Go to the Places Where Jesus Sends—
“Now after this”
(The Gospel According to Luke 10: 1 NASB)
[The “this” was when Jesus told His disciples to “Follow Him”
to leave homes, leave families—no turning back—
only walking onward toward the kingdom of God]
“the Lord appointed seventy others,
and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.”
Usually, whenever we read of the seventy being sent ahead of Jesus, we read on to see the words of Jesus in next verses, the ones about the harvest as plentiful and the workers as few. However, what struck me today was this first verse, especially the part—
“and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.”
There are several times within the Word of God when we are told to LOVE GOD MOST because HE IS THE LORD! The First Great Commandment requires this of us, and then we are told the Second Great Commandment builds upon the first. Together, let’s be reminded of this truth that we read in the Bible, within the section titled “Sundry Laws—
“You shall not take vengeance,
(Leviticus 19: 18 NASB)
nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people,
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself;
I am the LORD.”
As I sat this morning, watching the sunlight overtake the darkness of the night, it has reminded me—We live in a dark world—in a place where the devil is at work.
The Bible tells us how we live where the Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this world, the devil, blinds their minds, working diligently to keep the unbelieving just that—UNBELIEVING! Satan wants more than anything to defeat the LORD, but we who believe know this is totally impossible.
So, day-after-day, the devil distracts the unbelieving ones, keeping their minds, hands, and lives busy with whatever this world offers. I am not making this up but quoting what the apostle Paul wrote to the believers living in the city Corinth.
“so that they might not see the light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4: 4b NASB)
GOD IS AT WORK!
- TRULY IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE LORD IS DOING MORE THAN WE CAN EVEN SEE!
- PERHAPS, RIGHT NOW, IN OUR LIVES, OUR LORD IS DOING MORE THAN ANY OTHER TIME!
- YES, PERHAPS THE LORD IS WORKING IN YOUR CHURCH BODY!
- QUITE POSSIBLY, THE LORD IS WORKING IN YOUR MINISTRY!
- MOST ASSUREDLY, THE LORD IS CALLING MINISTERS WHO WILL PLANT NEW CHURCHES IN PLACES WHERE BELIEVERS DO NOT EXIST.
When the Lord Jesus sent out the seventy in groups of two, sending them into the places and to the cities where He was going to go, the seventy experienced great success. They were elated to find that even the demons of this world (the devil’s demons) did exactly what they commanded.
This is where we see the gentle teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ & we also see how the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit have been at work in this dark world from the beginning of time. Please pause to read with me the words of our Savior Jesus about the places where we are sent.
Go to the Places Where Jesus Sends—Places Where He Knows There Are Lost!
“And He said to them,
(The Gospel According to Luke 10: 18-20 NASB)
[Jesus Himself spoke these words to the seventy He had sent]
“I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy,
and nothing will injure you.
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this,
that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
Without a doubt—
- We are to LOVE THE LORD—MOST!
- We are to LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS—AS MUCH AS WE LOVE OURSELVES!
- We are SENT INTO THE PLACES WHERE GOD IS ALREADY AT WORK!
- We are to SEEK TO REACH THE LOST, TO BRING THEM TO COME TO KNOW CHRIST!
- We are to REJOICE THAT OUR FATHER HAS WRITTEN OUR NAMES IN THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE, (NOT IN PENCIL) BUT IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS, THE LAMB OF GOD!
May we be faithful servants—Going to the Places Wherever Jesus Sends Us.
May we be obedient children—Going to the Places Where our Father Promises He Already Is At Work.
“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord,
and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,”
is the One who has shone in our hearts
- to give the Light
- of the knowledge
- of the glory of God
in the face of Christ.”
(The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 4: 5-6 NASB)