Luke 14: 12 – 24 (NLT) - “
Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,”
he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbours.
For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the
resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could
not repay you.”
Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,”
he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbours.
For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the
resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could
not repay you.”
Jesus replied
with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When
the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the
banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just
bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have
just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant
returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and
said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor,
the crippled, the blind, and the lame. After the servant had done this, he
reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the
country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that
the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest
taste of my banquet.”
The
son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. There are always excuses
why people are not coming. Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.
Where
are these streets and alley ways?
Alleyways
were originally designed to allow access for coalmen and rubbish collectors.
The alleyways that are left are often full of fly-tipped rubbish. They also
allow easier access to the rear and side of a property. National statistics
show up to 85% of burglars gain entry to homes via the rear or side of
properties. Anti-social behaviour such as drinking, drug use and vandalism also
occur in alleyways across the Country. It is an area where there is little or
no electricity and therefore a dark spot physically.
Who do you find there?
Drug addicts, gangs, homeless, prostitutes, thieves and robbers, beggars.
-They are the poor in Spirit.
-They are in need of help.
- Destitute which society has separated themselves from.
-Desperate for change.
-Uncomfortable situations.
-Wilful captives.
-Spiritually blind.
These are the empty vessels.
They
are all the carriers of the old man Mr flesh. That which Christ did on the Cross
has destroyed him. The complete Gospel is the weapon we need to destroy the
work of Mr flesh. He is the one causing the havoc in the lives of these ones. The
only way to fight is to use the message of the Cross; to make disciples of all
nations.
Jesus gave attention to those
that were empty. Empty vessels are receptive and open.
Prayers
· Lord, thank You for the instruction You are sending to the men of courage to arise and go quickly to search for these ones.
· Father, help them to see the urgency in this instruction.
· Lord, help them to see where the harvest is plenty.
· Father, give them a picture of what they ought to see.
· Father, give the men of courage the desire to seek empty vessels to be filled.
· Lord, give the men of courage a heart for the destitute even as
Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost.
· Take their eyes away from the comfort of cities to begin to see the alley ways.
· Give them a tenacious Spirit not to draw back when they meet with opposition.
· Lord, let Your Spirit fill their hearts with compassion for the destitute.
· Father, may they begin to be connected to the gangs and destitute of our society and start a revival within them.
· Father, may they be encouraged in their commitment to Christ in these perilous times (2Timothy 3:1).
· Lord, we pray for a prevailing presence of the Holy Spirit upon them as they go into these environments (for boldness and courage).
· Lord, may they find rest and refuge in Christ as they labour on the front lines.
“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with
thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door
for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ…” (Colossians 4:2-3a)
