5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’ 12 I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day. (Luke 10:5-12 NLT)
There are two ways that people and towns respond to Jesus and God's Word. Either they welcome those who come in the name of the Lord or they don't. Those who welcome them are blessed. Those who do not welcome the Lord's messengers are not. Unfortunately we are seeing a growing number of people and communities that do not welcome the Lord and His Word. Open opposition is on the rise in too many places in our nation.
So what should we do? Give up trying to tell people about Jesus and keep our faith very personal? Or take our faith with us wherever we go. Tell those who will listen about Jesus and let the Lord judge those will not. Jesus tells us to go make Disciples. So hiding our faith or limiting it to the time we spend in a worship service is not an option.
8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’ 12 I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day. (Luke 10:5-12 NLT)
There are two ways that people and towns respond to Jesus and God's Word. Either they welcome those who come in the name of the Lord or they don't. Those who welcome them are blessed. Those who do not welcome the Lord's messengers are not. Unfortunately we are seeing a growing number of people and communities that do not welcome the Lord and His Word. Open opposition is on the rise in too many places in our nation.
So what should we do? Give up trying to tell people about Jesus and keep our faith very personal? Or take our faith with us wherever we go. Tell those who will listen about Jesus and let the Lord judge those will not. Jesus tells us to go make Disciples. So hiding our faith or limiting it to the time we spend in a worship service is not an option.