Prepare ye the way

 Prepare ye the way

+Its always perplexed me a bit, the confusion about the Great Commission, what did He mean etc. We are about to go through a passage where Jesus actually sends His followers out, gives them very explicit instructions. I know that this does not apply today in that we do not have the power Christ gave the 70 yet the message, the process is still the same today.

Luk 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Have you ever noticed this writing before? We all know of the 70 disciples that He sends out and bequeaths power to them. Yet the most interesting fact here is that He sent them out to places that He Himself would come to. Isn’t that interesting? He sends people out to prepare the way, then when He gets there the people are ready to meet the Lord. Fascinating. Even today we do the same, or at least we should be doing the same, getting out and preparing the way of the Lord. For the rapture is coming and we must prepare the people for it.

To a more immediate note, we are to prepare the people for each service, for each day that they will be ready when God shows up.

How dry are our churches that we miss the preparing of the way. Jesus is coming (so He promises in the Bible) to wherever we believers are gathered together. Are we preparing the way? Are we getting people ready to meet Him? Or are we failing them by doing less than required to prepare them for their meeting with the Lord?

Luk 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Pray the Lord of the Harvest (GOD) that He would send laborers. God will send laborers if we so desire it to be. For God’s Will is that there are laborers aplenty, and thus we will pray in accordance to His Will. Have you ever asked the boss to hire more folks for the work is too great for the few now doing it? Or are you stuck in a rut, overwhelmed, and accepting minimal results because no one is interested in God anymore?

Luk 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

I send you forth as lambs among wolves. This is very explicit terminology, isn’t it? The lambs (us) will be among the wolves (the world) that will tear us apart if we but let it. Christ in another section of Scripture tells us that the world will hate us, for it hated Him. We are strangers in a strange land, for we do not belong here we are of a Heavenly home and if you need proof of that go read of Stephen and his death. They do not want us or like us if we do things the right way, for The Light of the World will shine forth from us and show us all that we are, which is far less than we should be and we need Christ. To the world it shows them the futility of their ways, the emptiness of their lives, and it makes them angry for the god of this world does not want them to see the truth and it will be met with full on resistance. Yet we are not to give up, nor are we to stop our 24/7 attempts to reach them. For our reward is in our faithfulness. His job is to provide the harvest, we are to just keep on keepin on.

Luk 10:4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.

God (Jesus) says carry no money, no purse, no extra shoes, no provisions. Trust in God and let Him take care of you. We today say we can not do it this way, we say God can not put gas in your car, or build you a church from nothing for you need money, support to start a ministry, we today tell everyone to network for a few years and then get moving on God’s Word. I think we have lost something in translation here, for is the God of the Disciples and Apostles not the same God we serve today? Yes we have bills, so did they, yes we need food, so did they, sometimes I think we get so caught up on the safety net we forget our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He created money, He created man, He created the earth, All that there is/was/shall be He has made. I think we lose sight of that sometimes.

Luk 10:5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

Luk 10:6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

Luk 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

Whatsoever house ye enter, if there is a man whose heart God has prepared before you get there, then stay in that house.

Think it through. God prepares their heart, then you come along and prepare the Way for God. It seems like such a complicated process. For no man of themselves has ever said I need God. God has said to man in the whisper, in the need, in the rising of the sun, in the beauty of creation, in His Word, through His messenger, He has opened their heart for His Word and His messenger.

Sometimes I wonder that He even allows us to get involved in His Work, for we middle men make it so difficult, we add to or take away from the process, we find reasons not to do it, or we do it in our own way and power.

Amazing that He lets us do it time and time again, no matter how many before us skewed His Word, or His Will to their own opinion, their own agenda as the pharisees and sadducees did.