An expository sermon on Mathew chapter 10 verses 5 to 15 on principles for an effective ministry

1. Principles for effective ministry
(Part 1)
Mathew 10:5 to 15

2. I – Historical and contextual background
After studying the 12 men whom God has
chosen to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom
. we now study the principles of effective
ministry as taught by Jesus to his apostles.
Mathew Chapter 10 can be divided into 3
parts. The first section (vs. 5-15) deals with
the basic task of the ministry. The next
section (vs. 16 to 23) the reaction of the
ministry and the last section (vs. 24-42) the
cost of the ministry.
In these text, Jesus is laying down the principles on how to
effectively do his work. At this time, Jesus was telling them how to do
their short term missions with some specific instructions, applicable
only at that time. However the basic concepts apply to every believer
doing ministry work. Those who are doing the work of the ministry
cannot effectively minister if they do not follow the principles that
Jesus laid down.

3. I – A DIVINE COMMISSION
“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying” – Mathew 10:5a
.
The 12 did not volunteer to become apostles, they were
sovereignly called and commissioned just as the prophet
Jeremiah was called by God. (Jer. 1:5)
The particular ministry that the apostles were sent to
probably lasted only a few weeks but it was of course significant
because it was the first time the Gospel of the Kingdom was
preached by others than Christ himself. Christ is now sending
each one of them in his behalf in fulfillment of the purpose of
which Christ had asked them to follow him.
Today, God’s calling and sending may not be as direct as
that but there are three ways in which a believer can determine
whether or not he is called to do ministry work or not.

4. The following criteria will help a believer
determine if he is called to ministry work:
1.) A strong desire - God’s Word says
.
that if we delight ourselves in Him, he will
give us the desires of our heart. The
Christian who loves the Lord and wants
above all to please Him is sensitive to his
will. When one’s life is centered in
obedience it is appropriate to see a place
of ministry in the Lord service. 1 Timothy
3:1 says that if a man desires the office of
a bishop “it is a fine work he desires to
do.” The closer we walk with the Lord,
the more certain we can be that our
desires are his desires.

5. 2.) Confirmation of other believers
When a person feels the strong desire to
.
preach but does not have the
encouragement and support of other
believers who know him well, he should
reevaluate his feelings. The Lord uses
other believer within the church to confirm
his call to individuals. (1 Timothy 4:14)
The qualifications by which church leaders
are to be measured is found in 1 Timothy
3 and Titus 1.
3.) Opportunity – God will open a clear
door of service if a person is really called
to do ministry work.

6. The 12 were called and sent out by direct spoken
command of Jesus. “Parangello” the verb behind “commanded”
means to bind a person to make the proper response to an
instruction just as a soldier is bound to obey the orders of his
superiors.
When one realizes his calling is of the Lord, he has no
choice but to respond to his superior. God sets the standards and
gives the orders, our responsibility is to obey. (Acts 26:19)
In general every believer is commissioned by the Lord to
make disciples. But not everyone is called to be a preacher,
teacher, pastor or missionary. So the first and most essential
element for ministry is understanding that one is sovereignly
called. As Christians we do not make our own destiny or mark our
own plans. We are under divine orders and our concern must be
to submit to Christ in all things.

7. II – A CENTRAL OBJECTIVE
“Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter
ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” – Mathew 10:5b-6
.
The second principle for ministry is having a central objective. A
ministry that is not focused on certain priority objectives is a ministry doomed to
mediocrity. God gives us different objectives and from time to time changes
such objective. But he never ask a person to do everything in sight.
The Apostles were instructed not to at this time carry the Kingdom
message into an area belonging to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. This was
only a temporary command considering Jesus instruction in the Great
Commission and the fact that he already ministered to several Gentiles and
Samaritans.
The redemption of the whole world has always been in God’s plan but
Jesus instruction here has a certain purpose which are probably as follows:

8. 1.) The special place of the Jews in God’s plan.
They were the chosen people. John The Baptist
preached the Gospel of the Kingdom first to a
.
Jewish audience. Jesus begin his own ministry
first to the Jews and explained to the Samaritan
woman that “Salvation is from the Jews” (John
4:22) This is in fulfillment of God’s promise that
through his seed all nation’s of the earth will be
blessed. Israel was the launching point for taking
the Gospel to the rest of the world.
Had the Apostles gone first to the Samaritans and
Gentiles, the Jews would have been very reluctant
to listen to them because they would say that the
apostles were bearing a pagan religion.

9. 2.) A matter of effectiveness - The
apostles were barely up to the task of
witnessing effectively to their own people
.
much less witnessing to the Gentiles and
Samaritans whose cultures and ways they
little understood and greatly despised.
Except for a few isolated cases, the Gospel
had little impact in the Gentile world, until
the Lord raised up the Apostle Paul.
Although a former Pharisee and a Jew in
the truest sense of the word he grew up in
the Gentile city of Tarsus and learned
Gentile literature, religion and culture.

10. 3.) A matter of practicality – The 12
needed a special point of attack, a
limited and familiar field in which they
could concentrate their efforts. An
.
unfocused ministry is a shallow
ministry. We can see how Jesus limited
his own earthly ministry. In contrast
self-styled messiahs are always egotist
who expect to win to win the world
immediately.
The effective worker for Jesus Christ
puts his primary energy and effort into
the task the Lord has assigned him. He
is concerned for all the Lord’s work, but
he does not try to do all himself.