St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse:34, The Battle

Our paragraph topic is:  (We must give up all for Christ) Part 1.  

And now we talk about the philosophy of battle, the philosophy of war.  Christ speaks to his disciples about the whys and wherefores of this battle.  He tells his disciples, "Do not think that I have come to send peace upon the earth."   Peace will not be sent forth.  Peace will not be called.  Peace will wait in the background after the battle is completed.  Christ makes his principle statement of the why of his coming to earth.  He has come to do battle.  He has come to bring war.  He has come to bring turmoil upon the earth and its people.  For the evil one has taken over the earth and the people of God have fallen by the wayside and forgotten their creator.  Christ has come to re-establish the kingdom of heaven.  He has come to take back the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  He has come to do battle.

Christ tells his disciples this because he wants them to know that they are in a time of upheaval and turmoil.  The earth will no longer be the same.  Satan will be outcast from the earth and the sacrifice will be made.  And to the victor goes the spoils.  The disciples are the warriors.  They are the leaders of the new alliance with Christ.  They will conquer all the earth with their mighty words and deeds.  One can look back into history and wonder about this mighty cause.  Twelve men did the impossible.  Twelve men brought about the end of the reign of Satan on the earth and spread the gospel of Christ throughout the entire world and Christ led the way.  He came to conquer.  He came to separate.  He came to divide believers from unbelievers, sinners from the sanctified and justified, the protected from the unprotected, the faithful from the unfaithful, the light from the darkness, and the good from the evil.  Just twelve men began this movement some two thousand years ago and Christ was their leader.  It could not have happened without the hand of God.  And it did.

Christ said to his disciples, "I have come to bring a sword, not peace."   He brought weapons of war.  He brought battle plans.  He brought strategies from the Father.  And he did not bring peace.  The sword will cut.  The sword will slash.  The sword will stab and it will kill.  For many are the ones who have lived by the power of evil.  Now, the sword will slash evil.  It will cut evil from the flesh of the people.  It will split into, the good, from the evil and provide a means of protection for those unprotected.  The sword will cut to the quick the evil that is in men, separating the just from the unjust.  Christ brought the sword of God to do battle with the evil and to reclaim the lost that had been taken by the evil one.

The sword will cut you.  The sword will cleans you.  The sword will divide you.  The sword will heal you.  Prepare to do battle for the Lord of Host has declared that peace is not here.  He has brought the sword.  He has brought weapons of war.  He comes to conquer.  Christ brought the sword to earth.  Will you be cut?  Will you be slashed by the sword?  Will you be stabbed by the blade of the sword?  War is at hand and the sword will conquer the defenses of the evil one.  Christ has brought swords for everyone to do battle.  He has brought the word.  The word is the sword.  The word is the blade of truth.  It will cut.  It will slash.  It will stab.  Will you become a warrior for Christ and take up the sword for battle?  Will you become a player for evil living in the world of lust and passion?  The battle is coming.  It will come to you soon.  Do not be caught off guard and become a casualty of the sword.  Be prepared.  Join the ranks of the solders of Christ and fight the battle of the Lord.  Uncle Sam calls you to do battle with the enemy of the US.  Christ calls you to do battle with the enemy of the kingdom.  Which battle will you join? 

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 28b, Heavenly Protection not Fear.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Confidence in divine protection) Part 5.  

Christ has told his disciples not to be afraid in several ways.  He does not want them to have fear.  He does not want them to open the door to fear and thereby allow the minnions of the evil one to enter into their hearts and minds to destroy their defenses.  They are the warriors.  They are the victors.  They are the conquerers.  The Spirit of the Father is with them and will arm them with words of wisdom.  Have confidence in heavenly protection.  So Christ has given them the pep rally and boosted their spirits in preparation for battle.

He has told them not to fear those that can destroy the body.   Though they may cause pain in the physical realm, there is no harm in the spiritual realm.  The soul will remain and will rejoice in the presence of the Lord.  Christ tells them however, to be afraid of Satan.  He says, be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  So he wants us to know that there is destruction in hell.  He wants us to know that there is a physical place called hell where Satan reigns.  And in this place Satan can destroy the body and the soul.  He can cause pain.  He can cause suffering.  He can cause disease.  He can cause all manner of physical and spiritual destruction.  This is what we should fear.  We should fear going to hell.  We should fear being in a place where there is no hope.  We should fear being in a place where we will live in eternity in pain and suffering. 

So Christ is instructing his disciples about this place called hell and what will happen in this place.  This is not the place where his disciples will go.  But he gives them a picture of this place so that they will know where those who do not accept the message, will go.  Christ wants his disciples to understand the immense pain and suffering that the unbeliever will undergo when they leave the physical realm.  He wants them to have complete knowledge so that they can speak to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and convey to them the choice that they will make.  For they are the first to hear the message of the kingdom of heaven.  They are the first to see the disciples of Christ.  They are the first to have the opportunity to repent and turn back to the Lord.  After these, then the rest of the Gentiles will hear the message of the kingdom of heaven.

So we have our warning.  Just as Christ told his disciples back then, he is telling us today.  Fear the one who can destroy the body and the soul in hell.  Fear the place called hell, where one will live in eternal damnation.  Fear Satan. 

Will you hear the message?  Can you understand the meaning of the message or are you deaf to it?   The evil one will use all his tricks and traps to prevent you from hearing it.  He will attempt in every way to keep you from the kingdom of heaven so that he can get you in hell to destroy what God has created.  Are you afraid of him who can destroy both body and soul in hell?  You should be!!

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 11, The Instructions

Our paragraph topic is:  (Instructions to the Twelve) Part 4.  

Christ continues to prepare his disciples for their solo journey.  He has told them where to go.  He has told them who to seek.  He has told them what they are to proclaim.  He has told them how to dress, what to wear, what to carry with them, and what not to carry.  The disciples are to become laborers.  They are to be worthy of their calling and the work they are to perform.  Their work must be deserving of their pay.  Now as he gathers them around, he gives them instructions for the battles they are to face.  He tells them what their first encounter will be.

Christ began his  mission of preaching and teaching with miracles.  He cast out demons, healed the sick and cured the lame.  The words of his ministry spread like wildfire throughout all of Syria.  Large crowds followed him from Galilee and Decapolis, and Jerusalem and Judea and even from beyond the Jordan.  His fame preceded him.  The people had heard of him, and the spiritual world of demons knew about him.  They heard the word of his fame and the battle was being prepared for his coming.  It was a time of war and Christ was the great warrior who conquered all the territories that he entered.  There was no stopping the onslaught of his ministry.  

Now the disciples were being prepared to enter the battle with the spiritual world.  They are given powers to fight the demons.  They are given powers to cure the sick and heal the lame, cleanse the lepers.  They are given powers to push back the forces of darkness and to bring light into the lives of the people.  But the demons do not give up.  Christ instructs his disciples to enter a village or a town and to, "Inquire who in it is worthy."   They are to inquire amongst the people of the village who they thought was holy and spiritually worthy in their town. 

What would this do?  The village or town would spread the word, saying to each other, "There is a man in town seeking the one who is worthy."  Every person who thought that they were worthy would come forth.  Every person who had claims on being worthy would appear.  And those who had authority would appear out of curiosity.  The town would become a buzz with the talk of who is worthy.  And the demon possessed people would also appear to put down this talk of being worthy because it is contrary to their cause.  Finally the true person who is worthy would appear, to reveal himself or herself to the disciple, to receive his blessing.  So Christ gave his disciples a challenge call to bring forth the true person that was holy and worthy, and also to bring forth the evil ones.

Christ gives his disciples a challenge call to bring forth the worthy in the villages and towns they are to visit.  What a wonderful example he has given, even to us, today.  When we enter a new job, who do we align ourselves with?  When we enter a new town, a new community, a new school, who do we seek?  Do we seek the one that is worthy or do we seek the one that is popular?  Do we seek the one that is most talked about or the one that is least talked about?  In our social environment, in our work environment, even in our church environment, we are challenged to fit in.  Those who are there before us, will challenge us.  They will play games with us.  They will trick us.  They will seek us out, to determine where we will fit into the social order.  How do we, as people of the faith of Christ, align ourselves with others in preparation for the battle?  Do we seek or inquire who is worthy or do we just fit into the world???