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Luke 22:35
Then Jesus asked the disciples,“ Did you need anything when I sent you without a purse, bag or sandals?”“ Nothing,” they answered.
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Luke 9:3-5
He told them,“ Don’t take anything for the journey. Do not take a walking stick or a bag. Do not take any bread, money or extra clothes.When you are invited into a house, stay there until you leave town.Some people may not welcome you. If they don’t, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet. This will be a witness against the people living there.”
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Mark 6:8-11
Here is what he told them to do.“ Take only a walking stick for your trip. Do not take bread or a bag. Take no money in your belts.Wear sandals. But do not take extra clothes.When you are invited into a house, stay there until you leave town.Some places may not welcome you or listen to you. If they don’t, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet. That will be a witness against the people living there.”
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Luke 10:4-12
Do not take a purse or bag or sandals. And don’t greet anyone on the road.“ When you enter a house, first say,‘ May this house be blessed with peace.’If someone there works to bring peace, your blessing of peace will rest on them. If not, it will return to you.Stay there, and eat and drink anything they give you. Workers are worthy of their pay. Do not move around from house to house.“ When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is given to you.Heal the sick people who are there. Tell them,‘ God’s kingdom has come near to you.’But what if you enter a town and are not welcomed? Then go into its streets and say,‘ We wipe from our feet even the dust of your town. We do it to warn you. But here is what you can be sure of. God’s kingdom has come near.’I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town.
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1 Corinthians 9 7-1 Corinthians 9 27
Who serves as a soldier but doesn’t get paid? Who plants a vineyard but doesn’t eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn’t drink any of the milk?Do I say this only on human authority? The Law says the same thing.Here is what is written in the Law of Moses.“ Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.”( Deuteronomy 25:4) Is it oxen that God is concerned about?Doesn’t he say that for us? Yes, it was written for us. Whoever plows and separates the grain hopes to share the harvest. And it is right for them to hope for this.We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask that we receive from you some things we need?Others have the right to receive help from you. Don’t we have even more right to do so? But we didn’t use that right. No, we have put up with everything. We didn’t want to keep the good news of Christ from spreading.People who serve in the temple get their food from the temple. Don’t you know this? People who serve at the altar eat from what is offered on the altar. Don’t you know this?So those who preach the good news should also receive their living from their work. That is what the Lord has commanded.But I haven’t used any of those rights. And I’m not writing because I hope you will do things like that for me. I would rather die than allow anyone to take away my pride in my work.But when I preach the good news, I can’t brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news!If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I’m only doing my duty.Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do this without using all my rights as a person who preaches the good news.I am free and don’t belong to anyone. But I have made myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ.To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law. I did this even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law.To those who don’t have the law I became like one who doesn’t have the law. I did this even though I am not free from God’s law. I am under Christ’s law. Now I can win those who don’t have the law.To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak. I have become all things to all people. I have done this so that in all possible ways I might save some.I do all this because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings.In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize.All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever.So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air.No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules. If I did break them, I would fail to win the prize.
