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THE TRAINING OF THE TWELVE (II)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
Mark 6:7-13

Hebrews 10:26-31

 

“It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands

of the living God.”

 

THE TRAINING OF THE TWELVE (II)
 
One important instruction Jesus gave His disciples was this: “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.” This is also applicable to us today. In witnessing for Christ, we must not be “gung ho.” Be enthusiastic, yes; but do not be foolishly enthusiastic. “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matt 10:16).
 
In those days, the Jews after travelling through heathen territory had a custom of shaking the dust off their sandals before re-entering the Holy Land. They would literally take off their sandals, shake them vigorously or slap them together to get rid of all the dust that came from unclean soil. Jesus gave the reason for such an action: “for a testimony against them.” By so shaking the dust from off their feet, they were acting out a message of judgment. Such an acted prophetic ministry is common in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah 13 for example, God told Jeremiah to preach to the Jews wearing only his underwear. It was a dramatised message of condemnation to the people of Judah. It sought to jolt them into realising the seriousness of their sins. The Lord will hold unbelievers accountable for their actions. God will judge them on that day of reckoning.
 
We also need to understand that the Gospel is something very precious and valuable. In our efforts to preach the Gospel, do not cheapen it by presenting it in such a way that makes man the good guy and God the bad guy. Do not present the Gospel in such a way whereby man is promoted and God demoted. The sinner must not be made to feel or think that he is doing God a favour by believing in the Gospel. When preaching the Gospel, we are trying to reconcile sinful man to a holy God. Man needs to be reconciled to God, and not the other way round. Man is in the wrong, not God. Man has to say sorry, not God. The Gospel is the pearl of great price, and is offered free of charge. If sinful man shows contempt for it, that is the end of him. Do not cast pearls before swine, the Bible says. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked” (Gal 6:7).
 
THOUGHT: Man has to say sorry, not God.
PRAYER: Father, may I never compromise Thee in my preaching of the Gospel.

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