Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 340
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
10:3-23
first, Simon (also called Peter),
then Andrew (Peter’s brother),
James (son of Zebedee),
John ( James’s brother),
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Thomas,
Matthew (the tax collector),
James (son of Alphaeus),
Thaddaeus,
Simon (the zealot),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to
the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost
sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal
the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give
as freely as you have received!
“Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even
copper coins. Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because
those who work deserve to be fed.
“Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and
stay in his home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it
your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand;
if it is not, take back the blessing. If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you
leave. I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will
be better off than such a town on the judgment day.
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd
as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed
over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You
will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers.
But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers
about me. When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or
what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is
not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own
child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be
killed. And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But
everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted
