The Life of Christ

For His own reasons the Lord refuses to just automatically place this pastoral call upon people; He requires that the church fervently ask Him to do so.

• Our prayers to this effect make us partners in the harvest.

• From a higher perspective, Jesus has entrusted the harvest into hands of His church.

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Mt. 10:1 And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

The time had finally come to empower His apostles so that they may begin to learn to minister in the realm of the miraculous.

Up until now they have only observed.

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• The time has come for them to now do the very things that they have seen with their own eyes.

When it comes to properly delegating ministry and authority over to someone else there are three steps:

1. Demonstrate how it is done.

2. Let the other do it with your watchful supervision.

3. Let the other now do it on their own.

Mt. 10:5-6 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Jesus could have sent them to the Gentiles and Samaritans; they were both very ripe, but the timing of that was not strategic.

• Jesus would reach the Jews first, and from that gathering secure workers to extend to the Samaritans and ultimately the Gentiles.

• The Samaritans were later reached in Acts 8; Acts 10 would mark the beginning of the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Mt. 10:7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Jesus now provides them the purpose of their mission — to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

• The kingdom of heaven is much larger than just the local church; it represents all the promises of salvation, lifestyle, deliverance, and physical healings now available for those who repent and believe.

• Up until the first coming of Jesus, the fullness of the kingdom of God had not been available.

• The opening words of John the Baptist were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt. 3:1).

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