Read It And Reap.

Jesus called His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits so they could cast them out and heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. (Matthew 10:1)

"He called the twelve disciples. Now He's calling us." -Pastor Andy

As Pastor Andy spoke on Matthew 9:35-38, he said, "Make sure you're in before you go out." In other words, we don't engage in ministry endeavors unless we have full assurance of God's presence in (and His call on) our lives. Our pastor was not speaking randomly. In Matthew 10 we have a clear account of the rules of engagement for calling and for harvest protocol, and that process begins with the knowledge of having been called by Christ to show His love to the world.

I conducted a small pilot study with 25 lay leaders back in 2008. Of the 23 persons who completed the study, 11 of them were not engaged in any form of Bible study. Yesterday morning, I heard on a radio show that someone else had done a large-scale research study which showed that 41 percent of Christians do not read Scripture on a regular basis. My prayer is that we all will develop an increasing desire for reading Scripture. After all, how can we live out God's agenda if we never look at the blueprint He provided?

What a shame it would be if we failed to read Chapter Ten of Matthew, which contains the ultimate case study in evangelism.

Here are ten key points from Chapter Ten:

• Jesus calls twelve disciples by name and gives them apostolic authority.
• He instructs them concerning where they should travel and what their sermon topic should be.
• He urges them to engage in healing and deliverance ministry.
• He tells them to not carry money or extra clothes, because their needs will be provided for as they work.
• He speaks to them about how to find suitable lodging and how to exit unsuitable lodging.
• He instructs them in depth concerning how to conduct themselves in an atmosphere of persecution.
• He warns them of what will happen, and at the same time encourages them to not be afraid.
• He tells them that faithfulness in ministry is non-negotiable.
• He instructs them concerning evangelism and family conflict. 
• He reminds them that they, as disciples, are an extension of His love and action in the world.

I pray that today we'll find time to read the whole chapter. It might be helpful to begin reading from the end of Matthew 9 (Pastor Andy's text), then continuing from there. [You can link here to read from Matthew 9:35 through Matthew 10:42.]

Pastor Andy's quote bears repeating. "Make sure you're in before you go out."

Lord, give us grace and assurance to know that we are called-- and equipped-- to work the harvest. Amen.