Jesus continues his instructions to the apostles as He sends them off (Mt 10:7-15).  He tells them to take no provisions on their journeys but rather they are to look for a place to stay in each town and remain there until they leave.  To places where they will be unwelcome, Jesus gives the warning above.  The questions for us are: Which towns, cities, societies, or countries will not receive Christ and listen to His words today?  Are they aware of the fate that awaits them?  And is it just far away places that should be concerned, or is it also our own backyard?  We see Christian persecution escalating around the world and toleration of Christianity diminishing in the U.S. and other western countries.  This is certainly discouraging, frustrating, and even maddening.  But, instead of causing us to retreat or lash out, we should all the more be active in proclaiming “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” as the apostles were instructed to do as their opening words to a new town (discussed in yesterday’s post).  We would do well to recall the actual Sodom and Gomorrah story from Genesis 18 and 19.  Abraham was not content to see the cities destroyed but bargained with God not to annihilate them if even a few good persons could be found.  So, then, it seems that our job is to increase the number of the righteous by bringing Christ to those who don’t know Him and reintroduce Him to those who have ignored Him or spurned Him.  Reforming our lives is the beginning of this process for us, along with healthy doses of prayer, Bible, study, sharing, and action.  Then more and more righteous will be found as the initial few conversions, through the example of their lives, will spark more and more conversions.  The call to spread the gospel is one we must take seriously (cf. Mt 28:19-20).  The fate of many depends on letting the Lord work through us to spread the Kingdom.