July 2, 2014 You Can

You Can

Matthew 10:5-8 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

THERE are many ways to evangelize the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Seldom we preach on a street corner. Often we engage in conversations with people about their lives, so we can help direct them to Jesus. Other times we might be more direct to immediately call people to repentance.

     Jesus sent his disciples to follow his pattern. As Jesus would heal diseases and drive out demons, he would preach the coming of the Kingdom of God and the need for repentance. His serving went hand-in-hand with his preaching.

     Thus, he directed his disciples to do exactly as he did: Preach the Good News and then to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Yes, amazingly they were to do exactly as he did, including raising the dead and driving out demons. Freely they were to distribute what Jesus had freely given to them.

     We are to do this very same thing. We must go to people in need of the Gospel to preach the Kingdom of God. And the preaching must not be of itself. We must serve in the power of the Holy Spirit calling people to repentance through healings, resurrections and demon release.

     I know, you’re saying, “I can’t do that.” I’ll bet Jesus’ disciples thought the same thing.

LIFE Link: Yes you can in the Holy Spirit’s power.