Tens and Hundreds (15) - Gospel Model

The New Testament provides a method for spreading the gospel, which will also restore Tens and Hundreds to our community. Luke 10 describes how church and gospel spread in five important steps.

• A pair of Christians move to a new neighbourhood.

  After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place (Luke 10:1).

  Finding an appropriate neighbourhood was really important. Christians should make their home in the new location.

• The Christians should seek a “person of peace” or “person of influence”. This is someone who is open to the gospel and who has contact and influence with other people in the area. Sometimes that person might be a Christian with a burden for their neighbourhood. The new Church will usually meet in their house. In a traditional culture, they would live with the Person of Peace.

  Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave (Matt 10:11).

  Staying with the Person of Peace would not be possible in a Western culture, so the Christian pair would buy or rent a house as close as possible to that person.

• Once contact has been established with the person of peace, the Christians will look for opportunities to heal the sick. Jesus said,

  When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you' (Luke 10:8,9).

  A healing will usually crack open the neighbourhood. When Paul prayed for Publius’ sick father and he was healed (Acts 28:8-10). All the people on Malta came and were healed (many would believe).

• The pair will disciple the new Christians and build relationships between them. They will mould them into a church in the home of the Person of Peace. Others in the community will be drawn in by their love.

• The original Christians will replicate their ministry in the Person of Peace or a neighbour. This will free them to move into a new location and repeat the process. They will leave behind a group of people living in the same location who trust each other. This is the essence of a Ten.

See the Apostolic Way for more detail