Luke 10:1 (NKJV) After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.
Luke 4:43 (NKJV) but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
Jesus sent out the twelve, the seventy, and He is sending all of us to minister to those who are lost. There is an urgency to share the good news of the Gospel.
Jesus Himself had the urgency to minister to the next group of people in another city who were lost without a shepherd. He was hindered and limited by the ability of the physical body when He was on earth. Although He was tired and thirsty, it never stopped Him from walking from one village to another bearing the good news, because the very purpose of His coming was to preach the Kingdom of God so that the people could enter the Kingdom. Jesus knows that our physical body is temporal. In fact, everything that one owns is temporal, but it is the “spirit man” that lives for eternity. Jesus is aware that man will live and die once, and thereafter will face judgement. Moreover, He knows that nobody can face up to His righteous and just judgement because the earthly sacrificial system has its flaws, and He is also aware nobody will be able to use their own strength to stand right before God. Even though Jesus came to minister to the Jews who are His covenant people, God through the Abrahamic Covenant desires for all the families of the earth to be blessed. God’s heart is for the entire world to return to Him—for every nation, every tribe and everyone to have a restored relationship with Him.
Luke 19:9-10 (NKJV) And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God’s heart has not changed through time. He is still longing for those who are lost to return to Him. It is His desire that none should perish. In other words, nobody should enter into an eternity without Christ in their lives. He doesn’t want anyone’s name to be missing from the Book of Life and ends up being thrown into the lake of fire after the final judgement at the Great White Throne.
The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are indeed few. Therefore, God is asking us to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to the field. He is asking us to respond to His call to go and share the Gospel.
Sermon Series: Arise and Build (Part 2)
差派工人进入收获之地
路加福音10:1 这事以后，主又设立七十个人，差遣他们两个两个地，在他前面往自己所要去的各城各地方去。
路加福音4: 43 耶稣对他们说：“我也必须在别城传讲神国的道，因为我奉差原是为此。”
耶稣差派了十二门徒，七十个人，祂也差派我们所有人去服事那些失丧的人。我们迫切需要分享福音的好消息。
耶稣自己也有急迫的心，要去服侍另一个城市里没有牧人而迷失的另一群人。当祂在地上时，祂受到了肉体能力的阻碍和限制。尽管祂又累又渴，但这从未阻止祂从一个村庄走到另一个村庄，传递好消息，因为祂来的目的就是要传讲 神的国，好让这些人进入 神的国。耶稣知道我们的肉体是暂时的，一个人所拥有的一切都是暂时的，而“灵人”才是永恒的。耶稣知道人会活着也会死去，之后他们将面临审判。祂知道，没有人能够面对祂的公义和公正的审判，因为地上的献祭有着缺陷。祂也知道人无法凭自己的力量站在 神面前。虽然耶稣是来服事犹太人的，因为他们是与 神立约的子民，但 神借着亚伯拉罕的约，希望地上的万族都能蒙受祝福。 神的心是让整个世界回转向祂，祂希望万族万国和万名都能恢复与祂的关系。
路加福音19:9-10 耶稣对他说：“今天救恩到了这家，因为他也是亚伯拉罕的子孙。 人子来是要寻找和拯救失丧的人。”
彼得后书3:9 主所应许的尚未成就，有些人以为他是耽延，其实不是耽延，乃是宽容你们，不愿有一人沉沦，只愿人人都悔改。
神的心意并没有随着时间而改变。祂仍然渴望那些失丧的人回转归向祂。 神不愿一人灭亡，换句话说，人若没有基督在他们的生命中，就不应进入永恒中。祂不希望生命册中遗漏任何人的名字，结果在白色大宝座的最后审判后被扔进火湖。
要收的庄稼很多，但做工的人却很少。所以 神要我们向收割的主祷告，求祂把工人派到田里去。祂要求我们响应祂的呼召，去分享福音。
讲章系列： 兴起与建造（第二部分）
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