The Lord of the Sabbath

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:1-5).

While walking with Jesus through the villages and countryside of Galilee, His disciples were becoming more like Him. They followed His lead, imitated His life, and even began to think more like He did. One Sabbath day, as they were walking through the grain fields, they satisfied their hunger by plucking some heads of grain and grinding out the flour from inside. This was work and to the Pharisees, who were always nearby and watching closely, it was a desecration of the Sabbath. Jesus replied to their accusative question by highlighting an Old Testament illustration that exposed the Pharisees’ veneration and worship of the Sabbath. He used the title “Son of Man” to remind them that the Christ is the servant of man and then He declared Himself to be the lord of the Sabbath.

We should worship Christ, not the Sabbath. Human beings are the only creatures made in the image of the Creator and with a sense of the eternal nature of God in us… “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). We have a strong desire to connect with God and to know the experience of eternity… “He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). But in our fallen state we are vulnerable to the temptation to seek and worship things other than the One True God. Satan exploits this characteristic of fallen human nature relentlessly to get our hearts and minds off of God and onto other people, places, and things that become idols… “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led” (1 Corinthians 12:2). The Pharisees had made idols of several religious traditions like the Sabbath… “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!” (Habakkuk 2:18). They were so devoted to their legalistic interpretation of the Sabbath they were blind to Jesus Christ, “the lord of the Sabbath” when He appeared to them… “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Holy Spirit exhorts truth seekers to glorify God by worshipping only Jesus Christ… “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Our Sabbath should be centered on worshipping Jesus Christ.

We should feed on Christ on the Sabbath. Jesus taught that He is the bread of heaven… “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:51). Jesus showed in His reference to David that “the bread of the Presence” in the temple was for the priests. Today, Jesus is bread for those He has made New Testament priests… “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Revelation 1:5-6). Our Sabbath should be devoted to feeding on Christ through His word.

We should offer Christ to others on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that David gave the “the bread of the Presence” to others who were with him and were hungry. We should follow this example and offer Christ to others we bring with us to worship Christ on the Sabbath… “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Our Sabbath should be marked by an invitation to come to Jesus Christ, the bread of life.

As we grow up into Christ we worship, feed on, and invite others to Jesus Christ…

The Lord of the Sabbath.

The Old and the New Life

And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ” (Luke 5: 33-39).

Jesus’ life and ministry was a consistent confrontation with the hearts and souls of men… “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). In today’s scripture, the Spirit of truth reveals how Jesus used fasting, cloth, and wineskins to provoke a confrontation between old, traditional understandings and new, spiritual revelations about religion, man, and the way to salvation and life with God. The Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to exhort serious disciples to diligently guard against the subtle temptation to become slaves to the traditions and ways of men… “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Here we find truth that helps us rightly discern between the old and the new life.

The old and the new religion:  Fasting can energize or deflate our life. It is a very obvious expression of our belief system, or religion. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophet Zechariah to confront the motivations of the children of Israel who were very religious about fasting… “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?'" (Zechariah 7:5). The Spirit revealed through the prophet Isaiah that their motives were selfish. Their fasting was an attempt to manipulate and draw God closer to themselves… “’Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers” (Isaiah 58:3). Jesus taught that proper fasting does not draw God closer, but was intended to free earnest disciples from the world and make us more available to God… “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:17-18).

The old and the new man: The life of genuine discipleship begins with the spiritual birth… “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The new birth makes us a new creation… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just as new cloth cannot be sewn to an old garment, the spiritual man born anew from God does not get along with the old man born of the flesh… “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Galatians 5:17). Our Teacher exhorts us to resist desires of the flesh by living and walking in the Spirit… “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

The old and the new way: The Old Testament showed that life with God required a never ending battle with sin. Christ, the fulfillment of the law and atonement for sin, was like new wine that must be placed in the new wineskin of faith… “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). All who are truly convicted of sin and earnestly seek eternal life and fellowship with God will find Jesus the Savior… “I am the way, and the truth, and the life… and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 14:6; 6:37).

As we grow up into Christ we become more sensitive to and a clearer reflection of…

The Old and the New Life.

The Call to Repentance

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5: 27-32).

The scribes and Pharisees were provoked again. This time it was the company Jesus and His disciples attracted and kept. Jesus called a tax collector to follow Him.  Levi immediately left his old life behind, threw a party for the Savior, and invited friends and colleagues to meet the Master. There is obvious evidence of a changed life here. There is also a negative response from the Pharisees and scribes. The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to record here for truth seekers the powerful results of the call to repentance.

The call to repentance prompts sanctification. Responding immediately to Christ’s call, Levi left everything and he followed Christ. The first step of holiness is a step away from the world… “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). The Holy Spirit teaches through Paul’s pen that evidence of genuine repentance is a step toward the holiness of Christ… “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). True disciples enjoy increasing sanctification and victory over sin as we answer the call to repentance daily and we walk ever more closely with Christ… “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Intimate fellowship with Christ and abiding in His word’s truth helps us become an answer to Jesus’ prayer that we are increasingly set apart from and a holy influence on the world around us… “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (John 17:18-19).

The call to repentance propels sharing. Levi was compelled to introduce Christ to his family, friends, and colleagues. He opened his house, prepared a meal, and threw a lavish party, all to attract those he loved to the Savior. When we are truly transformed by Christ we see others as either saved or lost because He has taken over our heart. Our selfishness is replaced by His burden for the lost… “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Everyone is our partner in the gospel… “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5), or needs to hear the gospel… “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

The call to repentance provokes sinners. Levi’s burden to share Christ resulted in a house full of the vilest sinners of the community, and this severely irritated the religious leaders of the same community. As serious disciples, living above sin and sharing the good news with our circles of family, friends, and fellow workers, we should expect opposition… “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). Evidence of maturing faith, victory over sin, increasing compassion, and confident witnessing is bound to include opposition because these are evidence that we are becoming more like Christ. Serious disciples will provoke wrath in unrepentant sinners because our Christ-like words and deeds convict them of sin and their need to repent… “If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father” (John 15:24).

As we grow up into Christ we grow in holiness and impact our communities as we answer…

The Call to Repentance.

Extraordinary Forgiveness

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today” (Luke 5: 21-26).

The scribes and Pharisees were provoked by Christ’s declaration to the paralytic… “Man, your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5:20). Their preoccupation with denouncing the claims of Christ and protecting their religious tradition blinded them to the extraordinary truth Jesus was revealing here. If we’re not careful we can become just as imprisoned by slavery to doctrine as they were, or we can become so entrapped by a desperate desire for a particular answer to our prayers that we cannot see or receive Christ’s better answer. The scribes and Pharisees did not get it, but the paralytic joyfully experienced Christ’s best answer, and today we can learn more about His life transforming extraordinary forgiveness.

Jesus Christ offers divine forgiveness. Christ’s forgiveness comes from God and leads to peace with God. The Holy Spirit teaches through the pen of the apostle Paul that true disciples can and should forgive sins… “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). But we notice here that motivation to forgive is found in our relationship with Christ. Jesus taught His disciples that the forgiveness we have experienced is to be expressed to others… “If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). That’s because, as the Spirit compelled David to declare, all sin is ultimately sin against God, our Father… “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4). Therefore, only God can forgive sin that is against God… “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). The Spirit teaches through the words of the prophet Isaiah that Messiah would be Immanuel (Hebrew: God is with us)… “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Isaiah went on to teach that Messiah would pay for our sins and offer us peace with God… “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Isaiah 53:5). Christ had authority to forgive and a mission to pay for sins… “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Jesus Christ offers complete forgiveness. He gave the paralytic a healing as evidence of His authority to forgive sins. This added confirmation that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah… “Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). In His commandment to the healed paralytic to get up and go home we hear an exhortation to walk and live in Christ’s forgiveness every day until we get to Heaven, our eternal home… “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6).

Jesus Christ offers amazing forgiveness. The forgiveness and healing that the former paralytic walked in after his encounter with Christ had a powerful impact on others. They were amazed by the extraordinary forgiveness and healing they had seen and they glorified God. When truly transformed disciples live in and proclaim the forgiveness and healing of Christ to others, souls are saved and communities are transformed… “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).

As we grow up into Christ we are increasingly overflowing with the transforming power of…

Extraordinary Forgiveness.

Potent Faith

On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5: 17-20).

While His teaching attracted Pharisees and scribes, the healing power of the Lord attracted the needy and the suffering. We are intrigued that God would manifest His healing power in the midst of a group of religious leaders, intent on a critical review of Christ’s doctrine. The Spirit teaches that this was the Lord’s way of confirming the authority of Christ’s word… “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22). The healing power of the Lord did even more than this. It attracted the needy and the suffering from the surrounding community. A group of caring men showed up bearing their paralyzed friend on a stretcher. When these men cut a hole in the roof and deposited their suffering friend at the feet of Jesus, He drew the crowd’s attention to their potent faith.

The friends showed faith that pursues the power of the Lord. The word about Jesus’ healing power spread throughout the community. When it reached the ears of a group of compassionate men, they hurried to get their suffering friend to Jesus. They did not come to hear Christ’s teaching. They did not come because there was a crowd. They believed that in the midst, before Jesus, there was power to heal their suffering friend… “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). If we trust the Lord’s omnipotence, then we believe every trial produces an opportunity to experience the peerless power of Christ.

The friends showed faith that penetrates the presence of the Lord. The house was too full of religious leaders from every village from Galilee all the way to Jerusalem. The walls were thick, the windows were small, and the roof was high, but their friend’s suffering compelled them to find a way into the presence of Jesus. Why do bad things happen to good people? Both the good and bad things of this temporal life are divinely designed to draw us to Jesus Christ… “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).  If the goal of our life is to see and know the Lord better, then we believe every trial creates a pathway into the precious presence of Christ.

The friends showed faith that possesses the provision of the Lord. Jesus did not give the answer that the friends expected. They brought their paralyzed friend to Christ for healing, but His response to their faith was forgiveness. They did not complain. They humbly received Christ’s best answer to their request. They did not see the bigger picture, the teaching moment for Jesus before the house full of Pharisees and scribes. They did not know the deep spiritual need of their friend. But they humbly seized the precious, personal provision of the Lord according to His will… “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).  If our desire is to enjoy every natural and spiritual blessing the Lord wants to give us, then we believe every trial offers a chance to experience the perfect provision of Christ.

As we grow up into Christ, pursing His power, penetrating His presence, and possessing His provision, our faith matures and becomes increasingly more…

Potent Faith.

The Lord Who is Willing

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray (Luke 5: 12-16).

He was “full of leprosy” so we can assume he was afflicted for years and had opportunity to seek medical help from many other sources. They all failed him. He was cut off from his community and labeled as one who was unclean. He heard the reports about Jesus… “Reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region” (Luke 4:37). But how could he ever hope that such a holy man as Christ might risk health and reputation to touch one so contaminated as he? Pushing aside his pride and reaching deep into the fountain of faith, the leper bowed before and made his appeal to the Lord and we are encouraged by what he discovered when he approached the Lord who is willing.

The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to record this event for us because it demonstrates so clearly the attitude we should have when approaching the Lord with our requests. The words of the leper revealed confidence in the Lord’s ability to heal him... “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). The words of the leper revealed humility before the Lord’s sovereignty over the matter of his healing… “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6). When we approach the Lord with confidence and humility we can expect great things to happen. We should anticipate answers that go beyond our requests. The leper sought a physical healing and he got so much more. He got a precious and powerful revelation of the will of Jesus Christ… “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

The leper discovered that Jesus was willing to touch the untouchable. His leprosy marked him as unclean… “If… it is a case of leprous disease… When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean” (Leviticus 13:3). Anyone touched by an unclean person was defiled and cut off from fellowship and worship… “Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening” (Numbers 19:22). But Jesus did not hesitate. Before He spoke a word… “Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him”. His touch released the power of His holiness over the defiling infection of sin… “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The leper discovered that Jesus was willing to heal the unhealthy. Our healing was part of Christ’s mission and would be secured by His suffering… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

The leper discovered that Jesus was willing to restore the undesirable. His uncleanness made him untouchable and separated from fellowship with other Jews and from worship in the temple… “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD” (Numbers 19:20). Jesus instructed the former leper to go to the temple and follow the prescribed steps to restoration with God and His people. Jesus made the point here that sickness that prompts us to seek Him for temporary physical healing is often intended to be a pathway to restoration of fellowship with God… “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13) and with others… “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

As we grow up into Christ, our touch can bring healing, deliverance, and restoration as we imitate…

The Lord Who is Willing.

Fishers of Men

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him (Luke 5: 1-11).

Jesus took the ministry to the streets. On this day He took the ministry to the beach. But while it appears His energies were being sapped by a large crowd, Luke recorded Jesus’ focus on a single fisherman named Simon. In the midst of responding to the crowd, Jesus invested in the transformation of one person that would soon become a powerful and effective disciple and leader in the church. Today, the Holy Spirit leads us into three indispensable truths that can transform us into fishers of men.

Simon executed Christ’s word. Though at first, he questioned it, Simon acknowledged Jesus as “Master”, then “at your word” he obeyed. Effective disciples eagerly search, study, and listen to God’s word to know and execute His truth… “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). To be effective fishers of men we must know and present the truth of the gospel that saves the souls of men… “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).

Simon embraced Christ’s grace. In the same location where a full night of effort and skill caught no fish, at Christ’s word, Simon and his partners caught so many fish their boats almost sank! Effective disciples eagerly engage in fishing for men anywhere and everywhere because we want to be part of God’s saving work. We want to be wherever His saving grace is in action… “We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (Acts 15:11).

Simon emulated Christ’s example. Jesus preached, taught, and ministered beyond the walls of the synagogue and on the shores of a lake. He challenged Simon and some fishermen to push off from safe shores and to go out into deep waters. He compelled them to fish where they believed there were no fish. He was showing these first disciples that to catch men they had to follow His example of leaving the comfort and familiarity of the synagogue and entering into the hurting and needy lives of others. He added the promise that in imitating His example, they would be transformed into fishers of men… “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (Matthew 4:19).

The humble fisherman Simon, who fell at Jesus’ feet and declared his sinfulness, was indeed transformed into Peter, a mighty fisher of men who preached and ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit in the earliest days of the church… “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). As he went outside of the church, into his community, to places where it appeared there were few potential believers, proclaiming the transforming gospel of Christ, Simon himself was transformed into Peter, a great soul winner.

As we grow up into Christ and we execute His word, embrace His grace, and emulate His example, He promises to make us into more effective…

Fishers of Men.

A Pattern for World-Transforming Ministry

And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea (Luke 4: 38-44).

After His powerful work in the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus left to get some rest. As His community-impacting ministry continued at Simon‘s house, He further prepared the disciples to carry on after Him by revealing a pattern for world-transforming ministry.

Jesus was preaching in the synagogue. Jesus’ ministry began with preaching God’s word to God’s people. In His day God’s people gathered locally in the synagogue, a Greek name for the place where Jews assembled, congregated, and gathered for worship, preaching, teaching, and fellowship. Later, His disciples would gather in a similar way as the local church, ekklēsia in Greek, meaning a called out assembly, congregation, gathering of believers. Jesus intentionally preached God’s word in the synagogues of His day to establish a primary responsibility for the churches in the future. Disciples grow in faith and are empowered for service as they hear the transforming word of God preached and taught in their local church… “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Are you being challenged and equipped for greater Christ-glorifying work by the preaching and teaching of your local church?

Jesus was reaching out to the community. Jesus left the synagogue to retreat from the crowd, share a meal, and get some rest. But upon entering the house, the Master was met with a need. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick. Without hesitation, Jesus went to work, and with a word He rebuked the fever. She was healed and set free to serve the disciples. Jesus taught by His actions here that life in the church should equip us for a powerful world-transforming life in the community, after the example of Christ… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Are you being challenged and equipped by your local church to get involved in ministry that is transforming your community?

Jesus was seeking intimacy with God. As word about Jesus’ healing power spread, crowds of needy people began to arrive at Peter’s doorstep. The master made time for each one, touching, healing, and delivering all who sought relief. It was the end of a long day of ministry. Luke’s report implies that the work went on well into the night and at daybreak Jesus retreated to a quiet place. Resisting the temptation to return to the work, Jesus taught by His actions the primacy of fellowship with His Father. Effective, community-transforming disciples must resist the temptation to let ministry replace fellowship with Christ. If we want to become more like Christ and in turn, be an increasing reflection of Him to our community, we must spend much time with Him in His word, where the Spirit makes us more like Him… “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Does your local church encourage the primacy of your intimate fellowship with Christ, so that you might become a transforming reflection of His glory to your community?

As we grow up into Christ healthy local churches help us impact our community by following…

A Pattern for World-Transforming Ministry.