MATTHEW 10

MATTHEW 10: 11 - 15

SHAKE THE DUST OFF YOUR FEET

11) And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

12) And when ye come into an house, salute it.

13) And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14) And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

15) Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

COMMENTARY

   This is the sixth of eight principles for ministry that Jesus teaches (this one is in two parts):  The first is to find suitable lodging.  So, the Apostles were instructed to find a "worthy" man to stay with.  Not necessarily the richest or the most popular, but someone who is known to be godly and of upstanding character.  This was to be their base of operations as they spread The Gospel in that community.

   Second, they were to stay with that one person for the duration of their preaching.  They were not to stay with one then another, nor were they to try to "upgrade" their lodging.  They were to be content with their first choice, as to not upset their original host nor to spend time and effort away from their ministry looking for better quarters.

   The seventh principle is this:  concentrate on those who are receptive to The Message.  When they came to a house to preach/minister, they were to greet the household with, "Shalom".  This is the age old Jewish greeting which goes deeper in meaning than just "Peace", but adds total well being and wholeness of body, mind, and spirit. 

   The household who received the Apostles were to have its greeting of peace confirmed upon it and were to be ministered to in the fullest way.  This also earned them God's richest blessing, as it is written in Matthew 10:41:  "Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous man as a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward."  (NIV)  I just love God's economy!

   The final principle of ministry that Jesus teaches is not to spend undue time and effort sharing The Gospel with those who are resistant, uninterested, or argumentative.  If the household is not worthy, shake the dust off of your feet.  Let their stiff neck stay with them and move on.  The tremendous blessing of God is worthless for someone who will not accept it.  Focus your efforts on those who are earnestly seeking, who's hearts are on fire for God.  They will, in turn, share with others.  It is my prayer that when we plant seeds, even if unwelcome, that others will come behind and cultivate those seeds, that all will accept the unimaginable gift of salvation.

What about you?  What are you doing about Jesus?  To learn more about the greatest gift you could ever receive, click here:   https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

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