Am I intentionally open to hosting, honoring, and serving God’s other chosen servants?

40 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

INSIGHT:    God has been honoring these words even before Jesus spoke them.  When the Shunammite and her husband built a guest room for Elisha to stay in, they received a miraculous baby, all because they received the man of God (2 Kin 4:8-10).  I, myself, have been so blessed by receiving even dead righteous men.  Like Elisha’s bones, they still can still make others come alive when we touch them (2 Kin 13:21). 

I will never forget this one prayer that I overheard.  It was a prayer that for three years could not have even been imagined in that home.  It was a dinner prayer and there were guests, but I had already eaten so I did not sit down for the dinner.  Then came the prayer, “Dear God thank you for bringing Michael to live with us, because if you hadn’t, we may still not know about you like this.”  The prayer was said by my mother, and those words were almost unbelievable to hear after all the antagonism she had brought against my faith.   They were the climax of everything I had hoped for, and prayed for over three straight years, but seemed so impossible to ever occur.   But, exactly as Jesus taught above, my parents were receiving Him, because they were now receiving me.

Sadly, they did not receive Christ in me all the way.  Once I confronted them on issues of deception, rotten fruit, and counterfeit faith, they stopped “receiving me”, exactly like what happened to Jesus in John 6:60-66, where we read, “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"  Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?

What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!  The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.  He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him. "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

This was a close call for the disciples, with Jesus suggesting, “if you are offended by what I teach, perhaps I should just leave you.”  Hence, we must also remember the stern side of Jesus’ teaching today, which is found in Luke 10:16  "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

The mass of professing Christians are so blind to the stern side of God and offended when someone points it out, because of Satan’s counterfeit teaching.  Nevertheless, after seven years of being exposed to the Lord’s remarkable dealings in my life, and after He had me confront them many times, He finally led me to Mat 10:14.  And while it broke my heart, I love Jesus more than my parents, and I was even willing for it to look like I hated them (Lk 14:26).  Mat 10:14 says, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.”

Jesus has not changed.  I have been exposed to thousands through my ministry, and because Christ is in me, people are exposed to Him in me. I’ve seen what happens when people have received me, or finally rejected me, and I can tell you with much evidence that Jesus still fulfills His words.

Are you conscious of the fact that when you “receive” a godly person, you will be blessed.  If you are willing, God will use that person to encourage you, instruct you, turn you from sin, or increase your faith, wisdom, or understanding.  We reap what we sow, either way.