When the Lord Jesus sent His disciples out two by two, He gave them this command: Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” NKJV
That was Mark's account of the Lord Jesus' command. Dr. Luke made an account of the Lord's command to His disciples as well: Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” NKJV
Keep in mind, while the Lord was here on earth, preaching and teaching the Kingdom Gospel, He at no time attempted to force it upon any person or group. In fact, in the country where He grew up, they refused to accept Him or His message concerning the Kingdom. Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. and when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. NKJV This is a classic case of becoming too familiar with those around you in your neighborhood and your family members. They refuse to see the change in your behavior while the process of change is taking place in your life. They fail to give you the respect and honor you rightly deserve. The Lord and King put it this way: Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”
Keep in mind, no matter how your life changes when you embrace the Kingdom, there will always be some, if not many, that will still see you as that same person from years ago. They can't get past who you were to see how much you have changed. Because of that, they can't receive the Kingdom message you now preach. My advice to you is this: distance yourself and keep on being led by the Governor (the Holy Spirit). Stop trying to convince them of the Kingdom. Move on and allow the governor to lead you where He wants you to go. Here is an example of what I'm saying. I was raised in New York City. Most of my extended family and past friends are there, but when the King wanted to use me, He had to remove me from that environment. They would never see me as anything but the man I had been. By the way, I am still a work in progress. Pray for them, that the Holy Spirit will send someone across their path that will be able to introduce them to the Kingdom and our Lord Jesus the Christ.
The reason the people of Nazareth couldn't embrace faith in Him was because they viewed Him as one of them, and not who He really was. Because of that, the message of the Kingdom became ineffective to them. And because of their unbelief, He couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place His hands on a few sick people and heal them. Note what He didn't do! He didn't call down fire from heaven, as some preachers have done in their preaching. He didn't tell them that they were going to hell, even though that may be the case. He kept on with the Kingdom government message. And He was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. He was surprised at their lack of faith in Him. Those people were religious and went to the synagogue every Sabbath. It is the same behavior today. Many just want the religious feel good of a Sunday service without the responsibility of living the Kingdom principles all week.
Do not try to force anyone to embrace this Kingdom life and do not take it personally if they don't. Just put that neighborhood, city, or country behind you and keep on preaching and teaching the Kingdom message. There are many who will receive the Kingdom message. You have a perfect example in Jesus the Christ. He instructed us to do the same as He had. “Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.
Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves." So don't debate it; don't force it and don't get full of anxiety or angry because they refuse the Kingdom government message, just keep spreading it and keep moving forward. This gospel is available for everyone, but not everyone will receive it. You present to them this priceless jewel that is the Kingdom of God, they accept or reject it. Simply put.
Remember, your faith in the Lord Jesus is what operates in His Kingdom.
Mark 6:10-11 Luke 9:1-5 Mark 6:1-6 Matthew 10:11-16 (all NLT, except where noted)
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
That was Mark's account of the Lord Jesus' command. Dr. Luke made an account of the Lord's command to His disciples as well: Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” NKJV
Keep in mind, while the Lord was here on earth, preaching and teaching the Kingdom Gospel, He at no time attempted to force it upon any person or group. In fact, in the country where He grew up, they refused to accept Him or His message concerning the Kingdom. Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. and when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. NKJV This is a classic case of becoming too familiar with those around you in your neighborhood and your family members. They refuse to see the change in your behavior while the process of change is taking place in your life. They fail to give you the respect and honor you rightly deserve. The Lord and King put it this way: Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”
Keep in mind, no matter how your life changes when you embrace the Kingdom, there will always be some, if not many, that will still see you as that same person from years ago. They can't get past who you were to see how much you have changed. Because of that, they can't receive the Kingdom message you now preach. My advice to you is this: distance yourself and keep on being led by the Governor (the Holy Spirit). Stop trying to convince them of the Kingdom. Move on and allow the governor to lead you where He wants you to go. Here is an example of what I'm saying. I was raised in New York City. Most of my extended family and past friends are there, but when the King wanted to use me, He had to remove me from that environment. They would never see me as anything but the man I had been. By the way, I am still a work in progress. Pray for them, that the Holy Spirit will send someone across their path that will be able to introduce them to the Kingdom and our Lord Jesus the Christ.
The reason the people of Nazareth couldn't embrace faith in Him was because they viewed Him as one of them, and not who He really was. Because of that, the message of the Kingdom became ineffective to them. And because of their unbelief, He couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place His hands on a few sick people and heal them. Note what He didn't do! He didn't call down fire from heaven, as some preachers have done in their preaching. He didn't tell them that they were going to hell, even though that may be the case. He kept on with the Kingdom government message. And He was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. He was surprised at their lack of faith in Him. Those people were religious and went to the synagogue every Sabbath. It is the same behavior today. Many just want the religious feel good of a Sunday service without the responsibility of living the Kingdom principles all week.
Do not try to force anyone to embrace this Kingdom life and do not take it personally if they don't. Just put that neighborhood, city, or country behind you and keep on preaching and teaching the Kingdom message. There are many who will receive the Kingdom message. You have a perfect example in Jesus the Christ. He instructed us to do the same as He had. “Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.
Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves." So don't debate it; don't force it and don't get full of anxiety or angry because they refuse the Kingdom government message, just keep spreading it and keep moving forward. This gospel is available for everyone, but not everyone will receive it. You present to them this priceless jewel that is the Kingdom of God, they accept or reject it. Simply put.
Remember, your faith in the Lord Jesus is what operates in His Kingdom.
Mark 6:10-11 Luke 9:1-5 Mark 6:1-6 Matthew 10:11-16 (all NLT, except where noted)
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
