Matthew 10 has Jesus "sending out" the 12 for their first go-round of delivering the message of the arrival of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN/KINGDOM OF GOD. What is interesting to me is the earlier heralds of this arrival of God's rule on earth was preceded by messages to "repent" (literally change.... and change your MIND... and thus behavior). Repentance is at the core of what God calls us to, as it is a fundmental shift from living for self, in the power of self, for the end of self, oriented around self.... to a happy surrender of all that I am to God to have and direct at His good pleasure. Let me say categorically that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a person to become a Christian without this "repentance" or change, or new orientation. Conversion is not conversion if that is not present. It is the essence of being "born again" and is why "Jesus is Lord" was the very first "slogan" of the early church. The anemic and dessicated and quasi apostate state of the modern church is because that call/claim is not addressed seriously by modern evangelicals.
HOWEVER, the amazing thing when Jesus sends out the 12, the instructions given for their message DOES NOT INCLUDE REPENTANCE. In fact they are not instructing the people at all .... to do ANYTHING. It is rather a time where Jesus gives power of disease and sickness and simply send them out to heal and cast out demons. That is it. They ANNOUNCE the kingdom, but make no instructions of how to deal with the KING. That is astounding to me. It is like Jesus is hammering home a point, which is that first of all, God wants to give, and give copiously, overwhelmingly, uproariously, without measure and indiscriminately... and the great news of the kingdom is NOT what you have to do, but rather what HE is coming to do! We have to start off there, in stating plainly that God does it all. Nothing for us to "do." Even our response of repentance and faith is a gift (Ephesians 2.9) but that is a different angle. This is preceding a call event to repentance and faith. The message of the Kingdom is simply this... in back of the "gospel message" is the great Originator of the gospel itself, one who simply loves to pour out goodness, healing, life and health on this poor twisted and sick world. This is the gospel. This is the message Jesus commissioned. There is a time to demand an utter surrender. The call TO that surrender though is against the backdrop of a God who cannot help Himself for pouring out goodness on us all....., many who may have never experienced repentance, but simply the smaller blessings of health, mental stability, and wholeness. It is who GOD is.... a Being who just wants goodness back in His spoiled creation.
This is the coming of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. It is in the final sense about the character and doing of the King, not His subjects and what is done in us.
HOWEVER, the amazing thing when Jesus sends out the 12, the instructions given for their message DOES NOT INCLUDE REPENTANCE. In fact they are not instructing the people at all .... to do ANYTHING. It is rather a time where Jesus gives power of disease and sickness and simply send them out to heal and cast out demons. That is it. They ANNOUNCE the kingdom, but make no instructions of how to deal with the KING. That is astounding to me. It is like Jesus is hammering home a point, which is that first of all, God wants to give, and give copiously, overwhelmingly, uproariously, without measure and indiscriminately... and the great news of the kingdom is NOT what you have to do, but rather what HE is coming to do! We have to start off there, in stating plainly that God does it all. Nothing for us to "do." Even our response of repentance and faith is a gift (Ephesians 2.9) but that is a different angle. This is preceding a call event to repentance and faith. The message of the Kingdom is simply this... in back of the "gospel message" is the great Originator of the gospel itself, one who simply loves to pour out goodness, healing, life and health on this poor twisted and sick world. This is the gospel. This is the message Jesus commissioned. There is a time to demand an utter surrender. The call TO that surrender though is against the backdrop of a God who cannot help Himself for pouring out goodness on us all....., many who may have never experienced repentance, but simply the smaller blessings of health, mental stability, and wholeness. It is who GOD is.... a Being who just wants goodness back in His spoiled creation.
This is the coming of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. It is in the final sense about the character and doing of the King, not His subjects and what is done in us.
