THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10
Scripture: Matthew 10:24-26

As Jesus was instructing and sending out the Twelve He said, in Matthew 10:24-26, ‘‘A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.” It is obvious that Jesus was preparing the Twelve for persecution. Not everyone was going to receive their message. The Twelve followed by the seventy were spiritual revolutionaries. Their message had financial and political repercussions. Signs and wonders were necessary because of those repercussions. As persecution grew, the early church agreed in Acts four in asking for signs and wonders. They sought the same judicial anointing which Moses experienced in Egypt. God answered their prayer with Ananias and Sapphira being the first casualties. The Twelve were sent only to Israelites. They were headed into a stormy season of rejection and the question was how were they to respond? Were they to “turn-the-other-cheek” all the time? Apparently, from the time they entered the city and began to preach, they were to “turn-the-other-cheek” until they left that city. And for those who would not receive the word, when they left that city, they were to bring down the full measure of God’s judicial Throne. At least that is what Matthew10:14-20 tell us. They were to take their sandals off, shake the dust off of their feet and declare that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for that city. Jesus was absolute truth and as the author of absolute truth, He released judgment on cities who refused to receive it! “Turn-the-other-cheek” only lasted until people chose to accept or reject the message. What does that say to us now about those who have voted to repeal ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell”, or about those who consistently reject God’s word and champion abortion? By not bringing the full weight of God’s judicial Throne upon their heads, as Jesus commanded the Twelve, we enable evil! The church is the number one enabler of evil in nations today! By refusing to invoke covenant justice (God’s judicial curse) we enable evil through our tradition. Jesus commanded both the twelve and the seventy to shake the dust off (judicial curse). Absolute truth has not changed. The Jesus who is absolute truth will visit the violators when the church obeys! Obey, obey, obey!