Mind Your P’s When Proclaiming The Gospel
Matthew 9:35-10:8
Pentecost 4 (A)
Years ago I found a little book entitled What to do When...Tips on Etiquette for TeenAgers. It was written in 1963. As you can imagine, it is fascinating to compare these tips on
etiquette from 1963 to what we see around us in 2014. These are some of the tips given under
“What to do...when at school.” Keep in mind that this is not a religious book. These are things
society considered good etiquette.
1) “Back-talk” only brings shame to the one giving
it. Don’t indulge. 2) Do not disturb when you see a teacher is busy. 3) Be considerate in the
halls or corridors. Do not “bump” into anyone without saying, “I’m sorry.” Never form
groups that block the passageway. 4) The cafeteria is a dining room and should be treated as
such.
Even if we have never read a book of etiquette, most of us are still familiar with the
reminder to “Mind your P’s and Q’s.” This morning Jesus is going to remind us, not to mind
your P’s and Q’s but to “Mind Your P’s When Proclaiming The Gospel.”
I. Pity
The first P is pity. If we are going to proclaim the gospel we must have pity for lost
souls. We must feel sorry for those who do not know their Savior. Another word for pity is
“compassion.” Jesus had compassion for lost souls. Our text tells us, “When Jesus saw the
crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd” (v. 36). The Greek word for “compassion” is splanchna. It literally means
to have your insides churn. You know that feeling you get in your stomach when you are going
down the first drop of a roller coaster. It’s the same feeling when you hear horrible news. Your
stomach feels like it has just been kicked in. That’s splanchna.
That’s what Jesus had as He traveled among the people from village to village. He
realized that they had no peace, no comfort. They were wondering around like lost
sheep. Actually, it was worse than that. They weren’t just wandering around but they were
being harassed. They had spiritual leaders who showed them how sinful they were but offered
no solution. Jesus had compassion on these sinful souls searching for salvation.
We too must have compassion. Look at the people of our world. Look at the people of
our community. They are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Their
consciences tell them they are guilty. Perhaps they even know enough of the Bible to recognize
some of the sins they have committed. They may even be harassed by false teachers who tell
them about their sin but fail to tell them about their Savior. They have no hope. They have no
way to be rid of their guilt.
This is a critical point in the proclamation of the gospel. If we do not pity those poor
souls we will not proclaim the gospel to them. And too often we don’t. Too often we have
no splanchna for them. Too often, when we see the sinful world around us we drop our heads
in despair. Or, even worse, we raise our noses in distain. This morning Jesus shows us a more
loving and Godly response – pity. And, if we have compassion on these lost souls then we will
see the second P which is potential.
II. Potential
This is the point at which the glass is either half empty or half full. When Jesus saw all
the sinful souls that surrounded Him, the glass was half full. He said to His disciples, “’The
harvest is plentiful” (v. 37). Jesus did not hang His head and say, “I just don’t know what this
world is coming to.” He saw potential! He saw a spiritual harvest waiting to be reaped! He saw
souls to be saved!
What do we see? Would you say the harvest is any less plentiful in 2014 than in Jesus’
day? I have never heard a Christian complaining that there just aren’t enough unchurched
people. The harvest is plentiful. And that means there is plenty of potential.
The real question is, what are we going to do about it? Or, more importantly, what does
God tell us to do about it? That brings us to the third P of proclaiming the gospel – prayer.
III. Prayer
Jesus told His disciples, “’The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord
of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (vv. 37,38).
The wonderful thing about this part of proclaiming the gospel is that every Christian can
do it! No matter how healthy or wealthy or wise you are, you can pray to God for the spread of
the gospel. You don’t need to be able to travel to Africa to pray for our missionaries there. You
don’t need to be a member of our outreach team to pray for the men and women who
are. You don’t need to teach the Answers bible class. But you can pray for me as I teach it.
Prayer is a powerful tool. Notice that Jesus says it is the Lord’s harvest and to pray for
God to send out workers into His harvest field. Harvesting souls is God’s work. Only the Holy
Spirit can convince sinners that they have a Savior. That is why prayer is so powerful. When we
pray, we are going to the right place.
Have you ever needed something repaired but you weren’t really sure whom to ask to
fix it? So, you called a few places you found online and you started each inquiry by saying, “I’m
not sure you’re the right person to ask but...” Well, when we pray to God to bless the
proclamation of the gospel, we don’t have to worry about whether He is the right person to
ask. He is. Knowing this gives us the confidence we need for the fourth P of proclaiming the
gospel – Participation.
IV. Participation
“Woe! Hold on Pastor! I was right with you as far as the pity and potential and prayer
were concerned, but participation is a something different. I thought I was supposed to pray
that God would send workers into His harvest field, not BE one of those workers.” Do you
wonder if that is what the disciples were thinking? Jesus had just told them to pray for God to
send workers and then in chapter ten we are told that the disciples became part of the answer
to their own prayers!
God likes to work that way. He loves us so much that He gives us the privilege of
participating in His answers to our prayers. But, all too often we don’t take Him up on His
offer. We leave it to someone else. As a matter of fact, if we think about it for a moment, we
will realize we are not terribly good at any of the four P’s of proclaiming the gospel. We don’t
have pity and compassion for the lost souls we see. We don’t see potential in the harvest
fields, only problems. We don’t pray for the workers in the harvest field. And we don’t
participate as workers in that harvest field. Why? Why are we so nonchalant about the
proclamation of the gospel? It is because we are sinners just like the people who need to be
reached.
But, St. Paul tells us in Romans 5 that, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.” Even though He knew we would not have the pity we ought or see the potential we ought
or pray the way we ought or participate the way we ought, Jesus had compassion on us and He
paid for those sins at the cross. The forgiveness He won is free. And so He says to us as He said
to His disciples, “’Freely you have received, freely give’” (v. 8).
I think most people would agree that the way teenagers practiced etiquette in 1963 and
the way they practice it today has changed. Some of the things said in this book seem very
outdated. But the four P’s of proclaiming the gospel have not changed because this book is
never outdated. May God’s free gift of salvation move us to put into practice these P’s of
proclaiming the gospel. Amen.