He who receives you receives me

Posted on July 7, 2026 by Pastor Foley

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40–42)

Léon Davent (French, active 1540–56)
Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well, ca. 1542–45
French,
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1958
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/336967

There is a union between our identity and Christ’s identity. Of course, we are sinners. But Jesus has appointed us as his legal representatives. When Jesus says, “Whoever receives you receives me,” this has precedent in Jewish law in the concept of the shaliach, or “messenger.” A shaliach differs from the modern idea of “power of attorney” because it goes beyond acting on someone’s behalf. A person’s shaliach is regarded as that person’s own presence. To mistreat the shaliach is to mistreat the sender.

This is also how Jesus describes his relationship to his Father. Jesus is the presence of his Father. He says only what the Father gives him to say and does only what he sees the Father doing. When his work is finished, he returns to the Father. In the same way, Jesus sends his disciples—not only his strongest disciples, but also his “little” disciples.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

We are legally appointed by Jesus to act with his full authority.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

There is one more important thing to know about the shaliach concept. When a sender gave a shaliach specific instructions, the shaliach was legally bound by them. If the shaliach deviated from those instructions, the role was immediately cancelled, and the sender was no longer legally bound by the shaliach’s actions. The shaliach then became legally and financially accountable for those actions. For that reason, shaliachs were careful to follow their sender’s exact instructions.

Genesis 24 gives a clear example. Abraham sends his chief servant as a shaliach to find a wife for Isaac.

Abraham said to his senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:4)

From that moment on, the chief servant represents Abraham’s own presence. Throughout the story, he repeats Abraham’s instructions exactly to everyone he meets. He never changes the details or acts according to his own judgment. Like Galatians 2:20, it was no longer the chief servant who lived, but Abraham who lived through him. He acts as a faithful shaliach.

Then he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.” But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.” (Genesis 24:56)

The same is true when Jesus appoints us as his shaliachs. He gave us specific instructions about what to say and what to do.

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. (Matthew 10:14)

These are not suggestions; they are shaliach instructions. In fact, the Great Commission itself is a set of specific instructions from Jesus to his shaliachs.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus is appointed shaliach by his Father, who gives him all authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus then appoints us as his shaliachs to make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything he has commanded. He expects us to obey these instructions as fully and specifically as Abraham’s servant obeyed Abraham. Jesus’ commission—including what to say and how to say it—is binding.

Today, however, many pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and ordinary Christians see themselves as spiritual entrepreneurs rather than shaliachs. They think like marketers driven by results instead of servants committed to carrying out specific instructions. Many assume that creativity in evangelism, discipleship, and preaching is good. But that idea does not come from the New Testament or from the Lord Jesus. Jesus never praises the creativity of his shaliachs. He praises their faithfulness.

When we stand before Jesus, he will not say, “Well done, you creative genius. You read the audience well and adapted your content to generate a great response.” If we have fulfilled our shaliach role well, he will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We are faithful when we preach the gospel Jesus gave us by the method he gave us—not when we use other methods or preach other gospels to produce bigger results.

Many preachers today spend more time memorizing marketing-based false gospels, such as the “four spiritual laws,” than memorizing the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached. We are not free to adjust the message or method of Jesus’ gospel. The presentation is part of the proclamation. What are the key aspects of Jesus’ method?

1. Jesus instructs the disciple to be transparent in all things. The disciple must never enter a village under another identity, such as a traveler or businessman. Disciples are to state openly their relationship to Jesus and their role as his representatives.

2. Jesus instructs the disciple to proclaim the gospel empty-handed. Jesus instructs them to bring nothing of human value. In this way, the town’s acceptance or rejection remains pure. The town is not accepting or rejecting Jesus because of the servant’s rhetorical skill or the gifts offered. If the town rejects Jesus, it is not because the servant spoke poorly or failed to offer enough. With only the gospel presented, rejection of the gospel is clearly an act of treason, answerable to Jesus at the end of the age.

3. Jesus makes sure that someone can only receive him and the gospel by taking up their cross. Because the messenger has no food or place to stay, the one who receives him must provide care. When someone provides for the messenger, they publicly identify with him and accept any consequences of that identification. We see this in Acts when Jason is implicated for hosting the apostles. In North Korea, anyone who associates with a missionary may be punished as if they were a missionary. But the one who receives the servant of Jesus receives the same reward as that servant: eternal life. We receive the Father and the Son living in us through the Holy Spirit.

The first Chinese Christians involved in the Back to Jerusalem movement used to pack only a toothbrush and a Bible. They would enter villages where Christianity was restricted and knock on doors. When someone opened the door, they identified themselves as traveling preachers of Jesus. If the household welcomed them, they used the Bible. If the household called the police, they used the toothbrush to brush their teeth in jail. They were prepared for either outcome.

This principle of “double readiness” runs throughout the New Testament. Double readiness means preparing both to actively obey Christ’s command and to serve faithfully when we are restricted from active obedience. Jesus modeled this for us. He actively taught, preached, and healed. He also served passively through imprisonment, trial, and suffering on the cross.

As disciples, we should never think of ourselves as independent actors. Our representation of Jesus extends even to our passive work.

Jesus does not give his disciples a new method or a new teaching. Instead, he entrusts to them the method and message entrusted to him by his Father. Just as Jesus shared only his Father’s words and teaching, we share only Jesus’ words and teaching. Just as Jesus came openly and transparently identifying himself with the Father, we come openly and transparently identifying ourselves with Jesus. Just as Jesus carried nothing except the gospel of the kingdom, we carry nothing except that gospel. Just as Jesus served his Father through both action and passivity, we serve Jesus through both action and passivity. Just as Jesus faithfully declared the Father’s words by the Father’s method, we do the same. And just as the Father received Jesus when he finished his work, Jesus will receive us when we finish his work. Those who receive us in Jesus’ name will also receive, and be received by, the Father.

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“The Good News of the Kingdom” (Mt 9:35)

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Pastor Foley

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. (Matthew 9:35)

From the time of the early church, there have been weekly lectionary readings. This tradition grew out of synagogue lectionary readings that predated the birth of Christ and continues today. The early church adapted these readings to include the New Testament, especially selections from the four Gospels each week. The reason is simple: the church prioritizes the direct teaching and words of Christ, just as he commanded.

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:20)

Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. (Matthew 23:10)

Jesus teaches us the gospel in each of the four Gospels. The gospel is not only about Jesus; it is also taught by Jesus. This is why the full title of each Gospel is “The Gospel of Jesus Christ According to (author).” They record Christ’s gospel—that is, the things of first importance about who Jesus is and what he does, as taught by Jesus himself. If we teach anything else as the gospel, we are teaching a false gospel different from that of Jesus Christ.

The gospel Jesus taught must remain at the center of our daily lives. That is why the lectionary is centered on the Gospel reading. As we hear the words of Jesus each week, the Holy Spirit gives us the ever-living words of Christ and the faith to believe them. In this way, Jesus himself teaches us the gospel.

The gospel is the announcement that God the Son has taken on human flesh and, on the cross, has defeated all the enemies of God—including us. Through his resurrection and ascension, he now holds all authority in heaven and on earth. He uses that authority to rule today as the all-powerful King of creation. No one can hinder his reign; even those who resist him only end up accomplishing his purpose. Jesus could have destroyed all his enemies when he defeated them on the cross. Instead, he offers forgiveness and mercy, and even the full inheritance of his Father—including his throne—because through his blood we too are made children of God.

If Jesus is ruling, why is it so hard for us to notice? It is because he does not rule from the top down like worldly leaders. He rules from the bottom up. He rules as the servant of all. This is not a temporary way of ruling that will change when he returns and displays his “real power.” God’s eternal character is and always will be that of a servant and shepherd who lays down his life moment by moment for those under his care. Because they recognize only top-down power, none of the “rulers” of this age can perceive his bottom-up reign.

The rulers of this age still exercise power as they always have, and those under them still act as though they hold the power. Only through hearing the proclamation of the gospel can we know that Christ is truly reigning, and we are invited to stop rebelling against him and submit to his reign. We do so through baptism. In baptism, we enter Christ’s death and die with him to this world. We receive the indestructible and inalienable life of Christ, who is the Holy Spirit, who brings Christ’s teachings to life so that we know how to relate to God and to our neighbors. We relate to both only on the basis of Christ’s teachings.

Evangelism is not a method we memorize or a tract we hand out. It is our day-to-day words and actions bearing witness to God and others that Christ is our only King. In this way, everyone can see that we rely on Jesus as our only teacher and provider. Just as Jesus rules by laying down his life, we serve him by willingly laying down our lives moment by moment—not only for our friends, but also for our enemies.

We willingly give up what this world considers valuable because God provides for all our needs. Each day, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give us a small portion of our inheritance from the age to come. We are able to lay down our lives for Christ because we know that our bodies will be raised from the dead when he returns.

On that day, the rule of Christ, already underway, will finally become visible. All who rejected his rule will experience eternal destruction. Those who welcomed his kingdom by faith will reign with him forever in the new heavens and new earth.

This is the gospel as taught directly by Jesus in the Gospels and in Revelation. It is the same gospel the apostles recorded in their letters. None of it can be omitted without creating a false gospel. Jesus called it “the gospel of the kingdom,” and so did the apostles.

“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. (Acts 20:25)

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. (Acts 28:23)

The apostles did not create new teachings that did not originate with Jesus. Instead, they answered questions and gave instruction about how to live according to the gospel Jesus taught. Their letters were written with the assumption that readers already had a basic understanding of the gospel of the kingdom.

Unfortunately, many pastors today preach their own selected topics, claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit in what to preach each week. Others preach verse by verse through the Bible, believing this is the best way to hear Jesus directly. But the Gospels were written to be read aloud in a single sitting, sometimes more than once. If we preach only verse by verse, it may take years to hear key context from earlier or later passages. This is one of the tragic consequences of the modern church’s abandonment of the lectionary.

During the Protestant Reformation, reformers such as Zwingli and Calvin, in a sense, over-reformed by doing away with the lectionary and advocating verse-by-verse preaching. Later, Methodists and Anabaptists promoted preaching whatever the Holy Spirit seemed to lead at a given time and place. After that, many Christians in the United States began to preach primarily about personal salvation.

There is no separate gospel of personal salvation that the Lord Jesus taught before the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus did not teach a personal-salvation gospel. So later evangelists constructed one by patching together passages from across the Bible and centering them on personal salvation. They also developed methods for evangelizing with this new gospel. Because this evangelism was often done outdoors or one-to-one, where baptism was impractical, conversion came to be identified with the altar call or the sinner’s prayer. As a result, baptism largely became a formality for church membership rather than an essential part of entering Christ’s life.

As a result, many modern Christians believe the gospel is simply, “Jesus died for my sins, and if I believe in him, I will go to heaven when I die and live forever.” But this is a false gospel. They do not know the words and gospel of Christ. To set aside Christ’s words in exchange for ideas that seem more attractive or easier to understand is folly. Churches and organizations built on this false gospel are now falling with a great crash.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

The proponents of the gospel of personal salvation believe that people must first be prepared through relationships and need-meeting without talking about Jesus and then receive personal salvation before discipleship happens. But Jesus commanded us to use his own words and teachings for baptism and for our discipleship. He commanded us to preach the whole of his gospel of the kingdom, omitting nothing. He is the one who tells us what is of first importance about who he is and what he does:

  1. When the time was fulfilled, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born of the seed of David.
  2. He died for our sins as according to the Scriptures.
  3. He was buried.
  4. He rose on the third day as according to the Scriptures.
  5. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
  6. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

We are not free to invent the meaning of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Rather, we must learn and teach what Jesus himself said about his death and resurrection and how they fulfill the Scriptures. Sadly, most modern Christians do not know what Jesus taught about his own death and resurrection.

In every situation and on every subject, we are to begin by reading and teaching the actual words of Jesus himself. The words and teachings of Jesus have primacy for the Christian.

We should never begin with the words of the apostles and only then move to the words of Jesus. If we do, we risk ending up with a false, partial, and distorted gospel, because the apostles assumed their readers already knew the gospel Jesus taught. We read the words and teachings of Christ first, and then consult the rest of the New Testament as inspired commentary on Jesus’ words—not as additional or new teaching. The apostles preached the gospel of the kingdom faithfully to the end.

He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! (Acts 28:31)

It is important for the church to be built on Jesus’ gospel and to hear it every week. The lectionary is one helpful tool for doing so. We are not saved through a “personal salvation method,” nor are we prepared to hear the gospel by having our “soil prepared.” We are saved by entering into the life of Christ through hearing his gospel. And when we are persecuted for the gospel, we do not flee merely for our own safety; we flee so that the gospel may be preached in other places.

You may think, “If we only focus on the words and teachings of the Lord Jesus, don’t we         neglect the Father and the Holy Spirit and the Old Testament and the writings of the Apostles?” The answer is no. Jesus’ words and teachings are all about the Father and the Holy Spirit and the Old Testament, and the writings of the Apostles are all about the words and teachings of the Lord Jesus. From the beginning, Christianity was called “The Way”. What way? The way of the Lord Jesus. In every situation, about every subject, we are to begin and end with the words and teachings of the Lord Jesus. They are our standard and the reason for our existence. As Paul writes in  1 Timothy 6:3:

If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. (1 Timothy 6:3–4a)

Let us repent of any gospel that does not give primacy to the words, teachings, and way of Jesus.

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Have you ever heard of The Great Declaration?

Posted on June 9, 2026 by tdillmuth

For centuries, Christians did not view Matthew 28:16-20 as “The Great Commission.” Instead, it was seen as a revelation of who Christ is and as an invitation for us to join his work. This passage could be renamed “The Great Declaration,” since through his declaration, he reveals who he is.

What does this Scripture passage reveal about Jesus Christ?

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16–20)

First, it reminds us of who Christ is as Emmanuel, “God with us”. The very beginning and end of Matthew contain this same promise about who Christ is. Being with us is not only something that Christ does; it is who he is. It is his character. In Greek, the word “always” means “the whole of every day”. In the details of every day, Christ is with us.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

In more than one hundred verses in the Old Testament, God promises to be with us. But, in the Old Testament, the Lord was present through various mediators, such as Moses, the tabernacle, the temple, etc.

Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. (1 Kings 8:10–11)

In the beginning of John, in the Greek, it says that Jesus “tabernacled” or “pitched his tent” among us. In the Old Testament, it says that God dwelled in the tabernacle. But in the New Testament, Jesus “tabernacled” among us. In the Old Testament, God’s glory was shrouded by the cloud. But now God’s glory is fully visible to us in Jesus Christ.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

In the New Testament, Jesus describes himself as the temple, and since we are being built together in Christ, we also have a part in God’s temple. This very real temple is being built with living stones, and the Bible says we are those living stones. We are God’s house. The presence of God now dwells in us.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4–5)

This Old Testament promise of God’s presence has been specifically and completely fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. This promise is given to us through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The promise of his direct, unmediated presence.

Jesus not only gave the disciples the promise of his presence, but also the promise of his power in Matthew 28:16-20. He told them that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him. We know from John 3:35 that it was given to him by the Father.

The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. (John 3:35)

This is confusing because we know that Jesus has always been God. So has Jesus not already had all power and authority? In fact, John 1 tells us that the Word is God and that all things were created by the Word. So why must power and authority be given to Jesus?

Because, as we read in John 1:14, the Son took on flesh.

Jesus has two natures. He has human nature and divine nature. There have been many issues throughout church history understanding this. Some cults have said that Jesus has a kind of “third nature” or that the two natures are separate. But, in Christ, Jesus’ two natures are inseparable.

In the Father’s exalting Jesus, God’s original plan for humanity, that humanity would reign as God’s image on earth, is fulfilled. Not only is Jesus’ divine nature exalted, but his human nature is as well. As the “Son of Man” he is given all dominion.

In my vision at night, I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

Now that we understand Christ’s character, we can properly understand what he commanded us to do.

In Matthew 28:19-20, in English there seem to be four commands “go, make disciples, baptize, and teach”. But, in Greek, there is properly only one command, “make disciples”. The other verbs in this passage modify the verb “make disciples”. We don’t have to come up with our own plan of how to make disciples. We don’t need larger churches, outreach events or humanitarian aid projects. We only make disciples through the word (“teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”) and the sacrament (“baptizing them”).

Because Jesus uses many words interchangeably, instead of “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”, he could just as easily have said, “teaching them to abide in my word” or “teaching them to believe in my word”. The main point is to have firm faith in all that he taught.

Jesus also says that we make disciples by baptizing. Disciples are not made by having them come forward during an altar call. Disciples are not made by praying the “sinner’s prayer”. According to scripture, disciples are made through baptism, through which we die and are raised with Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.

It may seem like we should first get saved and then get baptized so we can publicly declare our faith. But that is not how the Bible describes baptism at all. Baptism is a gift of God. It is not something that we do, it is something which God does to us.

A person once said that making disciples is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. We are beggars who bring other beggars to Christ for Christ to work, not for us to work.

In Matthew 28, everything seems upside-down. The Jewish elders and Roman guards conspired to lie about what happened to Jesus’ body. The disciples even doubt Jesus as they are looking at him. In the midst of all this, Jesus declares his absolute authority in front of only eleven people. It is quite an anti-climactic moment.

But remember, this has always been the way that Jesus has worked. He doesn’t work according to the ways and standards of this world. His ways are totally different from our ways.

In John 13, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. But the story starts out much differently than we would think. It starts with Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; (John 13:3)

We would think that Jesus would take all power and use it to humiliate his enemies and stop them from crucifying him. But, instead, he washed the feet of the disciples who would later betray and deny him.

On the cross, we see the true power and authority of Jesus on display. And, on an obscure mountain before the disciples who had just failed miserably, we see the same power and authority of Jesus on display.

This upside-down work of Jesus is the same with making disciples. We think that if we had enough money, power, and freedom, we could make disciples better. But God always works through his word, which may seem weak and inefficient to us. But Jesus says that is what is powerful and effective.

Christ’s presence is not dependent on how you feel. You don’t have to feel good or happy. You can’t use your emotions to determine whether God is with you or not. The Bible tells us that God’s presence is a gift which is given to us in the person of Jesus Christ. His name is Emmanuel.

Through his death, resurrection, and ascension, we are given the gift of unmediated access to God himself.

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