The other day my pastor spoke from Luke 17:11-19 when Jesus cleansed the ten lepers. He did an exceptional job and I am truly grateful for his insight into this passage and how we should worship after having such an encounter with God. This also provides a great jumping-off point to go further into the reasons for men staying at home rather than going overseas. (See previous post to catch up.) Verses 15 and 16 say, ‘then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.’
So if this man (a Samaritan by the way…) turned around praising Jesus, what happened to the other nine? Why only one out of ten? Additionally, why are so few men spending their lives overseas when it is so obvious that there is much work to do? Brothers and sisters, if we begin to emulate the response of this Samaritan man, the commission that Christ gave us to go and make disciples of all nations will be fulfilled within our lifetime. Luke tells us that this foreigner realized that he was healed and then turned to meet Jesus. He came with excitement and passion for he could actually feel the warmth of the air on his fingertips again after such a long period of not being able to possibly feel anything. Once again he would have the opportunity to embrace the coolness of fresh water between his toes. Not only that, but no more would he have to suffer the humiliation of being outcast from his own people. He was free from the slavery of physical pain and much social strife. Because of his encounter with Jesus he was made whole again!
We too have been made whole but it seems as though our response is too often the opposite. I was reminded the other day to recount my life before my encounter with Jesus. Meditating on that filth disgusts me to the point of illness… But God, being rich in mercy, came to me and now my meditation is filled with the glorious splendor of His glory. To respond to Jesus in any way other than reckless, mind-altering, earth-shaking praise would be utter foolishness. I believe if we men begin to respond as the Samaritan responded, airports will soon be filled with eager hands grasping to speak to the nations of the treasure that is Christ. Not only will overseas work increase but churches, office buildings, and families will be completely revitalized by the gospel.
So how do we respond? Simply have an encounter with Jesus. If you’re not a follower, acknowledge your sin, confess it to him, and embrace the forgiveness that has been freely given. To accept Christ is the most important encounter. For those of us who have already done that it is important now to constantly submit to him. Those of us who are neglecting overseas work on account of negligence need to submit to the authority of Christ and go! I’m excited about talking more in depth about the riches that can result from overseas work. Hopefully I’ll get to that sooner than later.
So if this man (a Samaritan by the way…) turned around praising Jesus, what happened to the other nine? Why only one out of ten? Additionally, why are so few men spending their lives overseas when it is so obvious that there is much work to do? Brothers and sisters, if we begin to emulate the response of this Samaritan man, the commission that Christ gave us to go and make disciples of all nations will be fulfilled within our lifetime. Luke tells us that this foreigner realized that he was healed and then turned to meet Jesus. He came with excitement and passion for he could actually feel the warmth of the air on his fingertips again after such a long period of not being able to possibly feel anything. Once again he would have the opportunity to embrace the coolness of fresh water between his toes. Not only that, but no more would he have to suffer the humiliation of being outcast from his own people. He was free from the slavery of physical pain and much social strife. Because of his encounter with Jesus he was made whole again!
We too have been made whole but it seems as though our response is too often the opposite. I was reminded the other day to recount my life before my encounter with Jesus. Meditating on that filth disgusts me to the point of illness… But God, being rich in mercy, came to me and now my meditation is filled with the glorious splendor of His glory. To respond to Jesus in any way other than reckless, mind-altering, earth-shaking praise would be utter foolishness. I believe if we men begin to respond as the Samaritan responded, airports will soon be filled with eager hands grasping to speak to the nations of the treasure that is Christ. Not only will overseas work increase but churches, office buildings, and families will be completely revitalized by the gospel.
So how do we respond? Simply have an encounter with Jesus. If you’re not a follower, acknowledge your sin, confess it to him, and embrace the forgiveness that has been freely given. To accept Christ is the most important encounter. For those of us who have already done that it is important now to constantly submit to him. Those of us who are neglecting overseas work on account of negligence need to submit to the authority of Christ and go! I’m excited about talking more in depth about the riches that can result from overseas work. Hopefully I’ll get to that sooner than later.
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