The Alluring Power of Christ

And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all (Luke 6:17-19).

The activity in today’s scripture took place “on a level place” after Jesus, His disciples, and the freshly appointed twelve apostles “came down” and it was all preliminary to what has come to be called the Sermon on the Mount. The ever-increasing size of the crowd compelled Jesus to find a safe place where He could prepare to teach the crowds some important truth about the life of earnest discipleship. Before sharing the words of God, He gave a clear demonstration of His authority and divinity by supernaturally meeting the needs of everyone in the crowd. The reason we should listen closely and follow diligently His word is because we have seen and we trust in the alluring power of Christ.

The power of Christ attracts the needy. As word of Christ’s preaching, teaching, and healing power spread throughout the land, “a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon” gathered to be near Him. What does your local church rely on to gather crowds to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ? Is it the latest popular praise and worship music? Is it the most popular Christian celebrity that can be booked? Does your church use slick radio, television, billboard, and social media advertising to fill the pews? The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to record the way Jesus attracted crowds as an example for us to follow. As we proclaim the gospel of Christ, we should pray for and expect the power of Christ to move in the life of our local churches… “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation… And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:15-18). And just as it did in the earliest days of the church, Christ’s power will attract the needy… “The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed” (Acts 5:16).

The power of Christ accommodates the need. The Spirit was careful to move Luke to note that “power came out from him and healed them all”. Jesus Christ got all the credit and glory for healing the sick and oppressed in this great crowd, and every need was met. Perhaps we don’t trust the power of Christ to heal today. Here in our affluent western culture we trust the doctor or the pharmacist to help us get well while we trust the latest church growth strategies and trends to build our local churches. We are fooling ourselves when we don’t rely on the power of Christ who said He will build His church… “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). When we don’t trust the power of Christ we lose sight of the real spiritual condition of our local church and even our own soul… “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

The power of Christ appeals to the heart. In the light of Christ’s power as it was revealed in His preaching, teaching, and healing ministries, the desperate condition of hearts in the crowd were exposed. When we trust the power of His healing and of His word the results are the same today… “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The exposed heart is prepared to receive and respond to gospel truth… “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:10).

As we grow up into Christ we become more effective disciple makers as we trust…

The Alluring Power of Christ.