Fresh faith for the harvest

"Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating & drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. Whatever city you enter & they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near.’ Jesus (Matthew 10:3-9)

Jerry Trousdale, author of 'Miraculous Movements' says, "Christians around the world know that becoming a follower of Jesus requires repentance of sins and a verbal affirmation of belief in God and the sacrifice of Jesus' blood for those sins. And that is where most ministries begin when engaging the lost: at the point of conversion. New believers are then encouraged to become disciples." He suggests that Jesus works in the reverse. He calls people to spend time with him, to experience God's power and obey his teaching. They come to the point where they realize that following Jesus costs them everything. "This kind of discipleship model - one that begins with discipleship and moves toward the point of conversion - is how many Muslims are becoming Christ followers." 

He concludes, 'When you turn people loose with a Bible to obey, you can't predict what they might do when they discover that God answers prayer, or how extravagant God's blessings can be on this kind of new faith.'

This Sunday - "Sent by Jesus to expand his kingdom" Matthew 10.