A Coldwater Mission

Exciting things are happening in our student ministry. God is motivating leaders and students alike to reveal His kingdom to those around us. Reading through Matthew 10 this morning (thanks Jimmy), I noticed something that really got me thinking. Jesus was sending His disciples away from Him on a mission. He gave them some pretty amazing authority to back up the message they were carrying: that "the kingdom of heaven has come near."

The thing that sparks my curiosity this morning is how he sent them out with no provisions aside from the mission itself and the ability to carry it out. They weren't supposed to just go shout on the street corners - they were actually to do useful things to benefit the people of the region: things like getting rid of demons and illnesses and bringing people back to life (pretty useful if you're dead, I'd say!).  They were not to take extra money or clothes or shoes, etc. because "workers are worth their keep." They were to rely on the hospitality of the strangers they'd be serving!

I wonder today... There are those of us who are still tasked with the mission of proclaiming that the kingdom has come near. (Just in case you're a little unclear, that's you church!) How are we benefiting the people we've been sent to? What are we doing to reveal the kingdom of God here on earth? What are we doing to deserve the hospitality of our communities?