Commanded

 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." Matthew 10:8

The above Scripture is on my heart today. These are the words with which Jesus sent out the twelve to minister to the lost sheep of Israel. He prefaced these words with, "Tell them that the Kingdom of heaven is near." As I contemplate these words of the Lord, so many questions come to my mind. Foremost among them is this; is the Church, the part which you and I inhabit as well as the whole, in any condition to live out, carry out this command? I fear the answer is more "no" than "yes," and we should tremble at the consequences of that.

Meditate on what this verse commands us to do and live out. We live in a culture filled with those who are sick. Sick physically, emotionally, and spiritually. How willing are we to go to them? We're also surrounded by those who are spiritually dead. Many are found each week in our "worship services," as well as our homes and neighborhoods. Leprosy was a serious affliction in the disciples time, they would have encountered people held in its awful grip wherever they went. Actual leprosy may be rare in our culture, but the spiritual leprosy of sin is not. It eats steadily away at lives, marriages, families, communities, and the church itself. And whether we care to admit to their presence and activity or not, demons are real. They do oppress and possess, and their work is seen everywhere. We are, in the power of His Name and Life, to drive them out. Jesus didn't give us an option in this. He's told us that He has freely given the power and resources to carry out this ministry and calling. So what keeps us. What keeps you.....and me?

There's another aspect in this that we easily overlook. When Jesus gave His disciples this command, Pentecost, the outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon His Church, had yet to happen. Yet the power to carry out His command was obviously given His disciples. Without getting into some theological discussion, it would seem to me that even greater power to live this out has been given to us than was given to the disciples. We don't need to beg Him for His power and presence. He's already given them to us. Our great problem is that we have failed to receive Him in all of His fullness. The result of this is painfully evident, if we'll be willing to see. We are called to prevail against the power of the darkness with the infinitely greater power of His Light and Life. Can we really say we are. We can bemoan the state of our culture, but can we confess and repent of the truth that the culture is as it is because the church has not been what it must be? Especially when we've been given all the resources of the Kingdom to be so.

When the imprisoned John the Baptist sent the question of whether Christ was truly the expected Messiah, Jesus answered him, "The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor." In this answer Jesus gave testimony to the proof and power of who He was and who He remains. I think this also must be the proof that His church in this day and all days must give to a lost but watching world. It is not our gatherings, meetings, songs, buildings, and media skills that will do this. It is a church, you, me, us, living out what Jesus answer entails. We are commanded to do so. When John sent his question, he closed it with, "Or should we look for someone else?" Will we, the Church, live out His command, or should the world look for someone and something else?

Blessings,

Pastor O