Our New Chapter: Sent As His Workers
Matthew 10:8b-10
Welcoming season: be sure to help welcome our new friends.
It’s been a year and a half since we launched as a church and announced our vision. Some of us may have been wondering, so what’s different, what’s changed. I had showed us a Joe Renewal Flowchart [chart] and an organizational diagram [diagram] with the elders and their areas of responsibility.
Well, at long last, we’d like to share what, by God’s grace, we’re hoping to do. Thoughout September the elders and I will be presenting various ministries, some revised and some new. When we put the pieces together, we believe that will help us renew lives in Christ to transform our city and the world.
I’d like us to consider that since our launch, we’ve begun a new chapter for our church, a new stage of development, growth and maturity.
In our passage today we see Jesus sending out his disciples to do ministry. It is a commissioning of the 12 with detailed instructions and warnings.
We want to be a little careful in how to handle this passage. It was not written directly to us but to the 12 disciples. And even to the 12 disciples, these instructions are for this particular mission, but Jesus changes some of the instructions later (Lk 22:35-37).
E.g., Jesus sends his disciples to the Jews only (vv. 5-6). But in Acts, we see Jesus sending them from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth. We recognize that we are not called to minister only to Jews, to but all people and nations.
But I think this passage does speak to us too. There are some relevant principles that apply to us and in fact, some instructions that speak more directly to us.
In particular, like the disciples, we also are sent ones. That is what the church is, we are here on a mission. The disciples were not to be a fraternity, a boys club, a holy huddle, and neither are we.
Last May we looked at the Church in Acts.
Acts is about the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church.
Mission is…a movement from God to the world; the church is viewed as an instrument for that mission. There is a church because there is mission, not vice versa…mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God. God is a missionary God. (David Bosch, Transforming Mission)
There is a church because there is mission. If there were no mission, we would not have the church as we have it. God is on mission, and that’s why he created the church. Being sent on a mission is part of the very purpose and definition of being the Church.
The Church of God doesn’t have a mission in the world. The God of Mission has a Church in the World. (Tim Dearborne)
We have a mission. We’re not here to be served, to huddle safe and sound away from this dangerous world. We are not just consumers of religious services shopping around for a service provider that suits our preferences and conveniences. No, we’ve been sent into the world.
We believe God has called us to renew lives in Christ to transform our city and the world.
For September, we’ll be looking at how we’re trying to do this.
Last week we looked at Jesus’ authority (over the winds and waves, over sickness, over demons, to forgive sins; He has authority over creation and over us). We recognize that His authority is the basis for our ministry. Christ empowers them and sends them.
Let me zoom in on 4 principles in this passage that I think are relevant to us.
8b “Freely, freely you have received. Freely, freely give.”
The disciples had been given authority and the teaching of the kingdom. They didn’t pay for it, it was just given. So, they are to give without charge.
1. We have received.
It is critical that we first understand our call to ministry is not some favor we’re doing God. We first need to realize and savor what God has done for us.
Later in the NT, we see a much fuller explanation of how much we have received. The Apostle Paul in many of his letters spends an enormous amount of time and energy explaining not what we’re to give, but what we’ve received.
We call this the Gospel. The Gospel is primarily a story of what God has done for us. This is a story about a God who had everything graciously loving sinners who had nothing. We who were sinful and undeserving are chosen, forgiven, accepted, adopted, and loved.
The story of the Christian life is that God is the Giver and we are the Receiver—always.
In Ephesians we see Paul praying for Christians that their eyes would be opened to see the hope to which we have been called, the riches of His glorious inheritance, the incomparable resurrection power that we have. He also prays for supernatural empowerment so that they could begin comprehend and incomprehensible love.
Donald Trump [picture] is said to have a net worth of about $3 billion (wikipedia).
His real estate portfolio includes
Trump World Tower, NY $290 million [pictures]
Trump Building, NY $260 million
Trump Tower, NY $288 million
His personal residence here includes the top 3 floors, 30,000 sq ft, detailed in bronze, marble and gold, worth upwards of $50 million.
Licensing value $562 million
There are developers that build properties and pay Trump to allow them to put his name on their buildings. The marketing licensing value is $562 million.
If I told you Donald Trump has included you in his will, you will inherit his entire portfolio, what would that do to you?
Jesus says, freely, freely you have received the Kingdom. I pray that your eyes would be open to see the riches of His glorious inheritance!
We have to feel that love and acceptance, abundance, richness, fullness, joy, thankfulness.
nonChristians and Christians: At Renewal, we want to help you understand and grow in the Gospel. We believe that our lives are renewed not by us trying to be better people, but by what God has done for us. We are renewed, we are changed from the inside, by understanding and experience what God has done for us.
2. We’ve been blessed to be a blessing.
Freely we receive, freely we give.
We see back in Genesis 12, when God calls Abraham, God say He’ll bless him, make him into a great nation, and all the nations of the peoples on earth will be blessed through him.
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us,
that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. (Ps 67:1)
Yes, Lord, bless us. That’s what God does: He is the Giver, we’re the receiver.
But it doesn’t end there. We are blessed that His glory would be displayed, that all nations would find their salvation in Him.
We are for the display of His glory and the blessing of all people. We believe we are to renew lives in Christ to transform/bless our city and the world.
We/Renewal has many shortcomings and weaknesses, but I can’t help but feel that God has been so gracious to us as a church. As I’ve visited other churches, and more recently seen some of the church in Japan, we need to recognize how much God has given us in terms of staff, lay leaders, opportunities, finances, etc. God has spared us (so far) from so many troubles that have seriously crippled or ripped apart other churches. And God has spoken and moved, God stirred in our midst.
Regarding staff, I was just at a retreat this week and someone asked how many staff we have. I felt a little embarrassed to say we have 5 pastoral staff, and many of us have been here at this church for over a decade (and one pastoral intern). I know of so many churches that are struggling to find one or have seen a painful pattern of pastors only staying a couple years at a time. And I believe we have good staff. I’m privileged to have them as teammate and friends.
“To those who have been given much, much will be required.” We’ve not be blessed to be comfortable, but to be a blessing. If our vision is to just satisfy our customers and keep people in the pews, then we should send some of our pastors elsewhere.
But we believe we are blessed to be a blessing. We have been given much so that we can make an impact in this city and the world.
9-10 Jesus commands his disciples to go without extra resources.
In Jesus’ day, there weren’t local Sheraton’s or Day’s Inn’s to check into. Generally, public inns were not safe. Jesus commands the disciples to see if there’s a person who would welcome them and provide a place to stay. In other words, these disciples were dependent on the kindness and hospitality of strangers.
3. God provides for His workers.
The disciples needed to trust that God would provide for their needs. They would have to depend on God literally for their daily bread, for a place to sleep.
Jesus describes how they will be hated, persecuted, and arrested. Jewish leaders, Roman leaders, even family members will be against them. He actually spends over half of this passage explaining, warning and instructing them on the persecution they (and we) will face. “I am sending you like sheep among wolves” (v. 16). “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (v. 38). This is not a safe and comfortable road.
They will have to stand trial.
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Mt 10:19-20)
Disciples have to trust that God will provide not just their room and board, but also for their defense and protection. God will provide the words to say in the courtroom and in the midst of persecution.
This goes back to our message last week. We have to believe that Christ has authority over all things, and that there is nothing on earth we need to fear. “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Ro 8:31).
Renewal, being God’s sent worker is not a comfortable calling. We, individually and as a church, are called to a life of faith.
We are put in situations that are beyond what we can humanly do. Sometimes, for some seasons, God calls us to give and serve beyond our comfort zone, beyond our resources, beyond our abilities—He calls us to trust Him. We must believe that He’ll provide all we need to do what He’s calling us to do (Mt 6:33). We don’t want to be foolish and wreckless, but we also want recognize that serving as God’s worker is a life of faith.
God will provide for His workers. Friends, we can’t always play it safe. We will not always be comfortable. We are called to a faith adventure and we will see God’s faithfulness.
At Renewal, God has provided small group leaders (this fall), short-term missions funding, budget finances. We’re asking God to supply a building.
For myself, God has provided me teammates, sermons, direction/vision.
4. A worker is worth his wage.
The other side of this is that God often uses people to provide for our needs. God wasn’t going to provide by having ravens deliver food and have water come out of rocks. They were going to have strangers or Christian friends provide take them in and provide for their needs.
And so Jesus teaches, “a worker is worth his wage.” Paul teaches the same in 1 Cor 9.
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? . . . 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? (1 Cor 9:7, 11)
A Christian worker who effectively serves others is worth providing for. We want to supply those who serve with their needs so that they are fully enabled to do their ministry. We should supply those who are working so they lack nothing.
If someone or some ministry has blessed you, if there has been some “harvest” in your life, then give back materially. The sower should have some benefit from that harvest.
“A worker is worth his wage.”
In the NT (1 Cor 9:14, 1 Tim 5:17-18) there are specific instruction to supply the needs of those whose work is to preach the gospel and who are elders whose work is preaching and teaching. I believe a church should make sure their pastors are taken care of so that they can fully and freely give themselves to their ministry.
But I’d like to apply this to the Priesthood of all Believers. That is, we should support and encourage one another. If a small group leader, committee member, Sunday School teacher is doing a good job, we want to encourage, support, take care of them. Hopefully they are not in urgent financial needs, but they may be having very busy schedules, having difficulties at home or school, having trouble finding a job or having a demanding season with their kids. Those who are doing valuable ministry are worthy of support, encouragement, and perhaps even material blessings. God provides, but it’s very possible God will provide someone else’s need through you.
There are times when it was the church community that really was an answered prayer and enormous blessing to me and my family. About a year and half ago I woke up to find a note from my wife that she had been in horrible pain and went to the ER! By the next day she had a minor surgery. Noah was just a few months old, and I was left with 3 little ones and a hospitalized wife, and I was beyond myself. But there were so many people who came by to help with the kids, came by with food, came to watch the kids so I could visit Janette in the hospital. It was a very difficult time, and I can honestly say I don’t know how I would have made it with the kindness of our church community. God provided, but He did it through you.
And I know I’m not the only one. Various moms after their deliveries had received countless meals, various people who’ve lost loved ones have received outpourings of condolences, various people
Jesus emphasizes the value of Christian workers, not just because they do good ministry, but because they belong to Him; as we said at the beginning, we are His ambassadors.
“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Mt 10:40-42)
If we serve a cup of water to a disciple of Christ, we have served Christ Himself and we are rewarded for serving Him.
Let me ask you to consider someone (outside of the pastors) or some ministry who has blessed you, and consider offering some kind of encouragement, support. Perhaps God will supply their need through you.
I heard about how someone wanted to bless the Sunday School teachers and treated them to a very nice meal at a nice center city restaurant. I’ve heard of how various small group members have expressed their love and appreciation to their small group leaders.
Perhaps you could send an encouraging email/card, or if you know of some need, provide a meal, a place to stay, a ride, a plane ticket (upgrade), a job interview, computer technical assistance, moving assistance, babysitting. You may be God’s way of supplying a need!
I really believe one of the keys to our new chapter is a fuller and greater mobilization of the whole church. It is our vision is not to see a few pastors work a little harder, but to see the whole body of Christ mobilized and unleashed in their various gifts and passions. We value and encourage such workers. We need to let our workers know that we value, appreciate and love them.
We have received.
We’ve been blessed to be a blessing.
God provides for His workers.
A worker is worth his wage.
Harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. We’ve been sent on a mission. We’re excited about what God wants to do.