By MYRA D. COLGATE
CHEROKEE PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS CHURCH
According to Luke 10:2-16, (KJV), the Lord Jesus appointed seventy other of His disciples to go out ahead of Him, two by two, to cities and people they would begin to prepare for His coming to them, in very short order.
We who attend church regularly today and have been serving others here, should we now be ready and prepared to follow the Lord in going on short mission trips, teaching and helping others close by with problems? Yes. Are we now ready to follow the Lord’s Mandate, the Great Commission, (Matthew 28:18-20) and go out into the highways and byways here, to bring in others from the cities and villages around us into the Church as part of the great harvest of souls—and leaving no one out? The answer should be, yes. The signs Jesus gave us actually have begun to point to this time for our Lord Jesus to be coming soon. If not this time, when would it be? There is a whole new generation out there right now. The Church is not just for entertainment or social gatherings, is it? Surely, we have plenty of room for neighbors and others who may need our help or help with their kids nowadays.
PRAY ASKING FOR MORE LABOURERS…
“Therefore said he unto them, ’The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
“Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
“Carry neither purse, nor scrip, not shoes: and salute no man by the way.
“And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’
“And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.
“And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
“And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
“And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, ‘The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.’
“But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
“Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
“But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.”
(We certainly do not want to hear Him say that here.)
“Woe unto thee, Chorazin, woe unto thee, Bethsaida: for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
“But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at judgment, than for you.
“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
“He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”
AND THE SEVENTY RETURNED AGAIN WITH JOY
“…saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”
“And he said unto them, ‘I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
When one adds the Great Commission and these signs given to all who believe, (by Lord Jesus in red letters) in Mark 16:15-18 (KJV), it is hard to deny what He said. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; ‘In my name they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
(Perhaps each one of us should read all of these verses one after another to reinforce Jesus’ instructions to all in His Church. How can we not be doing as He instructed? We really have no more excuses.)
