May 15, 2011

The acronym, A.P.B. stands for “all points bulletin”. An A.P.B. is broadcast from one law enforcement agency to another. It is an announcement that a dangerous criminal is on the loose and all officers are to be on the lookout. An A.P.B. can be issued to locate a missing person. The A.P.B. will include a description of the person, perhaps even a picture is sent around. There is a sense of urgency to find the missing person. As we have been looking at the Gospel of Matthew we have come to a point where we find Jesus issuing what we might call an A.P.B. on lost people. They are helpless and harassed. They are like sheep without a shepherd. Now in chapter 10 Jesus calls his disciples to him and he sends them out on a training mission to reach lost people for the Gospel. This is critical training for their future ministry in the world. This is also important for us because in these verses Jesus has given helpful principles for reaching lost people.

I. UNDERSTAND THAT OUTREACH IS IN THE DNA OF THE CHURCH. Mt.10:1-4

This is the first place in Matthew’s gospel that he mentions the twelve disciples as a specific group. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts all have lists of the disciples. In each list, Peter is mentioned first and Judas Iscariot is mentioned last. Peter is the first among equals. There’s no sense here of his being the first Pope. Dr. Don Carson points out that each list seems to have three groups of four. The groups are headed by Peter, Philip, and James. This shows that the disciples were organized into groups or teams. In Mark’s account of Jesus sending out the twelve, it says they were sent out two by two. We see in Matthew’s gospel that the disciples are listed in pairs.

Now how much do we know about the twelve disciples? I imagine many of us know a fair amount about Peter. We may know a little about Peter’s brother, Andrew. We know something about the brothers, James and John. (By the way, did you know that John lived the longest and actually taught Polycarp, Papias, and Ignatius, three of the early church fathers?). We know something about Matthew and we know about doubting Thomas. And, I imagine, we know that Judas betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. That makes seven apostles that we know something about and five apostles that we know little if anything about. These apostles were certainly not perfect men. They were flawed and made mistakes. But they were the foundation of the church.

I point this out because we are apt to think that these guys were like super heroes. They could do anything. But we don’t know what Andrew, Bartholomew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus or Simon the Zealot did or where they went after the resurrection of Jesus. Tradition says that Thomas went into India. The value of this for us is that God uses common, ordinary people to reach the lost. O you have your well known men like Paul, Peter, and Billy Graham, but then again, you have men like Andrew, Bartholomew and Thaddaeus. They never made big names for themselves, but God used them.

I say that outreach is in the DNA of the church because these men were the nucleus of the early Church. They set the initial patterns and direction of the Church, and they were sent out by Jesus to reach the lost. This mission has never been abandoned by the Church and it continues on today through the Church, we who know Christ. Outreach is a primary activity of the Church is Jesus Christ

II. BEGIN WITH THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW. Mt.10:5-6

Now you may be wondering why Jesus was so exclusive in his focus. “Do not go among the Gentiles.” Didn’t the Gentiles need to hear the Gospel? Yes they did, but the Jews were God’s chosen people. Jesus himself was Jewish. He was the promised Jewish Messiah. “He came to his own, but his own did not receive him.” Jesus’ primary ministry was to the Jews, and rightly so. Had the disciples gone to the Gentiles, the Jews would have been deeply offended and would have surely rejected the Gospel, so it was appropriate that the focus of outreach be to the Jews first. And even though Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, we know from the book of Acts that when he entered into a new area he would always go to the Jews first.

However there are some other considerations as to why it makes sense to begin with the people you know. Think about it. The disciples of Jesus were all Jewish. They knew the Jewish scriptures. They practiced the Jewish religion. They knew the Jewish customs. They could speak the Jewish language. In other words, there were no major barriers that had to be overcome. I’m reminded of Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector. When he became a follower of Jesus he was excited about the fact that he had met the Messiah. What did he do? He immediately threw a dinner party for all his friends so they could meet Jesus. Now we know that later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to go into all the world to preach the Gospel. But before going into all the world, it was important that they learned how to preach the Gospel to the people they were most comfortable with.

Isn’t this how it is with Amway and Cutco knives? New salespeople are told to set up practice opportunities with family and friends. The more they practice around the people they know best, the better able they will be to give the sales pitch to the people they don’t know.

Another reason why it is helpful to begin with the people we know is because they know us best. They can see our lives. They can see how Christ has changes our lives. I remember as a young man witnessing to a woman on an Amtrak train going to Detroit. She finally said, “You know, you are really irritating me.” When I asked her why, she said, “Because I feel like you are trying to get me to believe in something and I don’t even know you.” That’s something to think about. It doesn’t mean we never share the Gospel with someone we don’t know, but it does point out the advantage of sharing the Gospel with the people we do know. Who do you know that you could possibly share the Gospel with? Is there one person that comes to mind?

III. SHARE THE MESSAGE OF JESUS WITH THE COMPASSION OF JESUS. Mt.10:7-8

It should not escape our attention that Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom. For Jesus, being saved was more than just having one’s sins forgiven. Being saved was more than getting an entrance pass into heaven. For Jesus being saved means, being qualified to enter into the Kingdom of God, by entering into a personal relationship with God through the person of Jesus himself. John 17:3 makes it very clear that salvation is all about knowing God. It’s all about being in a personal relationship with God. John 17:3 says, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Jesus defines eternal life in terms of a relationship with God. When we repent of our sin and turn to Jesus in faith for salvation, we immediately enter into God’s kingdom. In other words we begin living under the gracious rule of God as taught in the Bible.

The disciples were to announce that Kingdom of God was near. People could enter into it through Jesus Christ. Our message is the same. We preach Christ crucified, dead, buried and risen from the dead. We preach forgiveness of sins and eternal life in the kingdom of God. But you also see that just as Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead, so his disciples were to do the same. The message was to be accompanied by powerful deeds of compassion which would help to validate and confirm the message. Now I must take a moment to address this because there are those who suggest that just as Jesus gave authority to the apostles to perform miracles, so that authority was transferred to the Church. And in fact, in the book of Acts we read of many miracles. Does Jesus’ authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead continue in the church today through the Holy Spirit? As I have reflected on this it seems to me that there are a number of truths we must take into account. One is that the presence and power of Jesus on the earth was unique. Jesus healed many, but never promised healing. His miracles confirmed his claims. Likewise the miracles of his first followers confirmed the claims of the Gospel. As I mentioned before, the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit marked a change in the way the Gospel was proclaimed. That said, I do believe the Gospel is still confirmed by miracles in many parts of the world. I have read numerous accounts of healings by evangelists in India. I have heard numerous stories of Muslims who came to Christ as a result of dreams. If we do not experience the presence of such miracles, perhaps the Holy Spirit limits those miracles because in our society they would be scientifically explained away. I can find no scripture that would suggest miracles could not take place today. I have shared this quote from A.W. Tozer before. “Anything that God has ever done, He can do now! Anything that God has ever done anywhere, He can do here! Anything God has ever done for anyone, He can do for you!” That’s pretty powerful.

However, we must not get sidetracked by the lack of miracles among us. The point here is that the Gospel message is best supported by acts of kindness and compassion in the name of Jesus. Brothers and sister, we are not in this world to live for ourselves. We are in this world to live for Christ. And if we are going to live for Christ, we must seek to live like Christ, showing the love and compassion of God. Acts of kindness and compassion prepare the soil for the Gospel. Acts of kindness and compassion give credibility to the Gospel and to the life of the Christian.

IV. TRUST IN THE LORD TO PROVIDE WHAT IS NEEDED. Mt.10:9-10

The last part of v.8 says, “Freely you have received, freely give.” The Gospel cost Jesus his life. But it is given to us for free. We don’t have to pay for it. We don’t have to earn it. It’s given for free. Since the Gospel is freely given, it will not do for followers of Christ to present a lifestyle of material and monetary prosperity, as if those are the things we are living for. Jesus told his disciples to not take money or extra clothes and sandals. Our presentation must be in keeping with our priorities in life. We are not to profit from the Gospel.

But in addition to this, it is important that we trust the Lord to provide for our needs. Jesus says that the worker is worth his keep. In other words, God knows our work and has promised to meet our needs. We are serving him. When Jesus embarked on his itinerant ministry he was not worried about what he would eat or drink or what he would wear. God provided for him. There were a number of women who gave money to meet his needs. The twelve were not taking an extended missionary trip. They were going two by two into the surrounding towns and villages of Galilee. They did not need to be overly concerned about their clothes, etc. When Paul went on his missionary journeys he supported himself by making tents. And some of the churches that he planted would send money to help him.

The point of all this is that we must trust the Lord to provide what is needed as we seek to reach others. In the United States, we don’t lack for much. If we go on missions trips, we seek to raise the needed funds and often God provides. But as we share the gospel with others, we still need to trust the Lord to provide what is needed. We need boldness and courage. We need wisdom. We need words to say. We need a good dose of selflessness, for many of us are far too concerned about what others will think. We are far too concerned about the social implications of our sharing the Gospel. Our friends might think we’ve gone religious on them. God will give what we need to share the Gospel with others if we will step up to the plate and engage others for Jesus.

V. GO TO THOSE WHO WILL LISTEN. Mt.10:11-15

Again, we must consider the context of these words. In those days you didn’t find hotels and motels where you could get a clean, comfortable room. But hospitality was a deeply held value, and Jesus is speaking within that cultural milieu. “Search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.” Who would a worthy person be? Well I take it that a worthy person is one who is open to the message of the Gospel.

They were to go and stay in one home until the work in that town was finished. Then they were to move on to another village or town. If the people of the town or village did not welcome them Jesus says they should shake the dust off their feet. This was a symbolic gesture of disassociating oneself from the people of that town or village. But more than that, it acknowledged their rejection of Jesus and the fact that they would face the judgment of God.

Men and women, there are many people all around us. Some of these people have open hearts. They are willing to listen to the Gospel. Some of your unbelieving friends are willing to listen to the gospel. They may even be receptive to it. How does one discern this? Well, Jesus said, “Search for some worthy person.” How do we search for a worthy person? We ask questions. “What do you think happens to a person after they die?” What world religion are you drawn to? How would you describe your relationship with God? I mean, these kinds of questions are not threatening. They will give you an indication of one’s willingness to talk about spiritual things. Remember, Jesus didn’t send his disciples out to irritate people. He sent them out to share the Gospel. If a person indicates that he or she doesn’t want to talk about the Gospel, well, don’t press it and don’t give up. At the end of the day, they have to decide what they are going to do about Jesus. Now this doesn’t mean we will not experience rejection or even persecution. We will look at that possibility next week. But it does mean that we go to those will listen.

Leith Anderson, pastor of Wooddale Church writes, “The People’s Republic of China, is the largest nation in the world; a billion people strong. In China we find what is called the Three-Self Church. That is the state-approved church. Several of us from Wooddale, a couple of years ago, were in Beijing, and we went to one of the services of one of the Three-Self Churches. It was an old building, built around the turn of the last century. We had a translator there. There were hymns sung, some of them were to western tunes which we knew. They read the Bible. They had prayers. There was a sermon, a Bible teaching, that I thought was fine. But they’re not allowed to evangelize. That’s part of the deal with the state. ’You can do your thing as long as your thing doesn’t include persuading somebody else.’ There are about 50 million Christians in the People’s Republic of China who have chosen not to be part of the Three-Self Church, and meet in house churches, because they’re convinced you can’t be a Christian unless you evangelize. They say that the two go together; and if you don’t evangelize, you’re not a Christian. They would say that those who are in the Three-Self church are really not Christians, as far as the New Testament definition is concerned.”

Well, I wonder what you think. Can you be a Christian and not evangelize? I guess I would have to say, “Yes,” because I know a good number of Christians who do not evangelize. But the thought does give one pause. Jesus sent his disciples out to preach the Gospel. Has he sent us? Yes. We are his hands and feet. And we must go to share the Gospel. Amen.