Practical instruction

Matthew 10: It’s best to start small.

Jesus now settles on twelve men to be his core team. They don’t know it yet, but they (with one exception) will become Apostles who will lead the infant church. He sends them out on a mission to spread word of Kingdom come. Interestingly, he spends as much time telling them what not to do as he does telling them what they are to do. For instance, he tells them not to head off for distant places. Rather, they’re to stay local. He tells them that they don’t need to take a lot of stuff with them. Their changed lives are the best “show and tell” imaginable. They’re to stay in modest places, to be gentle and not argumentative with those they encounter, and to leave a place rather than stay for a fight. They aren’t to worry about what they will say but, instead, to trust the Lord to give them the right words at the right times. He tells them not to be afraid or intimidated. His example of Kingdom ministry is offering “a cup of water to someone who’s thirsty.” It occurs to me that I tend to make complicated what the Lord made simple. Maybe instead of spiritualizing all this stuff I need to do something simple like buying some bottled water to give out to anyone who looks like they might be thirsty.

Take Away: Let’s not complicate simple matters…if we keep it simple, we’ll find an abundance of ministry opportunities.