Consider This
Some Preachers act like they are the Mafioso - The God Father! As if they possessed the power to destroy you or your ministry should they decide you are not with them. This is not from God, this is from a spirit of fear and manipulation akin to witchcraft. Consider the following.
Behold , I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mathew 10:16
hen we have to deal with unkindness, threats, and the prospect of destruction coming from those who call themselves Christians,
remember this teaching. The claim of many is: That they are a Christian. Yet, the conduct they display is anything but Christian. In Matthew 7:15 we read: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” It should really be no wonder that we are The Great Shepherd’s sheep, surrounded by wolves on every side.
In the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew there are forty-two powerful verses imparted to twelve apostles instructing them on the mission they have received from the Master.
- Jesus calls them. In fact the twelve apostles are listed in this chapter. (verses 2-4)
- He gives them power to cast out devils, and to heal sickness and diseases. (verse 1)
- He then sends them out. (verses 5-7)
The mission instructions that unfold in the next thirty-seven verses cover everything from “where to go”, “what to do”, ”what to say”, “who to say it to”, and “what to take”.
The teaching here, has for many ages, been a synopsis for our great commission. However, with all of these instructions given by The Savior for this mission, the key thing I want to point out, or rather focus on here is, the “How to be” while on this mission. This is found in the sixteenth verse. ”Be wise,” but; “Be Harmless!” The twelve are told to be harmless. Not harmful! Too many people think they need to fight back. Jesus said: “Put Up Your Sword!” (Matthew 26:52 KJV)
Yes, sent into the midst of the wolves. Surrounded on every side by vicious, ripping, tearing, feeding, frenzied beasts, with no compassion or any sort of kindnesses. Sounds like the world we know, doesn’t it? At times our world spins on and day after day we come face to face with the reality that the wolves are around, and the wolves, they are feeding. This calls for extra vigilant attention on behalf of those who would work to spread the Gospel and… and it also calls for street-smarts, serpent-like-wisdom.
Because of this, (being sent where they have been sent - amidst the wolves) they are instructed to be wise, and instructed to be harmless. Not only to be wise but, to be as wise as serpents. Wow, this is a profound admonishion. Harmless as a dove, but as wise as a serpent. What a picture this paints in the mind and heart if you think about it.
A Short Sermon Excerpt
I was preparing to write this article and while studying my material I found an older sermon from the great preacher Charles Spurgeon. I want you to read the excerpt of that message I have included in this article. Mainly because it begins with an amazing phrase that echoes my sentiments perfectly with regards to the mind bending nature of the thought Jesus used to contextualize our attitudes while in ministry. I have included the link to the original sermon if you would like to study the entirety of his message just click on the title below.
Sermon #1370 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 1
Volume 23 www.spurgeongems.org 1
SHEEP AMONG WOLVES
NO. 1370
DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 19, 1877,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:
be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
Matthew 10:16.
WELL may the text begin with a, “Behold,” for it contains some special wonders such as can be seen nowhere else. First, here is a tender and loving Shepherd sending His sheep into the most dangerous position—“I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.” It is the part of a shepherd to protect his sheep from the wolves, not to send them into the very midst of those ravenous beasts! And yet, here is the Good Shepherd, “that Great Shepherd of the sheep,” actually undertaking and carrying out this extraordinary experiment of conducting His sheep into the very midst of wolves. How strange it seems to poor carnal sense. Be astonished, but be not unbelieving—stand still awhile and study the reason. The next remarkable thing is, “sheep in the midst of wolves,” because according to the order of Nature, such a thing is never seen, but, on the other hand, it has been reckoned a great calamity that in some lands wolves are too often seen in the midst of sheep! The wolf leaps into the midst of a flock and rips and tears on every side—it matters not how many the sheep may be—for one wolf is more than a match for a thousand sheep. But lo, here you see sheep sent forth among the wolves, as if they were the attacking party and were bent upon putting down their terrible enemies! It is a novel sight, such as Nature can never show, but Grace is full of marvels! Equally extraordinary is the singular mixture, never yet seen by human eyes among beasts and birds—a mixture of the serpent with the dove in one person! What a strange blending! Creatures which are capable of cross-breeding must have some sort of kinship. But here is a reptile of the dust united with a bird of the air—“Be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Grace knows how to pick the good out of the evil, the jewel out of the oyster shell, the diamond from the dunghill, the wisdom from the serpent—and by a Divine chemistry it leaves the good which it takes out of the foul place as good as though it had never been there. Grace knows how to blend the most gentle with the most subtle, to take away from prudence the base element which makes it into cunning and, by mingling innocence with it, produce a sacred prudence most valuable for all walks of life. With these three wonders outside the text, lying, as it were, upon the very surface, we shall enter into a fuller consideration of it with great expectations. But if we do so, we shall be disappointed if we expect to learn anything very extraordinary unless we are prepared to practice what we learn! I may truly say of this text, he that does its bidding shall understand its doctrine. He who follows its precept shall best know its meaning. May the Spirit of all Grace work in us according to His Divine power and perfect in us the will of the Lord. Though primarily addressed to the Apostles, it seems to me that our text relates, in its measure, to all who have any talent or ability for spreading the Gospel and, indeed, to all the saints so far as they are true to their calling as the children of God. They are, all of them, more or less as sheep in the midst of wolves, and to them all is the advice given, “Be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Let us hear for ourselves as though the Lord Jesus spoke individually to each of us.
To access the entire sermon from Charles Spurgeon click here: http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols22-24/chs1370.pdf
The Great Commission
In the last three verses of the preceding chapter (Matthew 9) we read of Jesus’ great words about the harvest. In how that – the harvest, is ripe and ready, but in need of laborers. Our Lord has taught these twelve men the very principles of The Kingdom from the time they were followers, through their time of discipleship, and now more mature, He sends them out as apostles to carry the Good News – The Gospel – to all of Israel.
Jesus knew that in the course of their mission the apostles would be rejected as often as they might be received. He knew that there would be much opposition, that the apostles would be accused, lied about, maligned, and victimized. He knew it would be crazy, with brothers betraying each other, parents even betraying their children at the cost of their own lives.
He knew the apostles would have to be ready and keep their eyes open. They would need to know and keep in mind what the enemy might do, they’d need to comprehend the enemy’s own tactics, only, the apostles themselves; would be harmless.
A Few Questions For You
What I am sharing with you is not meant to be “A guide to telling the difference between sheep and wolf” or between the Christian and non- Christian, but instead, an exhortation to those who are saved, to re-examine their actions and ask themselves if they are indeed harmless.
Ask yourself this: When someone talks about you or lies about you, sets themselves against you, what would you like them (essentially your enemy) to consider most?
A) Touch not the Lord’s anointed and do His prophets no harm? God will not allow you to hurt me you might even be struck by lightning before you get home today.
Or rather:
B) Jesus Loves you, and I love you. God can forgive you for striking my cheek, I can forgive you, in fact here is the other one. Would you like a chance to strike that too?
Final Thoughts
We sure don’t like the idea of really putting ourselves out there in our day to day work in the gospel, risking being hurt, do we? Being offended can be painful. Not to mention in the eyes of the worldly, it can be down right embarrassing to be considered naive. No-one enjoys being one-upped by those who take advantage of you or demean you. What’s that old saying? ”Fool me once shame on you! Fool me twice shame on me!”
Think about it, the natural reaction is to punish the offender. Lash back, sever ties and issue warnings to any who will listen. Usually immediate measures are taken to protect yourself and punish them. We try our best to make sure, or at least, pray for them to get what’s coming to them. We often pull back and live guarded, jaded lives, where we keep high walls and rarely let anyone see the real us. And even then do only a few individuals make it into our inner most circles.
Yet, the truth? Just a few verses later, after telling the apostles to be harmless, Jesus also told them they must become as little children, to enter heaven. (Matthew 18:3) We all know this refers to the innocence, harmlessness and naivete that characterizes being little children, and this is the attitude God wanted the apostles to hold onto while living and working in the middle of the wolf-pack.
Jesus brought in a radical new paradigm for the citizens of the Kingdom. ”No longer an eye for an eye!” Nor a tooth for a tooth. As such, The Master knew the apostles would find much favor when they entered communities casting out devils, healing the sick in His Name, healing many afflicted persons from decease. Jesus knew what was ahead for them, the reactions from those who preferred to remain in the darkness. Look at the scriptures in Matthew 10 from verse 17 through to 42 He (Jesus) related a state of confusion, offense, and hatred in the day to day operation of the mission of those twelve men.
Oppositions would come from those who would have their lives and livelihoods shaken as a good news spread a new hope to replace the old dead dry word delivered in the synagogues. It was a mission sure to experience the calamity that arises when comfortable people resist change. Yet Jesus still instructed the apostles to be predisposed to kindness, to be wise for sure, but to be kind, harmless.
- Does this describe you today?
- Are you as harmless as a dove?
- Are you getting wiser and more defensive with every new offense you encounter?
- Are you more like the serpent then the dove?
- Are you letting God keep track of any offenses that require judgment?
- Are you carrying around a list of offenses in your heart, and becoming increasingly more harmful?
- Are you warning people not to touch your ministry or hurt you?
- Are you forgiving offenses and letting God deal with individuals who need to change their ways?
Remember
Jesus never instructed His apostles to call down fiery coals of judgment on the heads of those who wouldn’t accept them. But rather to keep on keeping on, going about delivering the possessed, healing sickness & decease, preaching the Good News of His Kingdom, inviting men and women into that Kingdom; all while being smart or wise about it and harmless or kind. To opposition, they were to shake the dust off from their shoes, then head on to places and peoples who were ready to accept their ministry.
