S7E24 - Luke 10:1-20 - Loved & Sent!

Jesus sends seventy-two ordinary disciples into ordinary towns and tells them to do something that still challenges our modern instincts: pray first, then go in dependence. Luke 10 is not a hype speech for “big ministry,” it is a clear blueprint for Christian discipleship, evangelism, and gospel mission that happens in homes, conversations, and daily life. We walk through Jesus’ instructions and ask what it looks like to represent Him with humility when we feel underprepared, outnumbered, or afraid of rejection.

We talk about the harvest being plentiful and why Jesus tells us to pray for workers, not for the harvest. We dig into the posture of going as “lambs among wolves,” the wisdom of being sent two by two, and the simple opening line that sets the tone of the kingdom: “Peace to this house.” Along the way, we connect the dots between hospitality, mercy, and proclamation, because the kingdom of God is often seen through compassion before it is explained with words.

Then we face the hard part: not everyone will receive the message. Jesus teaches us how to handle rejection without bitterness or pressure and reminds us that faithfulness is our call, while outcomes belong to God. Finally, when the seventy-two return excited about authority, Jesus re-centers their joy on what cannot be taken away: “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” We close with a practical tool for sharing your faith through your testimony: before Christ, how you met Christ, and what is different now.

If you want a clearer, calmer, more faithful approach to sharing the gospel, this conversation will help. Subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the Life Talk Podcast.

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Transcript

Welcome And VBF Week

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Well, what's up, Lifehouse family? Welcome back to the Life Talk Podcast. It is another week and another episode coming to you and digging into the book of Luke. And we are halfway through June. This is going to be a great week. It is VBF week, so we are hoping and praying you're finding some time in your day to listen to us. And hopefully, many of you are listening, if you're part of Life House Church, are serving uh with us in the evenings, but a great way to serve. But we want to keep the podcast rolling. Holidays, VBF, and all. We are trucking along. And so I am joined by a consistently great crew. I got our XP, our executive pastor, Keith Henry. What's going on, Keith?

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Oh, nothing much, man. Just enjoying a great day, waiting for VBF to really get kicked off here by the end of the week. It's gonna be crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Illumination station, right? So they're allowed to paint all the walls here at church.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

They're allowed to paint all the walls because I don't take care of the walls. Mitch does. So glow paint. What is that? Glow paint, invisible paint, whatever they want to put on there, and we'll bring some black life through to see it later. That sounds good.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

So we do have Mitch Poe, who is that's Mitch is in charge of our facilities. So you're gonna be like hawking the patching all the holes in the wall next week. Called job security, Mitch. That's right. So Mitch is continuing his retirement tour and out of retirement tour, right? So Mitch, good to have you. And Jeremy Alrich is back. Continuing the street. Good to have you, Jeremy. What's going on today?

SPEAKER_03 1:45

Man, I'm gearing up for VBF too. And I think you're doing a crew, also, aren't you?

SPEAKER_01 1:49

I am. We are the fluorescence finders, man. The fluorescence. We'll see if we can find some fluorescence this week.

SPEAKER_03 1:56

Yeah, we are the glow getters.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

So super excited. The names get better and better every year. What are you, Mitch?

SPEAKER_00 2:03

I am facilities in general. Okay, curious. I'll be here every night. I told Tish, I said, I will just do facilities and tonight on the rest of the week.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Hey, somebody got to clean up that. That's right. Gotta do it.

unknown 2:14

Gotta do it.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

But we have a good time. Again, we hope you'll

Luke 10 And The Seventy Two

SPEAKER_01 2:18

be participating, whether it's serving or your kids will be part of that or having some neighbors in. But we are continuing through the book of Luke and wrapped up chapter nine last week. A lot of deep discussion on humility and what it involves to follow Jesus that we need to consistently think of. But let's move to 10 and some sending out. Jeremy, what do we see in here in the start of chapter 10?

SPEAKER_03 2:42

Yeah. Luke 10 actually marks a moment where Jesus ex like we see Jesus wide and beyond the twelve to the that that circle of ministry. And instead of working through the twelve, he appoints seventy-two disciples and sends them out ahead of him. Their role is preparatory, they're not the main event, but they carry his peace, his presence, and his message into real homes and relationships. Jesus gives them clear instructions about prayer, dependence, peace, hospitality, discernment, and proclamation. And he prepares them for both welcome and rejection, teaching them how to carry themselves as his representatives. And when they return, they're overflowing with joy at what God has done through them. Jesus affirms their experience but then redirects it. Redirects their joy to something deeper. Not ministry results, but the unshakable reality that their names are written in heaven. So Nate, I know you love alliteration.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

I love it. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

I I I I have some for you today. Jesus is going to be commissioning with instruction, preparing the decid the seventy-two to be confronted with rejection, and then centering on true joy. So let's dive in. We're going to read verses one through nine first. So Luke chapter ten, verse one says that after this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way. Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say peace to this house and if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.

Pray Then Go In Dependence

SPEAKER_03 5:08

And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you, heal the sick in in it, and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near you. So what we see in this passage, well, actually I'm gonna kick it over. First, uh any thoughts or uh that about what we've talked about so far?

SPEAKER_00 5:41

I just think it's interesting he starts out again this theme of praying. You know, we saw that in some of the prior passages we looked at, but there's this constant theme. Jesus himself was praying, and then the first thing the harvest is plentiful, the labors are few, but therefore, therefore, as a result of that, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest that he sends out laborers. I just love the emphasis Jesus placed on prayer.

SPEAKER_03 6:04

Right, exactly. Yeah, we what we see is Jesus, you know, like I said earlier, widening this this ministry beyond the the the twelve to include and and show us that all all all followers of Christ have a mission. And he tells them to pray, not for the harvest, but for more workers, because the harvest is there, the harvest is already ready, but what's what what's missing are the laborers. So I love what you talked about, Mitch. The mission begins with prayer because prayer aligns our hearts with God. Jesus describes their posture as uh lambs among wolves, also. So this is lambs are not self-reliant or self-protective, they're entirely dependent on their shepherd. And Jesus is teaching them that the mission is not carried through their own strength or strategy, but through trust in God's protection and God's provision as they go. Then he instructs them to go, and and when they enter a home, they're to offer peace. Peace is the tone of the kingdom, it's how the conversation begins.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Uh we're not calling down fire from heaven like we talked about last week. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

Still sounds pretty cool. Yeah. So fine, so I'll pause there for get some more reflections.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Yeah, I think it's really key that he sends them out two by two. We're never sent alone, not only with other Christians, others in community, but also, as you say, lambs as well. So he's sending them basically with his spirit. We know we're not at the point of the Holy Spirit being received, but he's sending them in power and he's sending them together, not saying go do this on your own. You know, that was a theme we talked about last week when Keith led us through of we think we have to fight God's battles, but sometimes we think we have to, you know, do all the work when it comes to sharing the gospel or sharing our faith, which could not be further from the truth. Jesus is sending us both together as well as in his power and in his spirit. So I think we're seeing that even early here before we even, you know, we're still a ways to the Great Commission and a lot of ways to go, but Jesus is laying that groundwork and what the harvest looks like and how that works.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

Yeah, I even think, you know, when Jesus sends them out and he says, I want you to go, and you're not gonna take any money bag, no knapsacks, you're not taking anything with you because it's a full reliance on him and no one else, fully on him. So I I think that's pretty cool. Fields are wide on the harvest, labors are few, don't take anything with you, just go.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Yeah. This shows that dependence on God too. And even that when in when I was when I read through this, you know, w when I was younger, the house-to-house, like stay in the same house, and like that was a bit confusing to me. But studying through this m more recently, like I can see that as more of a dependence thing too, because they don't need to be worried about like they they shouldn't be going home to home and begging for food, right? They need to they they need to be dependent on God to provide what God is going to provide for them in the house that they're in.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Like, yeah, I think the you know he talks about praying first and then going, go your way in verse three. And so oftentimes we get those exactly the opposite. We go first, we do, versus stopping to pray. Mark recently he's been preaching through Acts, and one of the things we learned from Acts 1 is one of the first instructions Jesus said was to wait. Wait. And we don't we're not good at waiting a lot of times, but here are the instructions to pray and then go. We're so quick to just go and just act. And I'm guilty of this because you know, I'm a very action-oriented guy and and just get it done. It's kind of my philosophy. And sometimes you in your haste to get it done, you realize I didn't pray through that as you know as fervently as I maybe should have, or you just jumped right in. So I think there's a good admonition here to pray, then go. And then the tone, Jeremy, you kind of said it was peace. It wasn't fire from heaven, it was you know, peace be to this house is what you're first saying when you enter this house, first say peace be to this house. So that's kind of the tone that he's uh that he's setting up here.

SPEAKER_03 10:31

Yeah, and then he says, you know, to heal the sick

Peace Hospitality And Kingdom Near

SPEAKER_03 10:34

and then proclaim the kingdom, that their compassion and their message kind of they go hand in hand, but the kingdom is seen before it's explained and demonstrated in their actions and declared in their words. So it adv we talked about this last last podcast, Keith, where mercy is is you know is more valuable than retaliation, obviously, right? Like we shouldn't be retaliating, we should be showing mercy. It's it's a it's a act it's a lifestyle of of of showing that. And then we we become that salt and light in the world that where they want to know who we are and what when they want to know why we're different.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

Yeah, I think that's that's very good because you know humanly speaking, without Christ in us, it's always the negative reaction. It's let's get them. And then but we are to be the light of the world. And and even as Christians, I gotta sometimes, and I'll I'll be the first one to admit it, I have to check myself. I want to say it, and then I gotta go, wait a minute. So I have the Holy Spirit not only living with within me, but lives within my house with my wife, and it is it's a reality. I've wanted to post some things sometimes, but before I do, I learn to will you read this, please? And she'll tell me, We do not post that. And I go, yes, ma'am. And I delete it because it's not an act of mercy, it's an act of revenge, it's an act of anger. And you know, honestly, that's something that that you got to deal with. And I'm more for Peter draw the sword, cut the ear off, and ask questions later. But I've learned over the years, leave my sword in and ask questions first. But it's still a struggle.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

Yeah. Well, Jesus has already shown them how to respond when people welcome the message. Now he prepares them for when people reject it. Faith and faithfulness requires knowing how to walk through both of those things. So let's read in verse verses uh starting in verse 10, we'll read through verse 16. But when you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this that the kingdom of God has come near. I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. Woe to you, Charizen, woe to you, Betheda, for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have been they would have repented long ago, sitting in saffclock cloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum Will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. The one who hears you hears me, the one who rejects you rejects me. And the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me. What we see in this in this passage is that Jesus is preparing his disciples for the reality that not everyone will receive the message. What we need to understand is that rejection is not a verdict on us. It's a reminder that only God can open a heart. If peace is rejected, they are to move on without resentment or pressure. Faithfulness in offering the gospel is not forcing the outcome. Jesus pronounces woes on the cities that he witnessed, that that that actually witnessed his ministry, and yet refused to repent. These warnings highlight the seriousness of rejecting Jesus. Greater exposure actually is what what Jesus is saying brings greater responsibility, and even the pagan cities would have responded better than the privileged towns that remain unmoved. The section to me reminds us that evangelism is not about winning arguments, it's about faithfully representing Jesus and trusting God with the results.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

I think that's 100%. We get ourselves caught up in the results, like you say, instead of being faithful, you know, just being faithful to share what Christ has done in our life, what we believe, and that's what we're called to do. You know, and if they reject that, then they're rejecting Christ, like he says, not us personally. And so we have to really look at it very faithfully because I think we talked about in previous episodes, like we don't want to be uncomfortable, like it's an uncomfortable situation sometimes because oh, what if people don't like me? And you know, I know we talked in Keith let us last time, you know, we don't want to pay the cost of broken relationships, but we need to be faithful and sharing and then trust God with the results.

Handling Rejection Without Bitterness

SPEAKER_03 15:51

So moving on, some of some will receive the message and some will reject it. But either way, Jesus wants his disciples to root their joy in something deeper than ministry results. Their identity must rest in what God has done for them, not in what they've accomplished for him. So we're gonna read, we'll finish out the section, we'll read verses 17 to 20. It says that the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the powers of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. So the seventy-two return with joy. Even the demons submit to us in your name, they say. This does actually does not describe being shielded from suffering or hardship. It means that the enemy cannot ultimately stop the mission, that their authority was real but delegated. It comes from Jesus and not from themselves. And then Jesus redirects their joy, say telling them that they that their joy should be anchored in that their names are written in the kingdom of heaven. He doesn't rebuke them for their excitement, but he simply grounds it. Do not rejoice in this, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. In other words, don't anchor your joy in results, don't anchor your identity in power, don't anchor your confidence in ministry outcomes, because all of those things can vary. They can rise and fall, but your salvation is secure.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Yeah, I think it's good that he says rejoice, don't rejoice in this. And what what's the this? It's that you're he's giving you authority over serpents and scorpions and over all the powers of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. But don't rejoice in that, that the spiritual subject, but rejoice that your names are it's it rejoice in the things that you have no control over. You have don't you don't have direct influence over. And also, I mean, kind of a theme of this whole section has been he's talking to the 72 now that he's sent out, so he's expanded the in the inner circle of 12 to a full 72, and he's telling them, don't I think this is a little bit of a warning against pride and against really being, you know, something that they're able to do and what he's empowered them to do, but don't don't make it, don't let it go to your head kind of thing. But rather set your joy that your names are written in heaven. You know, one thing I we haven't really talked about too much in this section that I found is kind of interesting, kind of along these lines, and in guarding ourselves against pride and other things, is really the setup for this whole section in verse one. It says, after this, the Lord anointed, or appointed, excuse me, appointed 72 others and sent them ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. So he sent them out in pairs. I think there's a there's there's a good wisdom in the accountability that comes

True Joy Beyond Ministry Wins

SPEAKER_00 19:58

with another brother or sister in Christ. They're gonna face some success, they're gonna face rejection, they're gonna face all those things, they're gonna face temptations to be prideful in what in this case they were empowered to do, but doing it two by two, I think it gives them some of that accountability. I think there's a good lesson in there for each one of us is to have that person or two or three in our lives who can kind of talk us down, you know, when we're when we're maybe feeling a little full of ourselves or who can, you know, keep us centered on your name's written in the Bam's Lamb's book of life. This isn't about what you do, it's about what he's done.

SPEAKER_03 20:29

Yeah, it's also Nate and I were talking a little bit, and I haven't mentioned connect groups in a while. I was gonna say, yeah, good plug for discipleship and connect groups. So like have that, have those guys and those people around you that that you can do do life and ministry with. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

Yeah, you know through this passage here, I just think it's interesting, you know, Jesus responds here when we send them out with two by two, but he responds here by affirming his authority over Satan. He's telling him, hey guys, you know, I'm the one who's over Satan. You know, you have nothing to fear. You know, so I I think a lot of times in our in our walk is we fear what they would do. Sending you out two by two, you're gonna go into the village. I mean, years ago, old school was, you know, you went out two by two into the neighborhoods. Nowadays I think you probably get shot or something like that. But you used to go out in the neighborhoods two by two and knock on doors and tell people about Jesus. But and these guys went out two by two into the villages before Jesus got there and just kind of setting that framework for his coming. And I I just think it's so cool where he says, I I have authority over anything that's going to happen, I have authority over it. So I just think that's pretty cool. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this. Mitch just read it, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written. In heaven. Yep. And d just so awesome there.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

And not getting back into the results, right? Yeah. Not focused on works or those kind of things, but staying grounded in where our faith comes from, where those things come from, and whose authority it is. Because too often we start to see, oh man, look at all these things are happening. It can be that we've consistently looked over a few episodes, starting to take pride in that, start to think or that it's contingent. Sometimes we're I remember a message you gave, Jeremy, where like circumstances like Joseph and Stephen, you know, like the circumstances are not how we should measure faithfulness. It's truly faithfulness, not outcomes. So I think it's pretty important.

SPEAKER_03 22:41

Yeah, because it was in that was an interesting when I was studying through that, that both Abraham and Stephen were commended for their faith. Abraham led a long life and you know had the child received the child of promise and had the covenant we the covenant that we know of and walked with God. Stephen's life was cut short, but both of them were commended for their faith.

Share Your Story With Gentleness

SPEAKER_03 23:06

But and both of them, I think we could say that both of them had their joy rooted in who God was and not in performance. And because our joy is rooted in should be rooted in salvation and not performance, one and this passage being very, very about how to share your faith, one of the simplest one that I wanted to share is one of the simplest and most powerful ways that we can share that joy is by sharing our story. Jesus sent out ordinary disciples into ordinary places, and one of the greatest tools that he gives us is our testimony. Your testimony isn't a speech or a sales pitch, it's simply your story of grace, the story of God of the God who wrote your name in heaven. And scriptures Peter first Peter 3 15 tells us to always be pre be ready to give an answer and to explain the hope that that you have in you and to do it with gentleness and respect. And so for the listeners out there, uh if you haven't developed your testimony, there's a very simple way to think about it. Like first before Christ, what was I like? What was life like? What was I searching for? What shaped my values and my fears? Uh when I met Christ, what opened my eyes? What what truth awakened me? What helped me understand my need for Jesus? And then since my and then with in my life with Christ, what's different now? What has Jesus changed in me? What has given me hope today? You know, the 72 didn't pre preach from platforms, they shared life in ordinary spaces, and our testimony does the same. It it opens doors, it builds trust, it shows what the kingdom looks like in a human life, and it points to the same joy that Jesus is celebrating in this passage, the joy that our names are written in heaven.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

I think it's a good point because nowhere does it say these 72 had a doctorate in theology or all the answers to all the questions, but they had been following Jesus, and so consistently after healing, Jesus says, Go and tell what God has done for you. And I think that's the same commissioning we have today.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

Yeah, their confidence was rooted in Christ, not in themselves.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Well, good stuff. Again, we see the sending out and some real examples here, and just how we can take away the need to, like you say, Jeremy, share our story in a faithful way and not get hung up on our works and the outcomes, but truly be faithful and where we're rooted in those ways. So as we continue through Luke, good passage, and again, we've enjoyed journeying with you so far. Month of June

Final Encouragement And Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 26:05

is moving along. July 4th is insight, so we'll be having the holiday coming up here really soon. But we will continue. July 4th is not on a Monday this year, so I think we can give you guys off for July 4th. But uh, Labor Day, you know, that'll be the next Monday we have to work. But but appreciate everybody joining us, and we really look forward to the next episode. Have a great week. Thanks for tuning in to the Life Talk Podcast. If this episode encouraged you, please be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and leave a review so others can find this content as well. And we'll look forward to seeing you next Monday for another great episode.