Shalom,
We ought to be grateful that we are still given good health, joy and spirit to participate in online worship that has been going on for more than one and a half years. The fact in serving God is not only do we experience joy, but also sorrow. Yet whatever happens, the spirit and fire in our hearts should not fade, nor should we lag in diligence (Romans 12:11) but continue standing firm and zealous in the Lord's work because our labors are not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Covid-19 pandemic is hitting almost all parts of the world and its impact has caused economic sluggishness worldwide. However, it all happens with God’s permission because He is fully sovereign over everything. He also sees our service to Him.
Indeed we experience the true joy that cannot be found in this world in serving God but there are also uncomfortable and unpleasant consequences that we must endure. Jesus has set the perfect example. As the Messiah, He endured rejection and many sufferings until He died on the cross which was foretold to His disciples. Besides, He also told them the conditions on following Him (Luke 9:22-23). It turns out that it’s not as easy and beautiful as we imagine because there is a cross to bear. In his letter, the Apostle Paul also emphasized that we are gifted not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for Him (Phillippians 1:29). In his journey of following Christ, Paul himself suffered a lot – rejected, stoned, scourged, lashed, imprisoned etc. He endured them all for Christ that he served.
Introspection: Generally, it’s easy for everyone to be grateful when they are in joyous moment. But are we still able to be grateful and rejoice while suffering for Christ? Remember, we should not be surprised when the fire of trial comes; on the contrary, we should feel blessed to be partakers of His sufferings because we will surely have wonderful joy when He reveals His glory (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Knowing that through His suffering we get forgiveness of our sins, salvation and eternal life, we can enjoy living in peace in a fellowship with Him. Therefore, even though for Christ’s sake we have to suffer from physical exhaustion, ridicule, rejection, ostracism, etc., we can feel the atmosphere of the Kingdom of Heaven while still living on earth.
As followers of Christ what can we rejoice for? Luke 10:1-24 explains that:
- We rejoice to be chosen and sent by Him (vv. 1-12).
At first, Jesus sent His twelve disciples (Luke 9:1-2) then sent the second group comprised of other seventy disciples (Luke 10:1). The ministry of these two groups only moved around Galilee and surrounding areas. But Jesus had calculated that it was not enough because the harvest was plentiful (to the ends of the earth) yet the workers were few (v. 2).
Who are the other workers that Jesus is looking for? In His great commission written in Matthew 28:19-20 He expected us to continue the ministry to reach the whole world. The least we can do is to faithfully serve Him in our own church and the branches of the church. Do you know that outside the island there are many fields ready to be harvested but they have few workers? Now let’s roll up our sleeves and work together in God’s field.
When God chooses and sends us, we don't need to ask too many questions—where or what to bring or with whom we go. Rather we must respond by immediately serving Him joyfully according to our calling, relying on Him who sends us.
It is an honor when we are chosen, sent and entrusted with a ministry assignment. Why? Because we are given the authority or power to defeat the enemy and heal the sick (Luke 10:19). Moreover, we have a wonderful relationship with the Sender because He knows exactly who He has chosen.
It is God—the Sender—who determines what ministry we should do. In other words, we have no right to cherry-pick because it is God who chooses us, not the other way round (John 15:16). And the assignor determines the job description. We are sent on a mission to proclaim the Gospel of Peace and that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Jesus told the messengers that they were sent out as lambs among wolves (Luke 10:3), meaning that they were like weak lambs sent into a place or condition full of risk. Despite having to put many things at stake in serving the Lord, they can rest assured as He surely guards and protects His front-line ministers.
Jesus sent out the seventy disciples in pairs. What for? Jesus taught them (and us) the importance of good teamwork with their fellow ministers, instead of performing a one-man show. In working together with good communication, we can support, strengthen and help one another. Thus, as we live at peace with others, we can all serve Him joyfully.
- We rejoice although rejected (vv. 13-16).
Honestly, we really expect our ministry to be accepted, praised and even flattered, but what if we are rejected even though we have done our best and sacrificed a lot? Can we continue serving Him with a joyful heart?
If we are rejected when preaching the gospel, first we need to do self-introspection. Have our words, attitudes and actions become a stumbling block? Or do they refuse the truth simply because they do not like Christ? If we are rejected because we declare the truth, we should rejoice as the apostles did. Don’t be discouraged; instead, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). Received or rejected does not really matter. Let’s continue to cheerfully proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near (Luke 10:8-11)!
- We rejoice because our names are written in heaven (vv. 17-20).
If God allows us to perform extraordinary miracles, we will certainly rejoice. The more spectacular the miracles and the more successful the ministry we perform, the greater our joy will surely be.
This happened to the seventy disciples who came back contentedly after successfully carrying out their ministry. But Jesus made it clear that they should not have rejoiced because they succeeded in conquering demons but rather because their names were registered in heaven.
Our mindset needs to be straightened out. It is not because of our hard work and dedication to serve God that we are saved and our names are recorded in Heaven; but we are saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:5) and we should serve Him with joy as our gratitude for the redemption He has made.
- We rejoice for knowing Jesus personally (vv. 21-24).
People's knowledge of God in the Old Testament was different from the knowledge of the believers in Jesus in the New Testament and our knowledge of Him as well. Example: by faith we believe that Jesus is Lord, Savior, Redeemer, King of kings and so on, but before Jesus rose from the dead the disciples had vague and limited knowledge of Him. The proof is when Jesus asked them who He was, only Peter could answer correctly. And it was the Heavenly Father who revealed it to him (Matthew 16:17). Only after Jesus rose from the dead and returned to Heaven, did their knowledge increase for they were filled with the Holy Spirit to become His witness, vehemently professing that Jesus was Lord and Christ. They preached the gospel boldly and were even ready to be martyred for Him.
What about our knowledge of Jesus today? By His grace we personally know Jesus, the incarnate God, who died, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and will return to take us as His bride. For this reason, we ought to feel blessed because many prophets and kings did not have the opportunity to see and hear this good message (Luke 10:24).
In our following Jesus we encounter waves of joy and sorrow, but the joy we feel is undeniably incomparable to the temporary sorrow we have to go through. Truly, we should rejoice for being chosen and sent by Him. Take the opportunity to serve Him even if there is risk of rejection. Don't be disappointed, let alone backslide, rather keep on preaching the gospel of salvation and rejoice because our names are recorded in heaven and we get to know Him more personally. Amen.,