“Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.” Luke 10:1-4
These seventy were constant hearers of Christ’s doctrine and witnesses of His miracles. Here, we see some of them heading out on perhaps their first ministry trip. From verse four, we can imagine it is not going to be an easy journey. They have nothing with them. They must accept any and every condition that comes along. Their job is to confront sinners and pronounce judgment on them when rejected. I remember when Patrick and I took our little leap of faith into music ministry and I quit my teaching job. We thought THAT was a big deal . . . Compared to what these men faced, it was peanuts!
The Lord grants them great success and they are fruitful in their efforts against evil. “The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." Luke 10:17-20
At first glance, one would think Christ is referring to Satan's original fall when He says, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” But He is referencing something different. The verb “was watching”—“theoreo” in Greek—is not about a one-time event, but rather about Christ’s being a continuous observer of His men. He was looking on as they worked powerfully in His name.
Maybe with each soul rescued, there is a furious last protest of hell. It's as quick and dramatic as the force and fury of a lightning bolt, and then it is gone. The soul is rescued. Satan's kingdom is slowly losing its grip on the world. Christ is the Victor! Those whom He has purchased are allowed to worship at His feet, while the enemy is crushed beneath them. Oh, that Jesus would see Satan falling like lightning through the work of our hands . . . every gracious remark or gentle notion, every selfless deed or pure motive, every soul we reach for Him . . . Bam! Lightning strikes! And we are that much closer to destroying the enemy's rule over the earth.
These seventy were constant hearers of Christ’s doctrine and witnesses of His miracles. Here, we see some of them heading out on perhaps their first ministry trip. From verse four, we can imagine it is not going to be an easy journey. They have nothing with them. They must accept any and every condition that comes along. Their job is to confront sinners and pronounce judgment on them when rejected. I remember when Patrick and I took our little leap of faith into music ministry and I quit my teaching job. We thought THAT was a big deal . . . Compared to what these men faced, it was peanuts!
The Lord grants them great success and they are fruitful in their efforts against evil. “The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." Luke 10:17-20
At first glance, one would think Christ is referring to Satan's original fall when He says, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” But He is referencing something different. The verb “was watching”—“theoreo” in Greek—is not about a one-time event, but rather about Christ’s being a continuous observer of His men. He was looking on as they worked powerfully in His name.
Maybe with each soul rescued, there is a furious last protest of hell. It's as quick and dramatic as the force and fury of a lightning bolt, and then it is gone. The soul is rescued. Satan's kingdom is slowly losing its grip on the world. Christ is the Victor! Those whom He has purchased are allowed to worship at His feet, while the enemy is crushed beneath them. Oh, that Jesus would see Satan falling like lightning through the work of our hands . . . every gracious remark or gentle notion, every selfless deed or pure motive, every soul we reach for Him . . . Bam! Lightning strikes! And we are that much closer to destroying the enemy's rule over the earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment