide and direct the child. That is what makes you a parent. You need to know the child’s friends whom you can allow and those you discourage; if they are dangerous to the life of your child. If parents fail in their responsibility to raise their children in godly manner, the next generation after us will be a terrible world to live in. we’ll not want to raise thieves. Do we?

We would not like to be parents of

-          Homosexuals

-          ‘Mbanga’ or marijuana smokers

-          Drug addicts

-          Fornicators No! But if we really do not want that, then we need to take our responsibility as parents.

There are many of us who are just happy that we have children. We are parents! The question is how parent are you? Are you really parenting your child? If you are not providing all that the child needs then you are not a parent. You are not better than animals and let me tell you that even animals take care of their young ones.

How can we train or raise our children?

1.      Build the character of the child

a.       Your child must understand sin and the need for a savior. That is the way you have to train your child. The way is to Christ; so that when they grow they will not depart from it.

b.      Moses commanded that the word of God be taught diligently to your children (Deut 6:6-7) Talk about God always to your children. In the morning, during the day and in the night.

Family devotion is your tool and the father as the head of the family should lead this devotion (Eph 5:23) read!

The mother is not exempted because she must lead when the husband is not available. In your teaching:

-          Sing

-          Read

-          Meditate on the Bible

-          Pray

-          Memorize scriptures.

These are the ways you can train your children. Your child can only be like you and so you must influence them by doing these yourself and practicing what the Bible says.

2.      Direct their performance (Let them have a focus in life)

From the tender age you need to instruct and direct your child because the child will be difficult to change when old. There’s an adage which says “You cannot bend and old tree”.

a.       Direct and make them used to Christian work and help them to love doing it to their abilities (2 Thess 3:10-12)

b.      Make them to be hard working, let them not slack for lazy hands become poor (Prov 10:4) rd

c.       Give them responsibilities and help them to achieve it without punishing but encouraging (Eph 6:4). Do not allow your child to idle. Idle children will only pray for their parents to die so that they inherit wealth. When this wealth disappear they become thieves and rebels in the society. Prov 26:24 tells us that wealth can be volatile.

3.      Take time alone to talk with your children and show them love

a.      Every child has his needs different from the others

b.      Appreciate them, correct and rebuke in love to handle issues in their life before they grow old.

I do my best to make sure that my children are with me during the holidays and I try my best to study them, play with them and teach them. That way I try to identify things to correct in them and the focus their energy in the things I want them to grow in.

I make sure I direct the interest if the children to those things I want them to like. This can only be possible when the child is young. There are some children who will not want to learn but when you make them see the interest they become very good and intelligent.

No child is born foolish but if you allow the child the child can grow foolish. There are some who will continue to listen to you even when they become big because of the impact to bestow on them. The young Guy from India who visited us last week is an example of a child I impacted values in. even at his master’s degree in actuarial science he still writes to me from abroad to ask for advice when he has to take decisions in his studies. 

4.      Discipline the children when they disobey your instructions

a.       To discipline is to correct, to educate and train so that they can grow and change.

b.      It is not only by punishment but also to instruct so that the person become discipline. When they says somebody is discipline, it means that person is focused, and is doing that which he/she has been instructed

c.       The Lord disciplines those He loves (Heb 12:6). If we love our children, then let’s teach them and train them. That is discipline! Your child should be your disciple. You should be proud to here some body say “like father like son” or “like mother like daughter” or whatever likes.

Are you ashamed when you hear people say “like father like son” or “like mother like daughter”? Then you have not disciple your child well. A parent who trains well his/her children is proud to hear such words. He/She is ready to tell friends that “This my child is walking in my shoes”. That is what God wants you to do.

d.      The Bible also recommends the rod of correction on wayward children (Prov 13:24, Prov 29:15)read

e.       Some parents are afraid to correct their children when they disobey them. I tell you that if that child dies because of the waywardness, God will request his/her blood from your head. You must discipline your child in:

§  Poor dressing

§  Absence from classes

§  Drunkenness

§  Fornication

§  Stealing and lies telling

§  Bitterness to others (There are some children who are just angry with others for no cause. Perhaps they copied from their parents)

§  Smoking etc

As you discipline them, do not annoy your children. Be reasonable when directing them. Let it be to the measure and not more. Eg. My children know that you cannot call any person an animal (“nyam” in the dilect); because I do not allow them. The moment I hear that from them I take a cane. Last time when I visited them, my son welcomed me and the next statement he told me was that “no one has said “nyam” in this house Daddy”. Because he knows I will not allow.

Be yourself disciplined (be self-controlled) and your children will copy from you. If you call people animals, your children will call others like that. If you treat people bad, do not expect your children to do different. In fact you are training an army against you when you train your children to attack others. When they will not have a battle to fight, they will come back to you.

Hello mothers! Teach your children to love, and they will love you in return. Teach them to fight others and they will fight you when the time comes. You will reap of your own labour.

5.      Develop your children into maturity (1 Cor 13:11) read

a.       The Bible tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom and statue and in favour with God and man (Luke 6:32). His parents nurtured Him, He learned from rabbis to grow intellectually.

b.      Parents should provide for their children. They need food, clothes, to go to school, to learn a trade and bring them to order. There are some parents who deliver and abandon. They are not true parents. Real parents and those who take care after they deliver.

c.       Teach them to share with the needy and those suffering. Help them make good friends and to socialize so that they will not be social misfits when they grow old.

d.      Let them respect authority in and out of home. They must respect their parents else they’ll not respect any one out there.

Hello children! You also have your responsibility towards your parents. The Bible commands children to obey their parents so that their days may be long here on earth.

Children should care for their parents even when still young so that they will not depart from it when they grow old. Prov 23:22-24 tells us that wise children make their parents happy.

When I was between 7 and 11 years I fetched firewood and sold. At times I will sell a bunch of firewood just for 75 Fcfa. Some days 100 Fcfa. And what I did with my money was that I buy a box of ‘match’ for 15 Fcfa and salt for 25 Fcfa which I’ll take home to my mother. Some days I will buy 2 or 3 boxes of match to my grandmother. They were so happy and that became a habbit that I could not stop doing giving to my mother even to the days she passed on to glory.

Some of us do not take care of our parents even when we have enough. Why? Because you never learned this truth. Teach your children else you shall reap the same fruit when you get old. How many of us today have sent something to our mothers or fathers? What about this past month? It is time you start doing it.

Many of us shift blames to the society for corrupting your children where as you are to blame for failing to teach them.

God’s Mighty Power (Ephesians 1:19-23)

Today we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This resurrection that gives us hope for eternal life. Last Sunday we looked how our Lord entered into Jerusalem with shouts of Joy. People were singing Hossana in the highest, and these admirers made Jesus what they wanted Him to be. They were looking for some one to take them out of the hands of the Roman leaders, they were looking at the great miracle maker who will chase out demons and multiply bread for them. The one who could heal their diseases. That was the Jesus they were shouting Hossana to. But the Problem is that they say Jesus the son of Joseph not the son of God. They saw a revolutionary leader not the redeemer.

Jesus went through the streets of Jerusalem as we saw through out the week. He was jeered and mocked at. This was the high way to the cross which he walked, and the disciples followed him. He embraced the cross on Friday but the disciples fled away. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to hear the crowds shout “Hosanna.”  Jesus came to Jerusalem not for the first part of the week, not for Palm Sunday.  No, Jesus came to Jerusalem for Good Friday. Jesus said, “I lay down my life, and no one takes it from me.” He was raised from the death the third day.

Many Christians are defeated by different kinds of sin. Some are enslaved to pornography or sexual immorality, or to alcohol or drugs. Some have ruined their marriages and families because of anger and verbal abuse. They spend their money just as the world does, with no thought of laying up treasures in heaven. They spend their time living for themselves, with no thought of seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness. They feed their minds with godless TV shows and movies, but don’t read and study God’s Word. What is worse, is that some pastors and Christian leaders live like this! My question is, “Where is God’s mighty power in the lives of these people?”

Some will say that God’s mighty power should be seen by frequent miracles of healing or by speaking in tongues or by words of supernatural knowledge or prophecy. But, all too often, those making such claims are guilty of living just as the world lives. The world mocks at the gospel when they see their lifestyles.

From verse 18 we see that we will not be to know God’s mighty power unless He opens the eyes of our hearts. So we must continually ask Him for understanding.

God wants us to understand the magnitude of His mighty power that saved us and exalted Christ over all, so that we will properly represent Him on earth.

1. God’s mighty power that saved us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead (1:19-20a).

The mightiest power ever released on this earth was not the power of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. It was not the power of an earthquake, volcano, tornado, hurricane, or flood. The mightiest power ever unleashed on this earth was when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Satan and all of his evil forces were aligned in full battle force when Jesus lay in the tomb. If he could have kept Jesus from rising from the dead, Satan would have been triumphant. And so Paul piles up words to make the point that God’s power in raising Jesus from the dead was the mightiest display of power ever known. Read again 19,20!

Here the scripture is not just talking about the power of God who is omnipotent but it adds   “the surpassing greatness of His power.” The outstanding greatness of His power which is “in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” The words are short to explain what Paul had in mind. This power could only be in accordance with the working of God’s might. You cannot explain it apart from looking at God again.

 Paul is not praying that God would give us this mighty power, but rather that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened to know that this power has already been displayed in us if we believe in Jesus Christ.

When we were dead in our sins, God raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph 2:1-6). The same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand is the power that saved us. If you believe in Christ now, it is not from human will power or reasoning. It comes from God’s mighty power; the same that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. 

You might have made a decision during an evangelistic meeting. Are you born again? Are you following what Jesus teaches? Do you truly believe in Jesus Christ and His shed blood as your only hope for eternal life? But being born again requires an act of God that raises a person from death to life. No one decides to be born. No one decides, “I think I’ll be raised from the dead!” You can’t even help God out in the process. It requires God’s sovereign, mighty power. If you believe, know that God had to give you the faith to believe the gospel. If He had not done so, you would have thought that it is foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18-31).

2. God’s mighty power seated Christ at His right hand, far above all spiritual powers (1:20b-21).

God not only raised Christ from the dead. Also, He ascended bodily into heaven, where He now is (1:20b-21) “seated at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

Paul adds, “not only in this age but also in the one to come” to make it clear that Jesus Christ is exalted to the place of absolute, supreme power in the entire universe. His authority is not just for a period of time, but for all eternity. Although we do not yet see everything subject to Him (1 Cor. 15:23-28), that day is soon coming. As Psalm 110:1 states, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” God never gave that invitation to any of the angels or to any other created being. He only gives it to His eternal Son, who is of the same nature as the Father. Scripture promises that Jesus will come again to crush Satan and all that follow his evil ways. So, even though Satan and his evil forces still have frightening power, they are on God’s chain. They can only go as far as He permits.

These people understood what Paul was saying. When the Ephesian believers got saved, they burned their magic books, which amounted to a small fortune (Acts 19:11-20). They knew and had been fearfully enslaved by the power of Satan. But now they had a new Master and Lord, who is seated far above not only all of the evil spirits, but even above the most powerful angels. Paul wants them to know that the power of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ is available to them in their struggle against the forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (see Eph. 6:10-17). That same power is available to us if we are in Christ.

3. God’s mighty power put all things in subjection to Christ and gave Him as head over all things to the church (1:22).

His resurrection, ascension, and present enthronement at God’s right hand guarantees the outcome. All things, including the terrible forces of evil in the heavenly places, are under Christ’s feet, even now. As I said, Satan is on chains.

4. God’s mighty power is at work in us so that we will properly represent Christ on earth (1:23).

Paul adds that the church “is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” A saved Christian is an inseparable, organic (living) union with Christ. It comes from God’s resurrection power alone. You are the church. It also implies our submission to the Head. If God has saved you through His mighty power, you must make it your aim to obey Jesus Christ as Lord of every area of your life. A disobedient Christian is like a spastic leg (involuntary movement through the leg), jerking uncontrollably. He does not bring glory to the Savior!

But you are the church, which is the fullness of him who fills all in all. If you accept Jesus Christ then you have Christ and so you have His power in you. You are not aware of what you possess. Are you experiencing God’s mighty power to overcome temptation and live a holy life? If not, you should ask God to open the eyes of your heart so that you will know the surpassing greatness of His power toward you.

If you have no desire to overcome sin and to represent Christ on this earth, you may not have experienced the power of being raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. Ask God to give you new life in Him. Then live according to His mighty power. Jesus who died on the cross for you is still calling on you. It is not too late! Let’s pray!

“I gave my life for thee…”