What is our message
“I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other places, too,
because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43)
Hello Chosen Ones,
I love starting my day reading my bible. Everyday I follow a bible reading plan, which I’ve been doing for over 20 years. My favorite plan is the chronological one that arranges the daily readings in chronological order, by when they happened historically. When it comes to reading the gospels, the reading plan mixes all the gospels up and arranges the readings according to the timeline of when the events described happened, so the reader is able to see how each gospel writer wrote the story, which details they included or left out. There are definitely unique arrangements and purposes for writing which tell us a lot about the writer. We know Luke was a gentile (non-Jewish) doctor (Col. 4:14) and that may be why he includes 7 healings that are not included in the other gospels. He never met Jesus and was a ‘second generation’ Christian, probably converted under Paul’s ministry in Antioch. As a physician, his gospel is known for emphasizing specific details in the stories he records, after “carefully investigating everything from the beginning” (Luke 1:3). Luke is the only one to record the mission of Christ from Isaiah 61:1-2 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel (Good News) to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18). The poor and afflicted, the sick, the blind, the oppressed would all appeal to a doctor’s heart who desires people to be well. More than any other writer, Luke highlights that the Kingdom brings salvation, healing, and belonging to marginalized people, including the materially poor, women, and ethnic outsiders like Samaritans. Luke’s thesis statement, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10), highlights the Greek word “sozo’ for ‘save’, which has a much deeper meaning than our current evangelical word “saved”. Luke uses the word for all kinds of works of Jesus including: save, rescue, deliver; keep safe, preserve; cure, heal, make well; set free from demonic oppression. Luke’s ‘kingdom of God’ breaks into society to ‘save’ people who need deliverance and freedom in a variety of ways, specifically to the outsiders, the fringe and forgotten people. Luke’s gospel (good news) is the only one to include much revered stories of “the Good Samaritan”, and “the Prodigal Son” – outcasts who received much compassion and grace.
To be honest, when I read Luke’s gospel and come to chapters nine and ten, I am troubled in my spirit as I ask myself, “Jesus, are we the disciples you want us to be”? I read, “One day Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the coming of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2; 10:9) and “When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!" "Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan falling from heaven as a flash of lightning! And I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you” (Luke 10:17-19). A church in power, setting the captives free, opening the eyes of the blind, walking the talk in the authority and power of Christ. “How sad” I think to myself that for the most part, the ‘church’ of today has reduced the gospel to salvation as ‘forgiveness from sins’, rather than what Doctor Luke describes in his gospel. I can only imagine the elation of a doctor realizing that the ‘ills’ of society are overcome not by medicines and humanly devised treatments but by the breaking in of the Kingdom of God in the person of King Jesus to save and heal and set the prisoner free. Is a gospel without power really good news in the here and now? Is our goal only to have our sins forgiven so we can get into heaven, or is the good news what Jesus says to the one leper who returned to Him, “Stand up and go, your faith has made you well (sozo-saved)” (Luke 17:19), meaning completely restored – physically, socially, spiritually, emotionally. It is Luke who writes about the woman with the issue of blood, “And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors and still could find no cure.” Did that infuriate Luke realizing the pain and poverty his associates caused this poor woman? Did it cause Luke to have great hope when he realized the power of the King and His kingdom pronouncing to the woman, “Daughter, your faith has healed (sozo-saved) you. Go in peace” (Luke 8:48). Peace, deliverance, life restored, declared clean again, called a daughter, not a ‘diseased one’ – is that not true salvation?
So I ask myself, what is our message? Is it just about being saved from our sins so we get into heaven in the future or is salvation much more than that – abundant life right now! An educated gentile doctor, who probably put a lot of ‘faith’ in his practice and medical abilities realizes and writes about true healing and restoration available to all peoples, found not in a religion, nor a church, nor a repeated prayer after an alter call, but found by encountering the King and His kingdom through the disciples He sends out to preach and teach about Him, with signs and wonders following. Church! Is it time we change our message to display the power of a risen Savior who has defeated the enemy and overcome all the power of the evil one? Take it from a doctor who encountered the One who sets even physicians free to really and truly save, heal and deliver. Let’s be the church we are supposed to be, preaching the message of the kingdom with signs and wonders following (Mark 16:16-20, Acts 1-28).
Peace
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
Leave a Comment