Jesus Sends Us                                           Matthew 10:7-15

What do most people think of when evangelism is mentioned? Even I think of a televangelist screaming about repentance.             I picture someone pushing another’s forehead yelling for the demons to come out. Maybe you think of someone on the street corner talking about the world ending. Evangelism has a bad reputation for sure. But the truth is, Jesus calls all his followers to be evangelists. Not the screaming evangelist, but an evangelist in Jesus’ image. This passage in Matthew gives us a good idea of what a Jesus minded evangelist is like.

The first thing we need to understand is, what is an evangelist? Simply, it’s someone who talks about the gospel. That’s it, no screaming, no berating someone to repent, simply talking about Christ and planting a seed. But to be an evangelist in the image of Christ, let’s look at our reading.

Matthew chapter 10 begins with Jesus sending the twelve apostles out into the countryside. Verse 7,  “As you go, proclaim this message, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

Jesus called the twelve to himself. Then he sent them out to share him. Jesus calls each of us to him and sends us out also. Now I know everyone has a different personality. Not everyone wants to stand on the pulpit. Not everyone is comfortable approaching friends and family saying, “Let me talk to you about Jesus.” But you can evangelize by your life, by the things you do, or won’t do. You evangelize by giving thanks to God when things go well, and by trusting God when things don’t. Simply saying things like, “God blessed me with a new job, or a great marriage.” “God will work this problem out.” Friends and family will see you. Friends and family will hear you, and the seed is planted.

Jesus said in verse 7, “As you go…” He didn’t say “If you go.” Jesus sent the apostles, he didn’t ask if they wanted to go. Using our lives as our testament, exposing others to Christ is not an option, Jesus tells us it’s our responsibility.

Verse 8, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” There are two things in this sentence. First, Jesus is giving the apostles the authority to represent him to others.

Think of this. The twelve are going out before Jesus’ resurrection. These men telling others about Jesus are the same ones who will question, doubt, deny, and betray him. To say they don’t know or understand everything is an understatement. One of the main reasons I get from people as to why they don’t talk of their faith is: they don’t know enough. You don’t have to know enough, talk anyway. And if you’re asked a question you don’t know how to answer, tell the person you’ll find out and ask another believer how to answer it.

I’ve also heard people say to me, “You’re ordained, you can represent Jesus.” Understand this, each of you has the authority to represent Jesus to others, and that authority comes from Jesus.

The second thing here is Jesus tells the disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons. Can I raise the dead? No. Can I cast out a demon? I hope I never have to try. What I see this statement saying is as you go forth in life, take care of others’ needs. People don’t want to hear the gospel if they have no food for themselves or their children.

Several years ago, I was involved with a mission that translated Bibles into various languages. But the truth was people living in poor villages didn’t want to read scripture when they had to walk two miles just to get a gallon of muddy water.

Jesus tells us to satisfy people’s needs. When we do in his name, when we bring him into our work, people will be more receptive to our message. This is why I believe so strongly in our church doing outreach ministries.

Verses 9 & 10, “Do not get any gold or silver to take with you…no extra shirt or sandals…”

Jesus doesn’t let them take anything with them, why? I can imagine them thinking “How will I get food? Where will I sleep?” Up to now the twelve have been depending on Jesus and the people who provide for them because they want to support Jesus’ ministry. But Jesus wants his disciples to start depending on God. Jesus wants us to depend on God. “I lost my job, what am I going to do?” God says, “Stay calm, trust in me.”

I also want us to think about what would have happened if Jesus said, “Yes, gather extra cloths and food for a three-month trip across the country.” “OK Jesus, we’ll start saving. When we have enough, we’ll go into the next town and buy cloaks and sandals. We’ll dry fish and save money to buy bread.” Jesus told them they were going now, going without prepping everything ahead of time.

Why don’t we talk about God? I don’t know enough yet. Why don’t we volunteer time at a shelter or food bank? I will when I finish this first. Jesus told the twelve to just go and work for me. He tells us the same. Don’t wait until you make time. Don’t wait until you think you’ve studied the Bible enough. Just go, and work for Jesus.

Verse 14, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, Leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”

One of the most common reasons people say they don’t share about Christ is, “What if someone tells me they don’t want to hear it?” As Jesus is telling the twelve, it’s our responsibility to bring Christ to others, it’s not our responsibility to force someone to listen, or to accept Jesus. We are told here to offer the message, but if someone doesn’t want to hear it, just shake it off and walk away. As the messenger, they are not rejecting you, they’re rejecting Jesus. Do not take it to heart but pray for them.

Today Jesus tells us we are to evangelize, but to be evangelists in his image. Live your life in a way that honors God, and let others see it. Walk among your fellow men and alleviate their needs in the name of Christ. Talk about Jesus now, don’t wait until you think you have extra time, or until you think you know enough. Even if you think you’re ill-equipped, do it anyway. And don’t worry if someone says they don’t want to hear it, they’re not rejecting you.

And last, it’s been my experience, no one who I’ve offered to pray for has ever said no. Something about the honesty of intentions in prayer touches souls, and people accept the goodwill behind it. And when you do pray for someone, they now know you’re one of the faithful, and you’ve planted a seed for Christ.

God bless each of you in your work and in your faith.

Amen.