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Matthew 10:16-25 : Expect the Wolves.

How to be a Christian in a world that is anti.
From OpenDoors daily devotional:
While the five government secret police goons made preparations to kill
Ugandan Pastor Kefa Sempangi one Easter Sunday...[]
I do not need to plead my own cause, Pastor Kefa answered as he was held at
gunpoint. I am a dead man already. My life is dead and hidden in Christ. []
APP: How would you respond. Or How DO you respond [Spouse and children,
colleagues]. And when I feel its not worth the stress/burden, what can keep me
going? If not confronted up till today, might we ever be?

1. Review
The disciples were commanded to go and find the lost sheep. And that extends to
us today, through Matthew 28:18-20 - that we should be taught to obey
everything Jesus commanded His apostles - though to all nations, not Israel only.
As we go, we make more disciples of Christ, through His Message.
Disciple = learner = informed: Knowledge of Jesus. Exemplary behaviour is not
enough! V7: As you go, proclaim [make known]. And so we have the church
today - to be neither insulated nor isolated from those outside, whether
through sermons, books, friendships, personal testimonies, holiday clubs,
YouTube videos and more, continuing the same message:
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, ... has already come, and has brought
Blessing! Can you imagine the assurance of blessing as those 12 went about
healing and releasing and raising : God has mercy on our lives, Good will
towards men). Act 5:20 An angel opens the prison and let the apostles out,
saying: Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this
Life - Good News of Gods Favour and Spiritual Life it brings.

2. FCF
Gods testimony in v16, very strong, a fact to behold, ... because it isnt logical/
unexepected: Not everyone wants the good news. , See (14) it is assumed, as
they carry this good news to the Lost there will be those who will not receive
you.
! Did Jesus only send them when they knew they would be received well? Yet if
you felt Christ urging you this morning to go and proclaim His Kingship among
others in this town, friends or other, you would be held back by the suspicion that

they wouldnt receive your message with happiness.

Behold I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves

3. Read v16-25
4. PRAY
- Spirit of Jesus, speak to us

5. Behold!
If you expect the faithful Christian life in this world to be pleasant and above
troubles with its inhabitants, you have missed His word. The Captain of our faith
is thorough here to describe what being a disciple may entail. I dont know if
the disciples expected it, but I dare say we would be surprised that Jesus would
say the same to us ! And for many comfortable Western Christian-heritage
nations this would be a surprise.
From the Word of God, 3 surprising truths for disciples:
16: Behold I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves:

5.1. SURPRISINGLY There will be wolf-like

reaction to your Christianity.
[includes your Christian behaviour and your Christian message - but particularly
your words about Jesus, cf John 10:32-33. Cf V7 Go and proclaim.
Living uprightly and Speaking about Jesus in a Dark world will evoke a wolf-like
reaction - Repulsion, Teasing, Mocking, Attempts to tear you apart like sheep
among wolves.
[Dept. Of Social Development GP had a Marriage Week event last week, hosting a
talk Take a stand for your marriage - as the talk developed, they tweeted some
principles and amazingly, boldly promoted traditional family values and faith.
E.g. Marriages are failing for a lack of submission, We should never cease to
pray for our marriages and have the patience to wait in prayer, If you want
your marriage to work, refrain from flaunting your money and your ego
because you earn more than your partner, Children do better when they live
with married parents. God needs to be invited in the marriage institution and
couples must learn to master the art of communication. The department has
given us a platform to enhance and express the beauty of being married.
Marriage is indeed a beautiful phenomenon that should be encouraged in our
society; Like any other institution there are challenges, but with God and love
we can overcome such
It produced a storm of hatred on Twitter. News 24 made sure they covered it:
Rumour has it, GP S.D. want to take us back to the dark ages,

Greetings from 1948 Time Travel, courtesy GP SD

Or
People are of course entitled to believe whatever they want, but soon as they
affect the world around them with obsolete, irrelevant ideas sourced from a
pre Newton, pre Copernicus, pre Darwin, pre Space age book, one
must draw the line and bring them to task. Homosexuality is a perfectly
natural phenomenon and is not a sin.

5.2. SURPRISINGLY There will be Betrayal

(17) they will deliver you over = one Gk word : Betrayal, and betrayal means,
being handed over by someone who ordinarily would not!
Who are the men who hand the disciples over in v17? their synagogues - the
Jews - their own countrymen - to a foreign power
Who will hand the disciples over in v21? Even family.
Documents of the Christian Church, p3 Pliny, 62AD-113AD, Magistrate of Rome
the very fact of my dealing with the question [how to deal with Christians] led
to a wider spread of the charge and a great variety of cases were brought
before me - [jumped on the bandwagon]. An anonymous pamphlet was issued
containing many names.! - anonymous because one of them, many names
because one of them!
That was 1st century. In Mark 13 Jesus prophesies the same kind of betrayal in
the final days before He returns... It happened then, it will happen now, and it
will continue to the end.
Missionaries in PE: Jolleys: prayer for Muslim converts to Christ - Fam N, D and
P - lost work, now unemployed; some even after 4 years; or unable to meet
school fees - where for Muslims wouldve been guaranteed.

5.3. SURPRISINGLY by all

(22) you will be hated by all [all meaning without distinction, not without
exception]. Identity of the disciples: the being hated ones
There is not one distinct community that is immune to rejecting the message
of Christ. A community, social group, town, country, family without
persecution is abnormal - and not to be taken for granted, assumed.
Comment: If the Lord doesnt return soon, really tough times are ahead.
2 Tim 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will
be persecuted
Answer: How can Jesus say to these 12, you will not have gone
through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.? - Not
3

because Jesus will come while theyre still making their way, but because before
they can finish their mission in just the towns of Israel, they will all be killed or
removed. And thousands more, through the centuries will follow their footsteps,
before Jesus returns.

6. Various Reasons for persecution

The disciples will suffer like this for various reasons:
By Jews/ own. Already rebellious to God - Cf Ezek 2:2-7; From your own
religion who say theyre Christian, yet dont serve Christ. cf Mat 7:15 - From
false teachers - inquisitions, reformation bloodshed, state churches jailing
independents for not preaching from their books. Cf John Bunyan, Baptist
preacher, preaching without a license - only issued by the Church of England
to those who agreed to follow their Book of Prayer and rules.
By politicians. who considered them threat to order/ submission - v18 - not
necessarily religious reason! DotCC, pg3, Pliny again.
Sheer pleasure of evil - Tacitus, historian, living at the same time, hated
Christians and Jews, on Neros persecution of Christians: even he said the
following: DotCC, pg2
Continues Today: false church institutions, sincere politicians like Pliny and
aggressive atheists like Nero; Islam and anti-Christian sentiment : Jesus was
right,... of course!

7. One Reason to persevere

Why would He do that? Why would we go?
(8b) Freely you have received, Freely Give
This is NB - cause for the Message- desperate sinners, requiring Grace
Devastating reality : our lives are a mess. No need to wallow in shame, hide in
guilt. My rest is not that i am something, but Jesus is everything. [where S
Anderson fails!]
Were wrong if we see this as a Politico-Religious Crusade - Islams view. It is the
Apostolic Mission - and our perseverance despite rejection enables others to find
Christ!
1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are
suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. v13 But rejoice
that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when
his glory is revealed. v14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are
blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of

criminal, or even as a meddler.
16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that
you bear that name.

8. How to be a Christian in a world that is anti

16-20: How to be a Christian in a world that is anti.

8.1. Be aligned (16a)

Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves
FCF: Ignore the calling
Be aware of the mission context:
Jesus has intentionally sent us out, knowing well be among them!
Normally we think of wolves coming in among the sheep, cf 7:15, secretly.
But here the Sheep are coming among wolves, and it is not secretly. The
mission is open, Not covert. Thats the plan. Find the Sheep, Among the
wolves. Some of be wolves will become sheep!
I.e. Dont shy away - reset your perspective

8.2. Be clever yet innocent (16b)

Therefore be wise as serpents [!] and innocent as doves
Be wise
E.g. (cf v23, flee - dont go looking for trouble). As sheep - sheep dont
stand a chance, sheeply speaking, humanly speaking!]
Church and Individually - strategic. Getting into places and relationships,
using wealth, appealing to constitution, being careful about public
statements. Use the media available to you. Free country - make use of it
while you can!
Be innocent (in your strategy, dont compromise!)
Jas 3:17 - wisdom from above is... the wisdom from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits,
impartial and sincere. (Jam 3:17 ESV)
Cf S. Anderson: not Heavenly wisdom: all homosexuals are
paedophiles [If I met a homosexual] I would try to get away from that
person as quick as I could - ...theyre disgusting, filled with disease.
Predators by nature. Recruit through molestation and rape. Dont
deserve human rights, but to be put to death by righteous government.
(As if he doesnt!) - This kind of behaviour only restricts our freedom.
(cf Php2v15-16a.]
Christ did not revile when he was reviled, but entrusted Himself to the
Father who judges rightly.

8.3. Be prepared (17-18)

even in your wisest choices - you will may be harmed. It doesnt mean youve
been foolish. So Christ calls us to be Prepared, expectant. Give heed. by all

8.4. Be courageous (19-20)

Humanly speaking, this is worse than difficult.
Sheeply speaking, Sheep dont stand a chance;
But the Shepherd is with them - and he promises to undertake. Hes gone before
us!
READ [19-20]
(do not fear x4, v19, 26, 28, 31 - God will undertake.
Jesus foretold persecution - was He word right? YES
Will His word of encouragement not also be right?!
MOSES: Ex 4:12. Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and
teach you what you shall speak.
YES. 22b he who endures to the end WILL be saved
Justin Martyr (2nd cent) - became a Christian and public defender of Christianity,
an academic man; was arrested with his students and charged for not sacrificing
to Roman gods and Emperor. The history reads
The Prefect Rusticus says: Approach and sacrifice, all of you, to the gods.
Justin says: No one in his right mind gives up holiness for unholiness.
The Prefect Rusticus says: If you do not obey, you will be tortured without
mercy.
Justin replies: That is our desire, to be tortured for Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and
so to be saved, for that will give us salvation and firm confidence at the more
terrible universal tribunal of Our Lord and Saviour.
And all the martyrs said: Do as you wish; for we are Christians, and we do not
sacrifice to idols.
The Prefect Rusticus read the sentence: Those who do not wish to sacrifice to the
gods and to obey the emperor will be scourged and beheaded according to the
laws.
The holy martyrs glorifying God betook themselves to the customary place,
where they were beheaded and consummated their martyrdom confessing their
Saviour
(18) for My sake to bear witness before all men, for the sake of the Lost who
need to hear and SEE the love of Christ - see v24-25.
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The fuller story:

While the five government secret police goons made preparations to kill
Ugandan Pastor Kefa Sempangi one Easter Sunday, God was orchestrating this
to be their day of salvation
I do not need to plead my own cause, Pastor Kefa answered as he was held at
gunpoint. I am a dead man already. My life is dead and hidden in Christ. It is
your lives that are in danger; you are dead in your sins. I will pray to God that
after you have killed me, He will spare you from eternal destruction.
Lowering his gun and motioning to the others to do the same, one of the mob
asked, Will you pray for us now? Father in heaven, Pastor Kefa prayed,
You who have forgiven men in the past, forgive these men also. Do not let them
perish in their sins but bring them into Yourself.

9. Pray