Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20090701.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part XXXVI: Christ's Identity As The World's Savior By His Outreach To Spiritually Needy People
(Luke 10:1-24)
  1. Introduction
    1. If Jesus is truly God's Savior of the world, we should expect Him to have a deep care about very spiritually needy people groups and not only those groups in Israel that were highly exposed to Scripture.
    2. Such is the case in Luke 10:1-24 where Jesus sent out 35 teams to a spiritually neglected part of Israel, and what He did in the process is instructive for ministry among spiritually needy people groups today:
  2. Christ's Identity As The World's Savior By His Outreach To Spiritually Needy People, Luke 10:1-24.
    1. Jerusalem's leaders largely neglected ministry to the Jews who lived east of the Jordan River in the region known as Perea, G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According To Luke, 1931, p. 134.
    2. That left this region highly exposed to Satan's power, a fact implied in Christ's words in Luke 10:18-19 that responded to the report of ministry success from the seventy He had sent to work in that area.
    3. As the true Savior of the world, then, Jesus reached that spiritually dark area of Perea in Luke 10:1-24 in a way that offers comprehensive insight in reaching spiritually needy areas in our era today (as follows):
      1. Jesus was more organized in this work in Perea than He was in His other outreach efforts, Ibid., p. 135. He arranged for 35 teams of 2 people each to prepare Perean cities for His visit, Luke 10:1. Such order would counter the notable disorder caused by demonic activity in Perea, cf. James 3:15-16 NIV, ESV.
      2. Jesus explained the force of their mission: the harvest of souls in the spiritually dark area was great and the laborers few, so they were to TRUST the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to His harvest, 10:2.
      3. Jesus told His disciples they were going out as lambs among wolves in an area of deep darkness, so they had to be careful how they related to others, for some folk were spiritually dangerous, Luke 10:3.
      4. Being thus careful as lambs among wolves would take heeding the following directives, Luke 10:4-12:
        1. The seventy were to be focused, not getting sidetracked by influential people in deep darkness, 10:4.
        2. The seventy were to be cautious, befriending only those who truly accepted them, Luke 10:5-6.
        3. The seventy were to be modest, accepting the hospitality given them in eating what was put before them without moving from house to house to avoid arousing vicious slander as greedy men, 10:7-8.
        4. The seventy were to be humble in ministry to avoid goading vicious "wolf" foes into opposing them by merely healing the sick and heralding the kingdom of God that was offered to them, Lk. 10:9.
        5. The seventy were to be strict to condemn those cities that rejected their ministries, for in rejecting them, they were rejecting Jesus and the Father Who had sent Him, Luke 10:10-11, 16. He noted it would be more tolerable for Sodom than for that city, Luke 10:12, and as proof condemned Chorazin, Besaida and Capernaum, cities in northern Galilee guilty of not accepting Him, 10:13-15.
      5. When the seventy returned reporting even the demons were subject to them in Christ's name (10:17), Jesus balanced their views of success with God's grace to protect them from Satanic defeat, 10:18-24:
        1. First, Jesus noted how Satan's great power in that needy region of Peraea had been broken by the great ministry of the seventy, Lk. 10:18-19; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Lk. 10:18.
        2. Yet, to keep them humble lest they fall for Satanic pride (1 Tim. 3:6), and Satan defeat them after they had defeated him in their ministry, Jesus recalled God's grace to them: (1) the seventy were to rejoice that they were saved over rejoicing in their success (Luke 10:20); (2) Jesus thanked the Father for revealing such great truths to them as babes (10:21-22) and (3) He privately told them they were graced to see what many prophets and kings had longed to see but had not, Lk. 10:23-24.
Lesson: In ministering to a spiritually NEEDY area, Jesus was ORGANIZED, and told His men to TRUST Him, and be CAREFUL in relationships as FOCUSED, CAUTIOUS, MODEST, HUMBLE and STRICT men, BALANCING their VIEW of MINISTRY SUCCESS with GOD'S GRACE!

Application: In ministering to spiritually needy folk heavily affected by Satan's influence, may we be ORGANIZED and TRUST in GOD, and be CAREFUL to relate to others as FOCUSED, CAUTIOUS, MODEST, HUMBLE and STRICT, and seek to BE BALANCED in our VIEW of our MINISTRY where we REJOICE in its SUCCESS while noting that ALL such success comes by GOD'S GRACE!