Sermons

The first part of this account is found in Luke 10: 1-12, the sending out of the 70 (2 x 2) or 72 by Jesus. They were given gifts by the Holy Spirit for their mission. They reflected God's glory with a task of building the body of Christ, with a particular message to go out (the kingdom of God has come near to you). There are several accounts of witnesses being sent out. First, 12 were sent, then 70, and then in Matthew 28, all the church was sent out. The 70 were forerunners of the missions to follow. The mission of the 70 was similar to the task given to John The Baptist, but instead of the Incarnation, the new mission pointed to Jesus' second coming. They returned to Jesus amazed at their power over demons and with great joy in the work of the church. They saw lives changed and were well received. They saw the power of God; we should see this too. We should expect to see some fruit from our labors, but not to the degree that we are making counts of professions of faith. Today is the day of harvesting. We know more about Jesus' work in the world than they did. We must be ready to witness in season and out of season. We are always preaching, but we cannot serve God in our own strength. We must trust in God's provision and focus on the gospel message. We must rejoice. Our names are written in heaven; we don't have to fear Satan and his demons.