The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 10 Part 8 God Equips Us For Gospel Ministry

We are nearing the end of chapter ten of Matthew's gospel.

Jesus began by calling His disciples to Himself and giving them responsibility to travel to towns and villages to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus gave them specific instruction and parameters about how to carry out His missionary work.

It was to be a ministry of walking by faith and trusting God to provide food, clothing and shelter as He promised to do.

Jesus promised that the Spirit of God would empower them to do many miracles as authentication that they spoke for God.

God's own Spirit would give them the very words they must preach when opposed or when facing hostility.

Jesus gave explicit warnings that unbelievers will resist the gospel preaching and how His disciples must respond.

Genuine faith is seen when we are willing to give up all earthly comforts to follow Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10:38-39  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39)  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 

Jesus gave a clear imperative that reaches beyond His disciples ministry and includes all generations of pastors, parents and individual Christians.

Pastors must preach the gospel of Christ and help his church family understand that we must be born again.

Parents must give themselves to Christ and teach their children that they must be born again.

Each individual believer in Christ must share the gospel of Christ with family members, friends, co-workers, classmates, or neighbors. 

We must ceaselessly pray that those who hear will be born again into the kingdom of heaven.

Our great calling and privilege in this life is living in accord with the gospel of Christ and sharing the gospel with other people. 

When we submit to obeying Christ's commands we will have a most effective and clear witness for our Lord.

Each of us must take up our cross and follow hard after Jesus Christ, allowing His commands to guide our steps.

Each of us should devote our lives to living and serving God followed by loving and serving our neighbors.

We can pursue this holy life with our church family, within our homes, while we are at work or school or just doing chores.

The principle is clear: love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and in turn, love others as Jesus did.

It is impossible to please God without faith, without believing His Word and the gospel.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

God always rewards those who seek Him and seek to live a life for His glory.

Eternal salvation is God's gift to all who put their full trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Father will send His own Spirit to live in us, fulfilling Ezekiel's prophetic promise of receiving a new heart and new spirit and a new way of life in Christ (See Ezekiel 11:19-21; 36:26-27).

Those who receive ministers of the gospel of Christ are also receiving Christ. 

Matthew 10:40  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 

Christ gave His disciples encouragement with His words "He that receiveth you, receiveth me."

He offered comfort to His disciples so that they would not think that they would only suffer afflictions, and persecutions, because their message was rejected.

Thus, Jesus said that some people would embrace the Gospel message when they heard it and would receive them with kindness and warm hospitality.

Jesus counted those who received His disciples as having received Him. 

Those who showed kindness and hospitality to His disciples were considered as giving it to Christ and accepted by His Father.

The phrase "He that receiveth a prophet" speaks of a teacher, not a foreteller of future events. 

The word translated "prophet" is very broad and includes both those who speak for God about future events as well as those who teach His doctrines or preach the gospel.

In this context it speaks of Christ's disciples commissioned by Jesus to teach or preach the doctrines of eternal life. 

Not all believers are called to pulpit ministry but none are excluded from partaking of its grace, its spirit, and its reward.

Those who receive God's prophets received blessings from His prophet.

Matthew 10:41  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 

The words "He that receiveth a prophet" refer to receiving one who teaches the truth and that person "shall receive a prophet’s reward." 

He that receives truth with love and joy after hearing it shall reap the blessing of taking God at His Word and believing Him. 

2 Peter 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 

Prophets who spoke for God were men marked by a holy character because they sought God each day and lived their lives in accord with His will.

They spoke when the Spirit of God moved them to speak God's message to His people.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9)  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10)  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

Are there still prophets today? 

Many televangelists claim to have this gift, deceiving people in order to enrich themselves.

The glorious spiritual gifts that included prophecies, miracles, visions or speaking in tongues ceased when the scriptures were completed.

Those who claim to have a new revelation from God are liars and must be rejected.

They violate God's commands against adding to or subtracting from His Word (See Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Matthew 5:18; Revelation 22:18-19). 

The prophets of God were righteous men who did not profit from ministering the Word of God to His people.

There are many examples of people who received a prophet of God by showing hospitality and were blessed by God or as Jesus said, they received a prophet's reward.

A Shunammite woman who received Elisha, the prophet by constructing a shelter for him on his journeys and providing food, bedding and a safe place for him to rest.

She often prepared food for Elisha and his servant Gehazi.

She received a prophet's reward because her son suddenly became ill and died.

She immediately sought out Elisha and he restored her son back to life! (See 2 Kings 4:8-37).

A widow received the prophet Elijah and she received the blessing of food during a famine.

1 Kings 17:8-16  And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9)  Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10)  So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11)  And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12)  And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13)  And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14)  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 15 ) And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16)  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. 

Elijah's life and ministry is one of the very best illustrations of Jesus' teaching.

Elijah called for a drought that lasted 3 1/2 years and during this time there was a famine in the land.

Jehovah told His prophet to travel to Zarephath where He "commanded a widow woman there to sustain" Elijah during the famine.

When Elijah arrived he applied a test to see if the widow woman he saw gathering sticks was the woman God directed him to.

Elijah asked her for a drink of water and she readily complied to fetch it but the prophet stopped her.

He also asked for some bread and her reply was that she was down to her last amount of grain and had only enough oil to make one final loaf of bread.

The situation was desperate and she fully expected to die of starvation after she and her son ate the bread.

Therefore, for her to give bread to a complete stranger would have been a tremendous sacrifice.

She said as much to Elisha but he spoke words of comfort to her.

He told her not to fear but to make the bread and serve all three of them.

Then he gave her the specific promise of God that her barrel of grain would not run out nor would the container of oil run dry until Jehovah sent rain on the earth.

By receiving a prophet of God this woman received a prophet's reward.

The grain and the oil lasted for 3 1/2 years just as God promised it would.

Those who know God have a right fear, reverence and humility in how they serve Him.

Matthew 6:5-6  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6)  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

This concept of receiving a prophet and a prophet's reward is echoed in the contrast Jesus gave between religious hypocrites and those who had genuine faith.

The hypocrite prayed in an ostentatious manner hoping to be seen and admired by others for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

True faith and the spirit of receiving a prophet is humbly entering a prayer closet to pray to our Father in private, knowing that He has promised to reward us openly.

Isaiah 3:10-11  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11)  Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

The prophet Isaiah also spoke to this issue of receiving the messenger of God along with the Word of God, and the peril of rejecting it. 

The righteous are encouraged to do what God has called them to do because they will eat of the fruit of doing His will.

God promised to supply for the needs of Jesus' disciples and He did just as He said He would do.

However, those who refused to receive Christ's disciples are in danger of judgment as Isaiah prophesied.

They will reap what they have sown and iniquity will only produce more sin, thus they will reap the condemnation of God for rejecting the gospel of Christ.

Christ's disciples start out as little ones in their faith and as we continue in our faith walk, we must keep growing and maturing in our faith. 

Matthew 10:42  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. 

Jesus' reference to “these little ones” clearly meant His disciples.

They are called “little ones” to denote their lack of wealth, status, education and whatever the world defines as great.

They were lightly esteemed by the world and were learners not yet teachers.

"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones" is a beautiful picture of how God sees His servants.

The reference is to their lowliness in spirit, their littleness in the eyes of an undiscerning world, while being held in high esteem by the Father.

In this chapter Jesus taught us that any ministry must begin with the calling of God.

Ministry must be sought by walking in faith, believing God and trusting His Word.

Ministry must begin with humility on our part because we do not deserve anything but eternal condemnation, yet for believing His Son, God gave us all spiritual blessing in Christ (See Ephesians 1:3).

Ministry must include a commitment on our part to follow hard after Jesus Christ and a determination to pursue holiness.

Remember, each individual believer in Christ has some type of ministry that we should be involved in.

Pastors and church leaders have a clear ministry of preaching the Word clearly and accurately.

Parents have a clear ministry to their children to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

We all have the blessing of loving and serving God while we seek to love and serve others.

We all have a duty to obey Christ and engage in the Great Commission ministry (See Matthew 28:18-20).

Let us lean by faith into the ministry that Christ gives us to do.

Let us trust God to supply our needs as well as opportunities to share the gospel.

Let us praise God for giving us a new life in Christ, a life marked by love, joy and hope.

Bob