“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives too.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 NLT

God sent his son Jesus to earth as a baby, the most vulnerable and weak of all manner of human beings. Completely dependant on those who would care for him, God entered into our world fully and completely, he came on the inside as one of us, he entered into our context, he put himself in our care.

Years later we find Jesus instructing the seventy-two to go out. We pick up the story in Luke 10.

“Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, “May God’s peace be on this house.” If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they offer. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay. If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. Heal the sick, and then declare, “The Kingdom of God is near you now.” Luke 10:3-9 NLT

This is how Jesus came to earth and here he instructs us to go in similar manner. It is a profoundly different way than we are used to. At CCIM we minister in this exact way. We do not come as the ones who have all the answers. We don’t enter into villages and towns as the big people. Rather, we come in simple fellowship and in mutual need. Yes, we might have some wisdom or Bible knowledge that we are to pass on, but we need those we are with to feed us and give us a place to sleep.

It is the way of vulnerability and of the body of Christ. At the cross we are all on level ground. We all need Christ exactly the same, and we all need what each other is bringing. Your understanding of God lifts me up. My understanding of God lifts you up. Your gifting and anointing blesses me. My gifting and anointing blesses you. Your perspective on the world brings me greater awareness and wisdom.
My perspective on the world brings you greater awareness and wisdom. We need each other. We are better as we share our lives and minister out of a richness of fellowship one unto another.

“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 ESV

“We love you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 TM

“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives too.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 NLT

This mutual need, where we do not elevate ourselves over any other, creates a bond between us. It makes for safe spaces by which you and I can express God through our lives and our gifting. In this space we are learning from each other, we listen to each other, we value what the other is seeing and we create a welcome for others and we ourselves are thereby welcomed.

Key to coming on the inside is this mutual receiving of what each person is about. It is not only for the body of Christ but is the key to bringing Christ to a lost world. In northern India there is a house-church movement that works strictly on the principles found in Luke 10. And there, the body of Christ is growing by millions of people each year.

Let us unpack the scriptures around this. In the wisdom and instruction of Luke 10 we find:

Verse.3: GO, as lambs among wolves:

The point here is that we are to be different than the way the world normally goes out. In our natural humanness we are often defended and aggressive. When we are afraid of vulnerability we come with force and power stances, hoping to be ‘bigger’ than anyone else and by this secure our safety and ‘top’ position. Jesus says, you don’t need to do this. You are to go out as lambs, in a completely different way.

You are to go out gentle, unassuming, and vulnerable.
Now, Christ does not say this because he wants us to be beaten up or taken advantage of, he is saying this because he knows this is the most powerful way to come. This is the way he came. And in the vulnerability of lambs he knows that we catch the attention of people’s hearts, and that they in turn open themselves to hear and to understand and want to know what we know and what we are bringing. As lambs, is the most powerful way to be and it is the way of the Kingdom of God.

Verse.3: Take no money belt or sandals:

Here too we see the same thinking. Go vulnerable. Take no provision for yourselves. Rather, go in vulnerability and the implication is, just see how you will be taken care of! Be in position to receive from others. Do not go in full strength. Do not go without need. Put yourself in a position to be ministered to, and even cared for, by those you are going to.

Being vulnerable, coming in our simple human need, creates a bond between us and others. It doesn’t matter where we are in the world or to whom we are going, when we come in vulnerability and respectful of what others may offer, we will experience a kind of fellowship that is unlike any other. Here, in this way, we enter in as guests. We don’t come all high and mighty, we don’t come sneering and disdaining, we come appreciative and with full hearts we welcome the care and hospitality of others.

Verse.5-6: Enter a home and declare the peace of the Lord:

This means that in each village or town there is a household of peace. This is a family who may or may not know Christ but who are ready for Christ and who already exhibit a spirit of the Lord. In northern India where the body of Christ is multiplying by millions these are the homes where churches are begun.

Since learning of this I have begun recognizing houses of peace. On one of my journey’s in Uganda I had a young muslim man as my motorcycle driver. As he was driving me to where I was going he began to share about his search for God, about the troubles in the village and how the young men just need to know God. He spoke about the frustration of trying to read the Koran as it wasn’t ever printed in English, and he asked me if I could get him a Bible. He then dropped me off and later came back to drive me once more.

He had been home and told his dad about our conversation. His dad was excited and asked if I was there to teach them. Unfortunately it was my last day there in that area, but I did manage to get him a Bible and I plan to get back there one day. I tell this story because, this young muslim man and his father are the household of peace in that particular village. They are so close to the kingdom of God, they are eagerly ready to know God personally and are already passionately desiring to lead their fellow villagers to a life-knowledge of the true God.

Now, if I had been riding around in cars, getting to and fro from within the ‘safety’ of four walls, I would have never had this conversation with this young man and we would not have been able to talk about the kingdom of God, of Jesus, of eternal salvation, and of gifts of grace. I recognized that this young man and his father are the door to that village coming to an experience of being in Christ as Christ is in the Father.

It cannot be said strongly enough that it is as we are out and about in our communities that we will have opportunity to discern the households of peace where the Lord is already welcomed and from where the good news can spread to each community. There is a reason that Christ said to ‘go’. We are to be in the marketplace bringing the knowledge of Jesus to a lost world.


Verse.7-8: Stay in one place and accept their hospitality:

Now, if I get back to this village I will in fact stay with this young man and his family. 17 They were so eager to have me stay and teach them all they have been wanting to know regarding God. And this verse about staying in one place and accepting hospitality is more of the same conversation. Jesus is saying, when you come to a town or village stay with the ones who will keep you. Receive from them. Partake of what they have to offer you.

Of course, part of the injunction here is very practical, it is to be content with what they give you. Don’t be moving around looking for a better place to stay, or somewhere that has better food. No, receive with gratefulness what people are able to offer you. It is the key to establishing trust and rapport with a community. When we receive what others are able to offer us we value their contribution, we validate their gifts to us. In this, we are good guests and we enter into true fellowship. There is nothing worse than coming to someones home and despising what they offer.

Be in vulnerability and honour what people want to offer. And as we will see, as we look farther in this passage, then you will be able to declare the Kingdom of God is at hand. It must be said that vulnerability is the safest way to be. When we come in a posture of vulnerability others pick up on this and respond to it with great care and concern. Many of the most hardened of hearts cannot remain hard when there is vulnerability present.

Verse.9: Declare the kingdom of God at hand:

In all of the preceding verses Jesus is instructing his disciples in the art of building rapport, of creating trust, and of establishing legitimacy. Each of which is fundamental in building relationships of all kinds. He is teaching that once we have done the hard work of building relationships, of creating trust, of establishing legitimacy, then, and I would say only then, can we declare the Kingdom of God at hand.
This is one of the things we get most wrong in the body of Christ. We assume that just because we know God, know his word, know his truth, that others must listen to us. We assume that we are the big people and everyone else are the little people and they simply must listen to us. But we are wrong in this assumption, (and arrogant, rude, and dismissive and insulting of others).

God knows that all influence comes out of relationship. And God knows that all relationships are built on mutual need, on trust, on respect, and on a rapport built between us. God knows that the kingdom of God can only be brought to people in any lasting kind of way out of the context of relationship. To do it any other way is to insult and violate people and to shut down all future connections or relationship.

And so God tells us (this is Cyndy’s paraphrase), “Go to them. Be as lambs, don’t go as wolves. Be vulnerable. Do not concern yourself with your own needs, in fact, go without solutions to your problems. Do not create your own solutions, rather, enter into relationships by which those solutions will be found. When you come to a town find the household of peace and stay there. Accept what they have for you, receive it gratefully. Don’t move around looking for something better, settle in this home for this time. Enter into what they have for you, and then you will be able to declare the Kingdom of God in that place.”
Consider how we have learned to ‘do’ church.
Our current church model goes something like this: 

  1. Come and gather with us.
  2. We have something amazing for you.
  3. We have things to teach you.
  4. Once you have learned the things we have to teach,
  5. Once you have proven your value to our organization,
  6. Once you abide by our rules,
  7. Once you fit in with us,
  8. Then we just might think about … receiving from you.

The model of church (disciple-making) found in Luke 10 is markedly different than this. 
Jesus, sending out the 72 instructed this: 

  1. Go out – with gentleness and no snarl (10:3)
  2. Go with nothing – be vulnerable (10:4)
  3. Become guests in the homes of others (10:5)
  4. Accept their hospitality – this takes humility
  5. Lead with peace (10:6)
  6. Partake of what they have to offer – receive from them (10:7-8)
  7. Declare the Kingdom of God – heal the sick (10:9)

The method that Jesus taught is in stark contrast to the way we tend to do church in the west (and wherever this western model has been copied).

Today’s church says ‘come to where we are’. — Jesus says ‘go to where they are’.

Today’s church says ‘fit into what we are doing’. — Jesus says ‘fit into what they are doing’.

Today’s church says ‘receive from us’. — Jesus says ‘receive from them’.

And in this humility of mutual need, of honor of the individual and of what each brings to the table, of receiving, of deep listening, of building rapport, then and only then do we have invitation and full agreement (most of the time vs.11-12) to share and declare the Kingdom of God.

The conviction of scripture is always about going instead of calling people to us we are to go to them. This means that we enter into the market place, we engage with the artisans and market owners, we partake of what they bring, we enter in. We value what they are bringing to the table. We partake of what they offer. We receive from them. In this, we establish that we care about them. What they are about matters to us (we don’t only care about them listening to us). We establish that our lives are enhanced as we receive what they are offering. 18

APPLICATION

  1. I challenge you in the next few days to practice receiving from someone. 19
  2. When someone asks you if there is something you need, reply “Yes” and then share your need.
  3. Allow that person to fill your need.
  4. Notice how hard this is.
  5. What changes does it bring about in your spirit and soul?
  6. How were you touched by their help?
  7. What was the hardest thing for you in this exercise?
  8. What did the Lord teach you?
  9. How will this impact your future?
  10. What are some other ways that you might receive from others?
  11. Where has your self-sufficiency and/or spiritual arrogance kept you from community?
  12. What would you like to see different in the future?
  13. How might you like to change?

Commit your intentions to the Lord in prayer.

Thank God for what you have learned.

Give him the glory.

PRAYER

“God we gather before you today in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. God we realize that we have learned to minister in offence as much as love. We have been arrogant and dismissive of the hearts of the people as we seek to bring them the gospel. Today we are sorry for this and we say no more to dismissive arrogance in our hearts and lives and ministries.

God give us your heart. Give us your way of loving and serving. May we come without any agenda of our own, may we come in vulnerability that is ready to receive from the wisdom and knowledge and understanding of others. May we not think we are the only one who knows it all. Thank you Father that you have modelled for us your manner of being and the way you would have us be. Grow us in your heart and spirit and may the gospel and the Kingdom of God go from us in a manner worthy of your respect. We love you Lord.”

SUMMARY – COMING ON THE INSIDE

Jesus came to earth in great vulnerability Luke 2:8-12; Isaiah 53:1-12

Jesus teaches us to go in this same way Luke 10:3-9

Power in the Kingdom of God comes as peace and gentleness James 3:17; 2 Samuel 22:36

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17 In order to recognize homes of peace we must first become people of peace. It is a different way of doing life. In the peace of God and by His spirit we will be able to recognize where the spirit of the Lord is already at work, and in this, we will know where we are to also be. This manner of our Lord is the safest way to move in the world, for here in this manner and by the spirit of God we are moving and abiding within the Kingdom of God.
18 NOTE: The house-church movement in India is exploding with the gospel to millions of people. It is something to pay attention to and to learn from. If you are interested in studying more about what they are doing and how they are making disciples, you can go to http://www.harvest-now.org/uploads/media/06_09_05_GREETTHEekklesia.pdf
19 NOTE: that receiving from someone is different than taking from someone. Be a receiver, not a taker.

=> Now let’s look at Mutual Submission

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