Sheep Among Wolves — Keith Malcomson

Sheep Among Wolves: The Call to Spiritual Warfare

Praise God, welcome to our meeting here this morning. We're turning in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 10, Matthew chapter 10, and there's one scripture I want to preach from this morning. We're going to read a few scriptures in around it, but I just want to preach from one scripture.

This is part six of spiritual warfare. And what I'm going to deal with, many or most will not think is spiritual warfare, but I am utterly convinced it is a major part of spiritual warfare. Most Christians in today's church, all they know about spiritual warfare is the spirit of Jezebel, and they don't even keep it in context.

They don't realize she was a false teacher in a church that brought immorality in. It's not a spirit. All of that is foolishness, nothing to do with spiritual warfare, but what we are going to deal with here isn't an imaginary thing, but it's scripture, real warfare, rock face, spiritual warfare, not carnal, but real at the heart and center of God's purpose.

Listen to my title here this morning as we go to read from Matthew chapter 10, sheep among wolves. Read them from Matthew chapter 10, and this scripture, verse 16, was dropped into my heart at the beginning of this week about Monday, and it rolled and rolled.

I couldn't get away from it, so this message has chosen me. I didn't choose it. I just couldn't escape it, and I very quickly realized it was God's will to preach especially from verse 16. Read them from Matthew chapter 10 from verse 16, and we'll go through to verse 26.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake for a testimony against them and the Gentiles, but when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak, for it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you, and the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child, and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death, and ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved, but when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another, for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel to the son of man become.

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Fear them not therefore, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and hid that shall not be known. Let's pray together here. Father, we do thank you for the word of God that we are sent forth as sheep, as lambs amidst wolves.

Lord God, you have commissioned us. You have sent us. It's not accidental. It's not out of your power. We're not only waiting for this happening, but you're sending us, commanding us to go forth with the gospel of blood redemption, the gospel of salvation, the gospel of repentance, the gospel of the mercy of God.

Father, you have sent us, and Lord God, I pray that that commission would burn as a fire this morning. My God, I pray break fear in this meeting this morning. Break inhibitions, break strongholds in the minds.

Lord God, I pray this commission will come from the lips of the great shepherd himself. Lord God, that you are with us even until the end of the age. Lord God, I pray let the power of your Holy Spirit come upon us, that we won't be cowards hiding in the trench, but Lord God, we will be sheep going forth boldly into the midst of the wills.

Lord God, knowing that you are with us, that you have sent us, that we are going in your name, in your authority, with your commission. My God, teach us that this is real spiritual warfare. It's not the games of religion, not the traditions of men, not the charismatic games of our generation, but this is the word of the Lord, the real church going out into persecution, not just running from it, not just hiding, but Lord God, going forth into this 21st century with the power of God upon us, with the word of God upon our lips.

My God, raise up a real church again to meet the hour. Lord God, raise up a church in this hour that's fast turning towards persecution, that you'd send forth sheep like we find in this text of scripture, in Jesus' mighty name.

Be glorified and help us. Lord God, we're only sheep and lambs, but we know that you're the great shepherd and we love you with all of our heart, in Jesus' name. Amen. My message, sheep among wolves. It says in Matthew chapter 10, 16, behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.

Be ye therefore wise as serpents, harmless as doves. We are given this beautiful command in Matthew chapter 10 and verse 16, but it's given again in Luke chapter 10. Listen with me in verse two. Therefore said he, that is Jesus, unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labors are few.

Pray ye therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labors into his harvest. And notice the context. Verse three, go your ways. Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. We see here in these two scriptures in Matthew 10, and again in Luke chapter 10, the same instructions given.

I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. And this is our message here this morning, sheep among wolves. What a beautiful statement given in these two chapters. And over in Luke chapter 10, it's worded slightly different.

I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Notice here, they are commanded not to pray for safety, not to pray for an easy life, not to pray for a life without troubles, but they're commanded here in such an hour as we are living in here this morning, they are commanded, pray for labors, because there's too few out in the harvest field.

What are we to do in this hour, this 21st century, 2021, when we see everything closing in around us, in politics, in society, in laws, in legislation, are we to pray for our protection? Absolutely not.

According to the Lord Jesus Christ, this is an hour, a time. This is true spiritual warfare. How are we gonna meet this hour? How are we gonna meet this age? Are we only gonna be concerned about food, growing our own food, protecting ourselves?

What are we gonna do with money in the bank? What about our house? Is that what we're gonna be consumed with in such an hour of wolves rising up in every area of society? You know what, saints? Do you know how we as a church are gonna meet this hour?

And I pray everyone listening into this message throughout today and this week, I pray we're gonna begin to meet the hour by praying, Lord, send out labors into the harvest. If you've closed the book and said it's all over, there's gonna be no more revival, no more missions, no more evangelism, no in-gathering of the harvest.

I wanna assure you that is utterly unbiblical. It is an hour now to say, Lord, send the labors. But Brother Keith, we're not allowed on a plane. Lord, send the labors. But we're not allowed to meet and gather as we had won.

Lord, send the labors. But how are we gonna evangelize our cities when we're not even allowed to go near people? You know what Christ said? Start to pray and the answer is gonna come. Notice here, we don't pray for our own safety and protection.

It's not ourselves that we're concerned about. It's the souls of men. In an hour where persecution begins to arise, when this world begins to turn against the church, when laws are being made that are gonna target the church, we don't begin to think about ourselves.

We begin to think about the souls of men. Lord, send us forth into the harvest field. Send forth labors into the harvest field. Send forth those that are gonna preach and evangelize in the homes, in the cities, on the streets, in the schools, in the workplace.

Lord, send the labors. Notice that in Luke chapter 10, it is the 70 being sent. In Matthew chapter 10, it is the 12 being sent. First, the 12 get sent with this command about being sent out amidst wolves.

Then in Luke chapter 10, it is 70. And notice, although the 12 are named, we know something of them, not all of them, but we know something of their birthplace, their father's name, who they are, or their work or profession.

We know something of those 12, but the 70, we don't know their names. They're nameless. We don't know all they've done. We don't know how God used them. There's no history books left from the 70. And yet the 70 went and done the exact same as the 10.

And so in Matthew 10, we have the 12 being commissioned like this. In Luke chapter 10, we have the 70 being commissioned with this. You see, he speaks in both of these chapters of persecution, of persecution.

Here in Matthew 10, where we are, Christ goes on, and I want you to read the entire chapter to keep the context of this verse after this gathering. He speaks in this chapter about persecution, but in fact, in reality, when the 12 were sent out into Galilee on this mission, we don't read of any persecution on this particular mission.

Then notice as well, in verse five and six, he says, go not into the way of the Gentiles and into the city of the Samaritans, enter not, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Now notice the 12 are being commissioned.

Don't go to the Gentiles. Don't go to those half-baked Samaritans. Only go to the house of Israel. And yet a few verses later in verse 18, he says, ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and against the Gentiles.

So he's saying, I'm sending you only to Israel, but he's talking about this evangelization of the entire Gentile world. Then he also, the Holy Spirit was not yet given to him. Pentecost had not happened, but yet in verse 20, he talks about the Holy Spirit giving them the words to speak when they're brought or persecuted in front of kings.

In verse 22 again, it says, and ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Do you know what we begin to see in Matthew chapter 10? That this commission, this teaching, the promises, the warnings, they're not only given to the 12 disciples on this particular mission, at this particular time in Galilee.

It wasn't only for them. We see it also given to the 70 who went forth into Judea. The exact same commands, commissions, warnings, and promises. And yet we see something further in all of this that was not fulfilled by the apostles, was not fulfilled in the first century.

You see, I believe Matthew 10 is not just to the 12 apostles, not just to the 70, not just to the early church, not just to the church throughout history, but to us at the end of the age. Look what it says in verse 23.

Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the son of man is come. These promises and warnings actually extend right down to the coming of the Lord, down to the end of the age, down to a time where every nation will actually turn on the church and hate true, genuine believers.

We see a taste of this in the book of Acts, but it applies specifically to the future. This entire chapter is prophetic. Look into the future, an hour of opposition, a time of persecution. Look in this chapter, the persecution that's gonna come against the sheep.

In verse 17, it comes from the religious establishment, the synagogues. So he warns them, you are going to suffer at the hands of the established religious system around you. In verse eight, he points to the government by speaking about governors and kings are gonna persecute you.

Then in verse 20, he talks very personally about your family or those of your own bloodline. It says, and the brother shall deliver up the brother to death and the father, the child and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death.

Thank God in this chapter, there's also promises. Three times he says, fear not. In verse 26, verse 28. And again, in verse 31, he also says in verse 30, but the hairs of your head are all numbered. There's beautiful promises about the sparrow and how God cares about you.

That amidst all of this change in scene of society, do not fear, do not worry. Be praying for labors to go out. Don't get distracted from the great commission. Since this is an hour, a year that we are entering into, we must not forget the great commission.

We have a calling that's far greater than our own safety, far greater than our own personal needs, far greater than our own fears. There is a commission that we as the church need to be gripped with. You see, opposition is also a time of opportunity.

There is not only rejection in this chapter, there is also reception by the lost sheep of Israel. There's not only wilts in this chapter, but there are lost sheep who need the Lord Jesus Christ. There's not only dangers, but blessings, not only persecution, but miracles.

All of this goes together. And I believe it's a great part of spiritual warfare in the church of Jesus Christ. This chapter, Matthew 10, and the promise I'm gonna, or the instruction I'm gonna preach on right now in this message, and give you four points from, it is a promise for this hour in a remarkable and a unique way.

It gives us the wisdom of God for this very hour that we are in. Let me say before I start, the vaccine that's been promoted across our nations is not the mark of the beast. Neither have the six or seven seals of revelation began to be opened yet.

We're not on the first seal, or the second, the third, or the fourth. They have not begun to be opened yet. We are not in the great tribulation, I wanna assure you. But I do want you to realize the hour that we live in.

We are living in the days just prior to all of these things. We are in the beginning of sorrows. We are seeing the entire world system change, religiously, politically, and socially, and it is coming together.

You see, I believe you and I are going to have to preach and be Christians and function as the church and as individual Christians and preachers in an hour of utter hostility. But we've been called for this.

The church of the Western world in the 21st century has been asleep. It has almost drowned in comfort. It's forgotten what the commission was. It's forgotten what true spiritual warfare is. It's forgotten what a real Christian is.

We forgot we're soldiers of Jesus Christ, that we have been born for persecution, that we can endure through all of these things. Saints, I want to tell you, we're living in an hour where the church had better wake up and begin to realize what we've always been called to.

The church in the first century was born amidst opposition, ridicule, slander, persecution, imprisonment, murder, amidst blood, fire, and toil. That's where the church originated. It's functioned, and it's a reproach on us that in the Western world in recent days, we thought God would never let us suffer for our convictions.

I want to tell you, the day of thinking that is over, and we're going to see who the real church is. The 12 were sent into Galilee. The 70 were sent into Judea. But I want to tell you, those 70 were not apostles.

They were not named, but they were sent by the same master to the same task with the same instructions, and so are you and I. We have the exact same promise. Let me bring you to Matthew 10 and verse 16 here.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, but be ye therefore wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. In this one simple verse, four animals are actually mentioned, sheep, wolves, serpents, and doves.

These four animals. Now, we know in the New Testament, men are often defined by animals. In fact, preachers and those in the church claiming to be Christians sometimes are called sheep, sometimes goats, other times wolves, the odd time fox, many times pigs, and certainly there's dogs.

So we encounter people within the church world, not just out in the world, but in the church. We encounter men and women who the scripture when applied actually gives them the name of an animal. A real Christian is always a sheep, always a sheep, all the time.

But here in this chapter, we have a fascinating display of animals, of country trends within this one verse. We have four animals. We have a serpent, a wolf, sheep, and doves. And that's what we're gonna look at this morning.

I've got my four points on these four unique animals. And I believe I've just given you the context. This is the context, and it's for you and I in this hour. If you have ears to hear, hear what the spirit of God would say unto you this morning.

Sheep Sent Among Wolves

Point one, sheep sent among wolves. Whoever heard of such a thing? Sheep sent among wolves. Notice here in this verse that we have sheep. Sheep, real Christians are called sheep. What is a sheep? It's an inoffensive animal.

It is harmless. It is innocent. It has no ability of self-defense. They haven't taken judo lessons or some other protection means. They don't possess a rifle. No, they're innocent, defenseless. They need to be cared for.

When the Bible speaks about a sheep, it's talking about an individual in relation to salvation. Here in this verse, when Jesus says that he sends his sheep out amongst wolves, he is sending those who know real salvation.

Sheep is talking about salvation, conversion, the new birth, and as far as it relates to salvation, redemption, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are sheep, and he sends sheep out amidst the wolves.

But I want to tell you, being a sheep, being born again, having your sins forgiven, washed in the blood, believing the gospel is not sufficient for the spiritual warfare spoken about in this verse. Over in Luke 10, verse three, it says, go your way, behold, I send you forth as lambs among the wolves, not only sheep, but lambs.

You know, the 70 that were sent out were not as advanced as the 12. They were not as greatly gifted in apostolic ministry as the 12. They were lambs, called lambs. Christ not only sent mature sheep out amidst the wolves, he actually sent lambs, those that were younger in their faith, those with less experience, those with less gifted ministry.

They were partakers, all of this, and yet we have Christ saying, I send you forth among wolves, whether you're sheep or whether you're lambs. You may say, I don't have much experience. You know what? There is one who commissions you and who sends you.

Notice who sends. I send. That simply means I set you apart. I send you out on a mission. The Greek word is apostella, where we get the word apostle. An apostle is a sent one, but in fact, every Christian is a sent one.

You've been set apart. If you're a sheep, if you're a lamb, if you're born again, if you've experienced salvation, you are also set apart to go, to be sent. The commission is for every Christian, not only apostles, not only preachers, not only the mature, it's for the lambs as well.

Everybody has received the gospel, the commission. Go preach the gospel. He says, behold, I send. Do you know what the word behold means? It means stop right now and take note what I'm gonna say in this scripture.

Notice this verse 16. This is how it begins, behold. In other words, sit down, listen for a moment, take note of this verse, underline this verse, meditate on this verse, feed on this verse, feast on this verse, get to know and understand the meaning of this verse.

It's imperative. It's absolutely important. It's a command. I send you. It's a command, but it's not just a command to do something as you go. It's something about what you are to be as you go. He doesn't just say, I send you to go preach.

He doesn't say that. He actually says, I send you, and he explains the condition, and then he explains what he wants you to be. As a sheep, you are a sheep, you're born again, but he wants to tell you where he is sending you.

He wants to tell you of the dangers, and he also wants to explain what he wants to work within your heart. You see, to go is not enough. To hear the commission is not enough. To go and say something is not enough.

What are you? What are you in your heart? This is a deliberate instruction. It is a mission through the sheep. He sent sheep out amidst the wolves. Whoever received a commission like this, whoever would have sent a flock of sheep out into the midst of wolves, Christ did.

He actually did it. Who is he? He is the great shepherd of the sheep, the tender shepherd, the good shepherd, the great shepherd, and yet he is commissioning the sheep that he's washed in his blood, saved by his grace.

He knows how harmless they are. What are sheep? They're harmless, they're innocent, they're defenseless. You know, when a sheep falls on its back, it'll die like that unless some kind shepherd comes and puts it back on his feet.

You know what sheep are like. If one jumps over the hedge, all of them will jump over the hedge. If they're on the road, at the very last second, if you're driving past them, right at the last second, it'll run out in front of your car.

This is the nature of the sheep, not aware of its own safety, its own danger. It's gotta be led into green pastures. It can't even choose the right ground to eat at. But here you have Christ taking these innocent, harmless, defenseless sheep, and he says, I am sending you.

I command you not to obey this sender will place you in a particular situation, a situation of danger, a situation that is not normal. If you obey Jesus Christ, you don't need to obey this command. You're a sheep, but my sheep hear my voice.

He's talking about them advancing the kingdom amidst adversaries. In other words, I want you sheep to live in a hostile environment. I commissioned you to this. You are sheep, therefore you can exist in a hostile environment.

I'm calling you to preach amidst enemies. I'm calling you to go forth willingly, deliberately, obediently. I want you to come to a place where you hear my voice. You're not doing this recklessly. You're not doing it out of your own thinking.

You're not doing it foolishly, but actually it's out of hearing me, out of obeying me, out of a desire in my heart. I want you to go forth. I want you to go forth into the enemy territory. I'm not hiding you away from the enemy.

I'm not scared that a wolf will simply get you. I am sending you out into the territory of the enemy. I'm gonna send you innocent sheep behind enemy lines, like paratroopers being dropped. Do you know what Christ doesn't send?

The SAS. He doesn't send the parachute regiment. He doesn't send elite forces. Do you know what he does? He sends sheep and lambs into the most dangerous territory of the enemy. And do you know what? By the grace of God, you will conquer.

You will establish the kingdom of God in some of the darkest, hardest habitats on the face of the earth. There's nowhere too hard for Jesus Christ's kingdom, but he doesn't send elite troops. He sends the sheep and the lamb.

They're innocent. They feel weak. They know how vulnerable they are. They know how dangerous it is. They know that by themselves, they are wolf food, first grade food for wolves. And yet here they are going forth.

It's not your desire, but it's because you love the Lord Jesus Christ. What are you gonna find in that environment? Why would you ever obey a command like this? Why would Christ ever give a command like this for you to go out in the midst of wolves?

Why would he send you and I out into the midst of wolves? Why would he do that? Someone like you and I, those wolves are dangerous. You see, you and I desire to walk in love and kindness and goodness and to pray for our enemies.

But why would Christ send you out there? You know why? Look at verse six. "'But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'". They're in search of lost sheep. And do you know where you find the lost sheep?

You find them in dark places, hostile environment. You find them associating with wolves. Those lost sheep are in the midst of wolves and we are sent out to rescue them, to reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I assure you, we are commissioned to this. Notice I send you out into the midst of wolves. The word midst there means right in the middle. You may think I'd be a fool to go. Do you know the safest place to be on the face of the earth is in the will of God?

If Jesus Christ sends you to go and stand in the midst of wolves, you're the safest man in all the world. Can I tell you that? To be in the will of God, to do in the will of God, reach and so for Jesus Christ, there's not a safer place on the entire earth.

You may say, but the wolves will devour me. Maybe not, maybe not. A wolf can come into this church and devour you. But do you know what? You could go forth into this world, your workplace, your family, the high street, into some other area, some foreign field, mission field.

If you go out, you're far safer than you are hiding on the back row of a church. Do you remember in the Old Testament how Jonathan and his servant put out a fleece and they said, Lord, if you want us to go up there and fight the Philistines, they're on top of a hill.

They're dug in. There's a number of them together. And Jonathan's saying, you know what? It could be God's will for us to go up and fight them. He speaks to his servant, convinces him and said, are you ready for this?

Will you come with me? I sure will. You know, the poor servant must have went, I sure hope he knows what he's talking about. I sure hope he's walking with God. I sure hope he's prayed through this morning, but I'm going to stick very hard to him.

We know that Jonathan went up there and it was like an earthquake and he defeated the enemies of God. What about young David, the shepherd boy, 17 years old? He goes out with a packed lunch for his brothers, a message of his father.

He's obeying his father. And as he goes out there to the battlefield, he said, who is this uncircumcised Philistine? All of Saul's armors, tens of thousands of his soldiers are all in the trenches. They're scared.

They're scared of Goliath. Do you know what young David does? He was a sheep, a lamb, sent out in the midst of wolves. You know what we're told in the Bible? That he ran at Goliath. He ran at Goliath.

All of those thousands of soldiers, trained with their armor, marching in rank and file, and yet they couldn't do anything. But one shepherd boy ran at Goliath and slew him. I tell you, these sheep can do a lot of damage in the wolves' territory.

But if no one goes, however, are we going to rescue the sheep? Notice they're set in the middle, in the midst of wolves, surrounded. They're going to obey a command. They're going to fulfill the will of God.

That's going to put them right in the midst of wolves. Do you know what wolves are? It's an unfriendly, cruel world out there. You're going to be under constant danger. This brings me to my second point.

Wolves Surrounding the Sheep

Wolves surrounding the sheep. Not only sheep sent out amidst the wolves, but wolves surrounding the sheep. In other words, wolves all around the sheep. Out in that natural world, it's natural for one wolf to attack a sheep herd.

That's their nature. One wolf is enough to match a thousand sheep easily. A thousand sheep will not stop one wolf. And yet what do we have? We have sheep and lambs surrounded by wolves in this verse. Not wolves infiltrating the church, but listen to me, the church going forth to infiltrate the realms of wolves.

You see, any normal wolf would say, sheep will never come into this environment. Lambs would never come out here where it's so dangerous. It would be a foolish thing, a foolhardy thing, a crazy thing, an impossible thing.

A thing you couldn't imagine, that you would get lambs going right into the domain of wolves to steal sheep that they're about to devour. Who could ever imagine it? Why wolves? Why is it? Remember, we're not talking about physical wolves or just spirits.

We're not doing that. We're talking about men. Sheep represent men born again. What do wolves represent? Now notice, lost sheep represent sinners. They're still called sheep, but they're sinners. They're out there.

One day they're going to meet Christ. They need salvation, but they're lost sinners. They're lost sheep. We are sheep. What are wolves then? What are goats? Goats, you don't find them out in that world.

You find them in the church imitating the sheep. They're hypocrites. They're false believers. What are wolves? Wolves are those out in that world that have a devouring nature. They are men and women that are utterly set against the gospel, against kindness.

They're not loving. They're not good. They're devouring by nature. You know, when you're in the midst of wolves, they do not understand your activity. They do not bless or agree with your activity. They will oppose you evangelizing sinners in this world.

They do not sympathize with your message. They don't believe it. They hate it. They're against it. They'll curse you. They're not gonna bless you. They do not care about you. They don't care about your feelings.

If you find someone and their actions and their words reveal they don't care about you, they don't care about the church, they don't care about sheep. Do you know what that shows? There's something wrong.

There's something wrong with that person. When you're dealing with someone that has no natural affection, they will damage you. They will attack you. They're not bleating like a sheep. They're howling like a wolf.

You know what it's a sign of? You're dealing with a wolf. When you're dealing with someone who doesn't care about anybody else, you're not dealing with a sheep. You're not even dealing with a carnal sheep or a lamb.

You're actually dealing with a wolf. You see, this wolf doesn't care about your safety. No matter how innocent you are, godly, kind, gracious, these wolves will slander you. They will abuse you. They will attack you.

They will misread your motives. They will falsely accuse you. They will hinder you. They will steal your time. They will attack you. That is the nature of wolves. And yet Christ says, I am sending you.

I am commissioning you personally, the shepherd of the sheep. I want you to go out. And it seems unless you know what you're doing, don't be silly. Don't put yourself in a drug stand when you shouldn't be there.

Don't go and sit in a bar stool to try and evangelize when you shouldn't be there. I'm not talking foolishly here. I'm not saying try and find a dark hole and go in there. I'm not saying that. When we're gonna see that as we go on here, that would be foolish to do that.

But I'm talking about Christ himself commissioning the local church. Notice the 12 went out together. They didn't go alone. Not as individuals. The 12 went out in twos. The 70 went out in pairs. Notice here that this commission to go out amidst the wolves, isn't for you to be foolish.

Isn't to put yourself in the road of danger. He's not talking about that at all. But he has actually shown us that there is a call and a commission for the local church. Over 100 years ago, 130, 40 years ago, there was a man called Cecil Polehill.

He was highly educated. He had a rich inheritance that was awaiting him. And he was there in Oxford in England going through his education when he got born again and saved by the grace of God. A rough evangelist came to his university called D .L. Moody.

And as D .L. Moody preached, he heard the gospel and was smoked to his heart. It started a process of conviction. When Moody come back a second time, Cecil Polehill joined the Cambridge Seven with Hudson Taylor.

He was one of seven young men that left their inheritance, left their careers, left their futures and safety in England. And they went forth to the hostility of China to evangelize. You know, as they began to evangelize, they were stoned from village to village.

After Cecil Polehill married his wife and on their honeymoon got on a donkey and rode out into a very treacherous place in China, that's where they began their married life. This is sheep going out amidst wolves.