Winter Park, CO 2001: Great ambitions require great qualities. Sledding through the Rockies in winter requires recognition, heart, and grit–the same qualities needed to navigate successfully in the Kingdom of God.

From Trent Ling:

“Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there…”   Matthew 10:11.

Jesus’ words set high and exacting standards for his disciple-ministers.  I recall in the 1990’s (back when we did not record preached messages) making a big deal of the “some worthy person” measurement.  Now, many years later, Jesus’ timeless instruction comes into sharper focus, shedding even greater light, and perhaps dawning a new era in ministering.  At this point, benefitting from much hindsight, it seems worthiness in the Kingdom of God demands three principal qualities.

Recognition

The worthy person recognizes the voice and truth of Christ, just as outlined and demonstrated in John 10:3-6.  Across variances in upbringing, culture, education, gender, race, experience, era, age, and countless other individual characteristics, the worthy perceive and accept the truth of Christ as it is—the actual truth (1 Thessalonians 2:13).  Those who cannot hear or recognize such a voice have no enduring pathway to victory.  They must first turn to God, mend the roots which spawn such deafness and blindness, and spiritually reboot thereafter.  Only those cognizant and discerning of voice and truth have even the chance to follow faithfully.

Heart

The worthy have a heart for the truth.  Such do not follow out of obligation, as a matter of compliance, on balance, as a concession, for a time, or as long as it works out.  On the contrary, those with a heart for truth gladly and willingly undergo such grand metamorphoses and renewal.  They prove Christ to be far and away the most transformative figure imaginable.  Innumerable 180-degree turns characterize lives endowed with hearts for the truth.  Hate turns to love, grudge to forgiveness, cowardice to courage, selfishness to sacrifice, pride to humility, darkness to light, and on and on.  Those with heart for God do not have to be re-convinced or re-converted around every other corner.  Rather, they are in to Christ heart and soul, today, tomorrow, and forever.  Hebrews 13:8.

Grit

The worthy demonstrate unmistakable grit in being up for the controlled, refining burns orchestrated by God.  God tests our work with fire, and the grace of God makes expert builders of those trained by it.  1 Corinthians 3:10-15.  In the 2007 preached message “Refined” (available upon request), I show from the Scriptures that our sprawling interests should rapidly decrease in number as we see the flames of God burn off what does not matter or count.  Along these lines, worthy persons gladly undergo high spiritual temperatures in order to become refined agents to serve our inspiring God.

Conclusion

The worthy person, therefore, recognizes the voice of Christ, provably possesses a heart for God, and shows himself genuinely eager for the refining work of the Spirit.  These three authentic qualities would bring anyone from death to life, and ensure conquest upon the spiritual battlefields.  Rather than flail about, guesstimating causes for defeat, all should take sober inventory to determine whether their problems stem from missing this compulsory trifecta of qualities.  For ministers, we would do well to recall Jesus’ admonition at the outset of this letter, and stop make believing that those devout largely in tongue have what it takes.

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