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MATTHEW - Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand!
A Bible Study Course on the Gospel of Christ according to Matthew
PART 2 - Christ teaches and Ministers in Galilee (Matthew 5:1 - 18:35)
C - The Twelve Disciples are Sent out to Preach and Serve (Matthew 9:35 - 11:1)
3. The Methods of Spreading the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 10:5 - 11:1) -- The Second Collection of the Words of Jesus

a) The Fundamental Principles of Preaching (Matthew 10:5-15)


MATTHEW 10:11-13
11 Into whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and stay there until you go on. 12 As you enter into the household, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn’t worthy, let your peace return to you.

Christ always followed in His private ministry the guidance of the Spirit of His Father. Before coming to any city or town He prayed that it would be shown Him who in it is worthy to stay with, knowing that the best are not good in themselves. They are the ones who recognized the wickedness flowing out of their hearts and felt pain for their corrupt natures. Thus, they became worthy of the kingdom of God and of receiving His ambassadors. Ask God, in the beginning of your ministry, to take you to the repentant not to those that are satisfied with their self-righteousness, or to the haughty rich. He who is eager to know the grace of God is he who accepts the gospel of peace. The poor gives you a share in his bread, but the rich, the jurist, the strong and the haughty thinks he has no need of you. When a man falls into distress and regrets, he is more prepared to accept salvation, for your Lord has cultivated his heart that you may plant His peace in it.

“Inquire who in it is worthy,” who fears God and has made some improvement of the light and knowledge of Jesus. The best is still far from meriting the favor of a gospel offer, but some would be more likely than others to give the apostles and their message a favorable reception and would not trample these pearls under their feet.

The Lord will help us to search out those who hunger for righteousness, and not to go, in the beginning, to those who invite us merely to waste time and engage in stupid discussions. Christ advises us to focus on those who are already guided by the Spirit of the Lord. Christ ordered his disciples that they should inquire, not who is rich, but who is worthy, not who is the best gentleman, but who is the best man.

With such a brother, we may set out to visit those who surround us. It is better to have our host with us, for he knows the people and the situations in his area better as we can.

Ask Christ to open a house for preaching in each district of your city, which could bring, by His power, many to faith. Did your house become a center for active service and a spring of peace to your surroundings?

The common salutation in the country was, “Peace be to you!” This phrase, as they used it, was turned into the gospel too. Here, it meant the peace of the Father and the Son, the peace of the kingdom of heaven that they could lay on everyone they greet. Whoever has reservations in pronouncing this blessing on every body should remember that Christ tells us that this gospel prayer is suitable for everyone, since the Gospel was offered to all. Christ knows the hearts and characters of all men, and He knows in whom this salutation will result in a real blessing. If the house is worthy, it will reap the benefit of your blessing. If not, there is no harm done, you will not lose the benefit of it. It shall return to you, as David’s prayers for his ungrateful enemies did (Psalm 35:13)

It becomes us to serve charitably all men, to pray heartily for all we know and to conduct ourselves courteously to all we meet and then to leave it with God to determine what effect it shall have upon them. He who responds to the Spirit of God will benefit from the salutation and receive a blessing from Him, but he who hardens his heart to God’s peace and mercy will receive a judgment for denying him.

MATTHEW 10:13-15
13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn’t worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 Whoever doesn’t receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Most certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
(Genesis 19:1-29; Acts 13:51)

Should the community be unwilling to accept the gospel of Jesus, do not knock at their door constantly and insistently, for God’s love would not force any body. His power dwells in the hearts of those who long for peace and truth, who open themselves to it willingly not as a result of force. Our faith knows no forcible seizure nor surrender, but conviction and responsibility.

When a man, a family, a city, or a nation reject Christ and His apostles, superficially or sluggishly, separate from them quietly that you will not share the judgment which will be theirs. Whoever rejects the gospel of Christ with its peace rejects God Himself.

There is a day of judgment coming, when all those that refuse the Gospel will certainly be called to account for it, however they now make a jest of it. They that would not hear the doctrine that would save them shall be made to hear the sentence that will ruin them. Their judgment is reserved until that day. But you continue to pray for them, even if they reject you and your Lord.

The condemnation of those that reject the gospel will in the last day be severer and heavier than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom is said to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. But that vengeance will come in a stranger manner upon those that despise salvation. Sodom and Gomorrah were exceedingly wicked, and that which filled up the measure of their iniquity was, that they did not receive the angels that were sent to them, but abused them and did not give respectful attention to their words. And yet, it will be more tolerable for them than for those who do not receive Christ’s ministers and give respectful attention to their words. God’s wrath against them will be more flaming and their own reflections upon themselves more cutting. These words will sound more dreadful in the ears of such as had a fair offer made them of eternal life and rather chose death. The iniquity of Israel, when God sent them His servants the prophets, is represented as, upon that account, more heinous than the iniquity of Sodom. Much more now, after He sent them His Son, the incarnate Spirit of His word.

Be cautious before you leave the disobedient. Examine yourself, that you may not be the reason for their reluctance and disobedience, through misunderstanding, or because of your rudeness or rashness. Go back and examine yourself first and repent that you may not offend others. And if necessary, go back and ask for forgiveness so that you will not be responsible for a lost soul.

Christ confirmed through these words the fact of the Day of Judgment and proclaimed His gospel as the only way to salvation from this terrible day. He who rejects or opposes the people of the Gospel chooses for himself God’s wrath upon him in the Day of Judgment.

PRAYER: O Holy Father, Your Son called us to be peacemakers. Please guide us to behave wisely. Forgive us our thoughtless acts. Give us sincere friends and brothers and open in every quarter of our city a center for Your gospel, that living water may flow out of it into the dry desert.

QUESTION:

  1. Who will accept the peace of God?

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