Luke 9:37…

When you’re on the mountain-top it can be easy to forget what is going on back down in the valley.

Of course, as Christians we are (hopefully) all aware of the ‘mountain-top’ experiences we sometimes have with Jesus. These may come in the form of retreats, or ‘after-glow’ gatherings, or special times of prayer, or just about anywhere we have a genuine experience with Jesus that reaches into the supernatural realm.

It may happen – and probably most often does – when we least expect it, but are just being faithful to what Jesus has told us to do. Then unexpectedly we somehow are able to see His glory in our midst. It is wonderful, and it is proof of all Jesus has told us.

Peter, James, and John have just had such an experience. Called by Jesus to go to the top of the mountain to pray, they were faithful to His call to prayer and saw what they had no expectation they were about to see: Jesus’ glory was fully revealed, as if veil between the material realm and the spiritual realm had suddenly been removed. And there were Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus about the plan for Jesus’ crucifixion. Too amazing to even begin to attempt to fully comprehend!

But back down at the foot of the mountain there was trouble. What had the enemy arranged for the remaining 9 disciples? You know; the ones who had just been given power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases a mere 35 verses earlier? The ones who had gone out through all the towns preaching the gospel and healing everywhere? The ones who had returned to Jesus telling Him of all they had done in His name?

Satan chooses this time to spring an intense spiritual attack on Jesus’ isolated disciples down in the valley, and it is two-fold: The disciples are surrounded by a great expectant crowd, but in that crowd is a group of scribes disputing with them, and evidently they are drawn into a contentious verbal exchange in the midst of the crowd of witnesses. Secondly, there is a man present in the crowd who has brought his demon-possessed son to the remaining disciples for healing. They could not ‘win’ the argument, and they could not heal the young man.

This is an important reminder our callings and giftings are specific, and apart from Christ we can accomplish nothing.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 9:1…

Talk about responsibility.

Can you imagine Jesus sending you out to represent His ministry? Would it be a heavy thing? Would it be a heady thing?

I try to imagine the meeting between Jesus and His disciples. He called them “together.” It would have been a very great thing to be called together to be given instruction by Jesus. What would the instruction be today?

To date, every time Jesus had called them together, it had been to teach them something, or show them something He wanted them to learn. That was always a wonderful experience, and I imagine whenever Jesus called them together they were excited and happy to come to Him. They had given their lives for these moments, but as yet, they probably didn’t truly understand why.

Now it would be brought out into the open a bit. This time, when Jesus called them together it was to send them away. Try to imagine how frightening it may have been to be sent away from Jesus just when you had staked your life on being with Jesus. There is no safer place known to man than to be with Him, why is He sending us away?

Would you be all for this? Confident? I doubt it. I think it would be more troubling than comforting. But Jesus often takes us outside our comfort zones – to the place ministry takes place - and that is what He is doing here.

Listen to the things He sent them to do: 1) to preach the kingdom of God, and 2) to heal the sick. Wow. I can certainly sense being totally overwhelmed by that assignment. I’m quite certain they were.

But before telling them to go and do, Jesus had given each of them both power and authority over both demons and disease. And this, I think is the lesson. Jesus never sends us to do without giving us the power to do. The temptation may be to attempt to do in your own strength, but the ministry won’t allow it. The task is impossible apart Christ. So how can I be ‘in’ the power of Christ even though I am apart from Him physically? You have to go and do to learn that lesson, once empowered.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 8:1…

How would you define success? How can success be guaranteed – and what is ‘success’ anyway? Can success be measured?

These are pretty important question when it comes to the gospel ministry of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important news and truth anyone ever has the opportunity to hear and deliver, as well as the most important decision anyone ever has to make in their life, and about their life and eternal destiny.

Again, with the degree of importance known, shouldn’t we do all we can to emphasize success?

Jesus speaks quite differently about His own gospel. He tells us our job is not to be successful, but faithful.

The reality is the success of the delivery cannot be immediately measured anyway, even with what we may regard as an immediate and ‘good’ response. (That may all be washed away fairly soon, by the devil, by circumstance, or by distraction.)

Another point Jesus makes is to not be so careful about who we share the gospel with.

In telling this parable of the soils, Jesus demonstrates a farmer who seems oblivious to where the seed lands. Since this represents potentially wasteful behavior, we are left to wonder what kind of farmer would throw his seed by the side of the road, or on rock, or in a field filled with weeds, left uncultivated. What kind of farmer concerned with results would do such a thing? What about the cost of the seed that has been ‘wasted?’

There is an absurdity to this parable if you happen to be a farmer concerned with producing a crop. A good farmer spends a lot of their time studying how to get a higher yield from his seed. A good farmer is concerned over the condition of the soil prior to investing any seed in it. A good farmer would certainly never place his seed anywhere a chance for success could not be somewhat guaranteed. The emphasis is completely on the method which will bring the highest opportunity for success.

Jesus says when it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God is to be scattered far and wide, anywhere and everywhere. Success is not the issue but rather the faithfulness to deliver it. (Truly, success can only be measured by God.) And, the only cost of delivering the seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the faith required to do it.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 7:1…

In Chapter 7 of His gospel, Luke tells us of extraordinary accounts of Jesus fulfilling Old Testament prophecies of Messiah, and of doing things only God can do.

His power, authority, might, and love are on full display.

How is it anyone can read through these accounts without being profoundly changed? If even one these accounts is true, than there can be no doubt Jesus is both Messiah and God.

We have the mysterious case of the Roman centurion whom we never meet. We only hear of his great faith, (all the more extraordinary since he is a gentile.) (Here in Luke’s account we get information not present in Matthew’s gospel.) Here we learn the communication between Jesus and the centurion was indirect, not face-to-face, and the agents of the communication between Jesus and the centurion were elders of the Jews.

This is a very mysterious case, and yet it reveals much that should be very important to our lives. It reveals how important faith is when it comes to healing, especially in a potentially fatal situation. It tells us of the love that necessitates or even precipitates faith in the first place. (If the centurion had not loved his servant, he would not have been so concerned for his welfare to consider how he may be healed.)

We can only speculate about his servant. In all probability he was a Jew, probably conscripted or enslaved into involuntary service of a (usually) harsh Roman master. Could the servant have been a Roman who traveled with the centurion wherever he went? (It’s possible.)

And what about these Jewish elders who thought so highly of this particular Roman that they willingly and wonderfully interceded on his behalf? They inform Jesus this gentile “loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” Could this be why Jesus responded? Was it to reward the centurion for his fondness for the Jews, or was it because Jesus loved the Servant He never met? At any rate, we see Jesus respond greatly to intercession on behalf of others, and this is an important lesson for us as well.

But it is the faith of the centurion Jesus calls out for our special attention. Here is a man, (and a gentile no less,) who believes in the power of Christ. More than that he understands and believes in His Divine Authority and sovereignty. This, above all else, seems to prompt Jesus’ response to heal, even from a distance.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 6:37…

Those who follow Jesus Christ have more to offer mankind than anyone who walks according to religion or according to the world’s ways.

When I first got saved, the Lord would give me imaginations of the whole world being saved, and what it would be like if everyone was a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.

It is inarguable many of those who have called themselves Christians have NOT followed the teachings of Jesus down through the centuries. There have been many atrocities committed “in Jesus’ name” as ‘Christians’ that are completely contrary to all Jesus taught. These people were not born again – they were carnal. They were not Christians at all.

This is why we are to follow Jesus and no man. It can be helpful to have a man as an example for us of what it means to follow Jesus Christ, but we must be careful to make certain the man we follow is genuinely following Jesus Christ, and not some version of Christianity of his own making.

But oh what a world it would be if everyone did genuinely follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. How different it would be from the exceedingly cruel and petulant world we experience on a daily basis.

When we consider the cruelty man is obviously capable of, it can be a fearful thing. It scares me to think under the right circumstances I may be capable of the very things I regard as the worst human atrocities imaginable. But I know myself well enough to know apart from Christ, I am capable of extreme wickedness.

This is why Jesus commands those who will follow Him in the way He does. He knows what we are capable of apart from His instruction and guidance. He also knows His instruction and guidance may fall upon deaf ears apart from the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. This is why being born again and being filled with His Holy Spirit is the bare minimum of what it means to follow Christ.

But what if everyone was born again? What kind of world would that be? Well, it still wouldn’t be a perfect world, because born-again people live in fleshy bodies prone to sin. But it would be a loving, non-judgmental, forgiving, and giving world. And what a wonderful place that would be! (It would be a glimpse of heaven.)

-Pastor Bill