Sometimes when I read a Scripture, I try to turn off the reflex of seeing what I've been taught for years—and try to see what is THERE instead of what I've been taught is THERE.

Here was the passage for today:

Luke 10:1-3

"After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest."

I've often had this Scripture presented to me as a proof text for the notion that we need workers for the harvest.  Duh.  And that said workers are to "bring Jesus to the people" or some similarly worded concept.

But one phrase, quietly, almost shyly snuggled with the end of a prepositional phrase, where it mayn't be noticed (since the next few words introduce a quote from Jesus Himself), is "intended to go."

Jesus wasn't asking the workers to Bring Him To The People.  The workers were to PREPARE the people.  Serve the people.  Testify about Jesus.  Show the people what life in the Kingdom was like, so the people would be ready to receive Him when "He Himself" arrived.

It's a different way of looking at it than the traditional (at least in my particular spiritual culture) methods of evangelism...which sometimes (albeit unintentionally) gives off an odor of "salesmanship."

So it's not OUR duty to make the people Christian.  That's the Holy Spirit's doing.   It's our duty to prepare people for when Christ shows Himself in their lives.

I don't really have a good closing thought to cap this post off.  Anybody got anthing to add/dispute?

 

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