Daily Celebration of Christ: Thursday, July 10, 2014 First Reading: Hosea 11:1-4. 8-9 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80:2; 3:15-16 (R. v. 4) Gospel Acclamation: Mark 1:15 Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:7-15 Celebration of Christ: Jesus, the best instructor Message: Give without pay An instructor is a teacher, a coach, a lecturer and indeed a mentor. The best instructor is one who teaches with example, one whose life style does not contradict what he or she instructs others. Jesus is the best instructor the world has ever known. Before sending his disciples out on mission he took his time to instruct them. His instructions were realistic. He instructed his disciples on the things that would bring out the best in their lives and in their mission. The following were the instructions given by our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples in the gospel of Matthew 10:7-15: 1. Preach as you go: Jesus did not tell his disciples to build territories where people could come looking for them. He told them in the gospel of Matthew 28:19 to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In the gospel of Matthew 10:7 He instructed them on what to do as they move out into the society and into the nations: “preach as you go, saying ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Only God knows how many kingdom oriented gospels we are preaching today. When Jesus started his own ministry his messages were kingdom oriented. He “came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” The kingdom message is the essence of the gospel. Every authentic preaching must be kingdom oriented. Heaven is our final destiny. Preaching is meant to prepare us for this final goal. 2. Heal the sick: Healing ministry was an essential part of Jesus’ ministry. It was also a central aspect of the disciples’ ministry. In most cases while Jesus was preaching in the synagogue the sick were receiving their healing. A typical example was the case of a woman who suffered from the spirit of infirmity for eighteen good years. As Jesus was still preaching he saw this woman and said to her, “Woman, you are free from your infirmity.” As soon as he laid his hand on her, instantly the woman received her healing (Luke 13:10). Another good example was given in Acts of the Apostles chapter 3, when the Apostles Peter and John were going into the temple for prayer. It was indeed the hour of prayer. Peter was not carried away by the ritual observance as most religious leaders do today, rather before entering into the temple for prayer (Mass) Peter went to the crippled man and said, “Look at us… I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Instantly the man started walking, jumping and praising God. He went into the temple and prayed with others for the first time. Imagine the kind of joy all those in the Temple experienced that very day. It brought more glory to the name of the Most High God. Healing ministry is no longer seen today as an integral part of the ministry of our Lord Jesus. It has been relegated to few special priests or men of God. Every authentic minister of God is called to heal the sick. Child of God, if you have not been using your gift of healing, if you have not been praying for the sick, it is not too late to start. A journey of many miles begins with a step. May God use you to bring healing to the sick and broken hearted. 3. Raise the dead: Our Lord Jesus Christ was not demanding the impossible from his disciples. Whatever he demands from them were the things he did and the things they were capable of doing. For instance, in the gospel of Mark 5:21-43 Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. In the gospel of John 11:1-44 he raised Lazarus from the tomb after four days burial. Also in the gospel of Luke 7:11-17 our Lord Jesus Christ raised the only son of a widow from death. With these miracles Jesus proved to the world that with God all things are possible. If we truly believe in Christ Jesus all the impossibilities of our lives will become possible for us. With Jesus we can even raise the dead. Yes, if you believe, it is possible! 4. Cleanse lepers: So many lepers were cued during the public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. For instance in the gospel of Mark 1:40-45 Jesus healed a man with leprosy. In Luke 17:11-19 ten lepers were healed. In the gospel of Matthew 8:1-3 Jesus did not just heal the leper; he even touched him, which for the Jews was a taboo. Jesus wants us to reach out to lepers, HIV patients, those who are suffering from cancer and many other deadly diseases and if possible heal them through prayer. 5. Cast out demons: This is an aspect where so many Church leaders especially Catholics are very skeptical. Most people do not believe that there is something called demon possession. They interpret demons in a metaphoric way. By so doing they relegate the deliverance ministry to some ministers. The truth is that our Lord Jesus Christ wants all his ministers to be directly or indirectly involve in deliverance ministry. Even the last part of the Lord’s Prayer is a powerful deliverance prayer: “…and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil.” 6. Give without pay: Finally, whatever gift we have received from God were given freely without any charge. As we have received these gifts without charge, God wants us to give them out freely without any charge. That is why he said, freely you receive freely you give. Child of God, as you put these instructions into practice God will raise you to a powerful and authentic minister and he will richly bless you, in Jesus name – Amen!
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 08:20:40 +0000