Wednesday, October 7, 2009

LITN X, Verses 1 - 20





















1. So after this...after sending out the original twelve...Jesus appointed seventy others, or other-type ministries, and sent them in partnerships of two ahead of Him into every town and place where He intended to go, to saturate the entire area with the message, and to prepare the way for Him.

2. And He told them, "The harvest is huge, but the harvest hands, in the natural, are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.

3. And just go! As I have told you that you have a cross to embrace (even as I do), I also tell you that I am sending you out like sacrificial lambs (even as I am) among the wolves of religion.

4. And I reiterate that you are not to take external equipment with you...depend, instead, entirely on your internal gifts. Be careful how you greet those you pass on the road, and don't waste a lot of time engaging in non-essential small talk.

5. When you do enter a house, first declare a blessing of peace on it, saying 'Peace to this house!'

6. If, indeed, a man of peace is in authority there, he will receive your blessing, connect with it, and open up to you. But if it's not received, take it for yourself, knowing that no verbalized blessing is ever wasted. And get out...don't impose yourself, or waste your time on people who don't want peace.

7. But if you do find a house of peace, stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they serve you, for the worker deserves his wages. Build relationships if you can...don't move around from house to house.

8. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you, without getting into disputes with your hosts about customs and laws regarding food. In other words, when you are in any given town, become like the people in that town, and accept their way of doing things.

9. Most importantly...heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The revelation of the Kingdom of God is very near you right now!'
10. But, by the same token, if you enter a town and are not welcomed, go out into its streets and say, publicly,

11. 'The dust of your town that sticks to our beautiful feet...feet that bring Good News to you...we openly and symbolically wipe off against you! And yet, you should still know that the Kingdom of God is very near you!

12. It is so near, in fact, that it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

13. Be warned of destruction, Korazin! You, too, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have had a complete paradigm shift long ago, demonstrating it in the traditional way.

14. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon than for you when judgment comes on this nation.

15. And you, Capernaum...will you be lifted up to the heights? On the contrary...you will go down to the depths.

16. The simple truth is this...whoever listens to you, listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; whoever rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

17. A little later, the seventy returned with great excitement, saying, "Lord, even the rebel spirits submit to us in Your name!"

18. But He replied, "I don't understand why you're so elated about that...I saw the Adversary fall like lightning from heaven...of course the spirits are subject to you...what else did you expect?

19. You need to embrace this truth about yourselves...I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the Adversary, or of anyone that you perceive to be an adversary! Absolutely nothing can harm you.

20. But get it in perspective...don't rejoice that the spirits submit to you...that's really not anything to get all that excited about. Rejoice, rather, that your names are written in the heavenlies!"

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Luke 10:1
“After This” After sending out the original apostles to preach the kingdom. There being much power and healing (salvation) in pervasive ministry, ministering also to the physical needs of many; along with misunderstanding, sectarianism.
After a revelation of who Christ really was and what he really came to do….then…
The Lord sends out a perfect number [70] of “others” in partnership ministries to announce in “every place” (all the world) that The LORD “ would, was, is and continues to” be” (imperfect tense”) Coming “ (present infinitive middle) [this began in the past up to the present and continues ]

My thoughts,
Peace,
Dennis

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, P. Dennis for the comment before I post the passage...I love it...

And thanks, everyone for the comments on yesterday's post...reading everything you all said made it feel like a blog again...

Anonymous said...

Bishop,
Can you help me with these verses? James2:24-26. I know you’re busy but these three verses really confusing me. I want to understand was James giving an explanation between Faith, Work and Justification, or he was saying faith alone is not enough to make one Justified. Thank you for shredding light to my understanding.
God Bless you & much love

PS I enjoy your Message tonight!

Anonymous said...

gotta love this word verification; sunest. It made me smile.

Really got an extra bit of energy from this rendering Bishop. I like the interpretation that the seventy could also be other types of ministries.

The biggest bit of sunshine comes to me from the pronouncement of peace on a house. This is a good practice and seems to come to me easily when I am visiting away from home and especially attending a church service with those I am visiting where the people of that house greet me in offerings of fellowship after the service.

I don't know how to address the warnings in verse eleven thru fifteen except to just let the Word handle it. As it is said in sixteen, when rejection happens it is the Christ that is rejected and not the one sent.

I like the thought that the names of those who carry the good news with them where they are sent are written in the heavenlies. That really makes my sun shine to the est.

Johnny

Izumi/JOY said...

V.1 - Is there significance to the number 70? An on-line source suggests it represents perfect spiritual order.

What I realllly enjoy is that Luke wrote his account as a physician. So, I couldn't help but wonder if the 70 others sent on ahead, were folks who'd been already been healed. Maybe Luke could substantiate their testimonies.

Were they demoniacs? Lepers? Paralytics? Peter's mother-in-law? A widow and her son? The woman with the issue of blood? Jairus' daughter? A Roman centurion? Mary Magdalene? Joanna? Susanna?

Might that be a reason why Jesus admonished (some) earlier not to tell anyone? (yet)

Was He waiting for a set time?

karl cobos said...

enjoying the blog...good morning, and God bless you all and this place today!-karl

Izumi/JOY said...

Also, I like how reading v.1 ("to saturate the entire area") reminds me of redemption (like the Genesis account).

V.11 - "...that sticks to our beautiful feet"...I was just thinking about Matt.5, yesterday, (heaven being God's dwelling place and earth, His footstool) marvelling how men could travel in His steps.

* Ditto what Karl said, and God morning beloved Universe!

Izumi/JOY said...

* correction to 9:58 post - "folks who'd already been healed". (too many beens - nuff said)

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Hey Anon@1:18...I'm not really sure what your question is, but the bottom line is that James' epistle offers some balance to Paul's revelation of grace, in that he promotes the idea of faith becoming action...Paul was so focused on our salvation being completely the result of Jesus' work that it was necessary for James to remind us about the value our work, specifically to feed the orphans and widows...

Anonymous said...

Thanks Bishop....Anon 1:18

Izumi/JOY said...

v.20 - Wow... our names are tagged to the toppermost of the Abbamost... Kinda makes me wonder what fonts they're in.

Arial?
Book antiqua?
Consolas?
Courier?
Forte?
Freesia?
Magneto?
Palace script?
Papalyrus?