Luke 4
We just finished 3 nights of Evangelistic Services and we thank God that quite a number of our friends and relatives accepted our invitation to listen to the Gospel that saves! We pray that the Word of God will take root in their hearts and move them to join us in our continual pursuit of the truth and worship of our God.
It seems then quite appropriate to read today’s chapter because it marks the beginning of the ministry of Jesus as recorded in Luke.
Bible Passage: Luke 4
Very quickly, we start off with the temptation of Jesus by Satan. And we are all familiar with the lessons that Satan will always seek and tempt us in all aspects of our lives – physical, social, spiritual and financial. But the Word of God is our weapon against the evil one. And the only way we can have this weapon is if we were to read and study the Bible… and allow the Word of God to richly dwell in us.
Then we read about Jesus’ sermon in His hometown of Nazareth. Jesus’ choice of Isaiah as His subject caused a stir as He cited outsiders as recipients of God’s blessing. This provoked rage and His ministry began with people trying to kill Him!
What followed were many incident of exorcism and healing that Jesus performed with full authority – that could only come from God.
I’d just like to focus on Luke 4:43…
but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” [bold and italics mine]
I must preach the kingdom of God …. because for this purpose I have been sent.
These words were spoken by Jesus. But these words should also be uttered by us.
Why?
Don’t you remember what Jesus said?
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. ~ Matt 28:19-20
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ~ Mark 16:15-16
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. ~ Acts 1:8
Yes, yes…. I know you know all these verses before I even typed them out.
But I thought that it is a necessary reminder to me and all of you… even though the mid year evangelistic service is just over.
It does not mean that we now can pack up our evangelistic efforts till the end of the year comes before we dust off our invitation tracts, pull out our old phone directories (do people still use them?) and scan through our Facebook friends list to see who we should invite.
Jesus said He must preach because it is for this reason He was sent.
We too are sent today.
From the day we believe and receive the Holy Spirit, we are sent. Sent to share the good news of Jesus with others. Sent to proclaim the great power and authority of Jesus. Sent to bring hope to the poor, needy and those in suffering. Sent to share the great love we have received.
This should be our purpose in life. Is it?
There are a couple more things that I thought was interesting.
In verses 40-41, we read that the people kept on coming to Jesus for the healing of various sickness and casting out of demons. It seemed as though this is just what the people wanted Jesus to do. The people wanted to hold Christ to where He had already worked. They were happy that Jesus was where they wanted Him to be… being their Saviour where they were.
But the ministry of Jesus is much much bigger than just that area.
The response of the people is one that we often have when Jesus wants to bring changes into our lives or ministry. We like what He is already doing and do not want to see any changes! Pretty much like we are happy with the status quo of our church life. We are enjoying His blessings on us and are protected by His grace. And we are contented with our lot.
But the plans of Jesus is not just for where we are right now! His plans are often much more than what we can see with our own eyes!
Although the people could not see it, Jesus always had the big picture – the one that His Father had given Him. His ministry is not just for His hometown… but it is for the world.
A couple of nights ago after service, a troubled teen came to church seeking for some answers for the big issues in his life. He was not a friend of a member or a relative. He did not know anyone in church and he just walked in. What he told me chilled me to the bone. He was desperate for help and unfortunately was not able to continue our discussions for long and till now, he has not responded to my calls or smses.
And this matter weighs heavy in my heart.
Now I do not pretend to even understand or feel even a hundredth of what or how Jesus felt when He saw all the lost people in the world. But this teen has made me even more acutely aware that the people in the world need the Gospel that saves.
The only question is whether I am now ready to fulfill the purpose that Jesus has for me in this life.
What about you?