What in the World Does a Christian Do? Luke 10

Have you ever asked yourself this question? I'm a Christian now what? What's supposes to be different? Where gonna take a look at Luke chapter ten because it displays three points that answer this question, and I'm gonna break it down over the next couple of blogs. The first thing we notice is that we are the Lord's ambassadors, sent to represent Him in this world (verse 1-24). The 72 people that were sent out were about to embark of a difficult calling. Harvesting is hard work, even when there are many people helping you, but these men were sent into a vast field with very few workers to help them reap a great harvest. Instead of praying for an easier job, they were to pray that more laborers would join the Masters cause, we today need to echo this prayer. It's interesting to point out that it is laborers, not spectators, who pray for more laborers! To many Christians are praying for somebody else to do a job they are unwilling to do themselves. IT'S TIME TO START WORKING AND STOP WAITING FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO IT!!! LETS GET IN THE GAME! I don't mean to yell but the older I get the more tired I get and I'm tired of living a mediocre christian life. I want to be used by God to do amazing things in his name!! Its time to get off the sidelines and step out in faith. I respect the 72 so much they were given a task to go and reap a harvest they weren't promised a Holiday inn or a great meal everywhere they went they need to rely on the Lord for there blessing, provision, and their comfort. Lord help me realize the security in which I seek can only be found in You! They're calling was a dangerous one. As They invaded enemy territory they would be like lambs among wolves. But as long as they relied on the Lord, they would win the battle. It would require discipline and faith for them to do the job. They were ambassadors of peace, bringing healing to the sick, deliverance to the possessed, and the Good News of salvation to lost sinners. We can understand the joy of the Seventy-two as they returned to report their victories to Jesus. He had given them power and authority to heal, to cast out demons and to preach the Word, and they were successful!! In the midst of their great joy, they were careful to give God the glory. Christ's ambassadors were indeed privileged people. They were able to see and hear things that the greatest saints in the Old Testament ages yearned to see and hear but could not. The Messiah was at work, and they were a part of His work! Here I sit thousands of years later and I yearn to be a part of that work. I want to be obedient to what God has called me to be and do. I want to end this blog with Ruth 1:16 Ruth in this passage is talking to Naomi but as I thought about it I pray Ruth Response would be our response to our Lord and savior. Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16

Enduring, (Luke 9:37-62)

"How long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" Is one phrase that is mentioned in this passage of scripture by Jesus. When you look at this portion of scripture you can better understand why Jesus spoke those words: He was grieved over the failures of His followers. He had given His apostles authority over Satan, yet they were to weak to cast out a demon (vv. 37-45). In feeding the 5,000 Jesus gave them an example of compassion, yet they persisted in manifesting selfishness and lack of love (vv. 46-56). He taught clearly what it meant to follow Him, yet the volunteers turned out to be "me first" disciples (vv.57-62). It's starting to make sense why Jesus is grieved.

Lack of Power(vv.37-45): The disciples had the power and authority to heal this boy but they did not have the success why? When you study all three reports (Matt. 17; Mark 9), you discover what was lacking in their lives. The first thing that was lacking was faith (Matt.17:19-20); they were part of an unbeleving generation and had lost the confidence that they needed in order to use their power. (If I can be honest and say their generation sounds a lot like the one in which we find ourselves in today). But prayer and fasting were also lacking (Mark 9:29), which indicates that these men had allowed their devotional disciplines to erode during their Lord's brief absence. No matter what spiritual gifts we may have, their exercise is never automatic. Jesus restores the boy gives him back to his father then took the twelve aside for another lesson about the cross.

Lack of Love (vv. 46-56): The disciples did not have much love for each other, or they would not have argued over who was the greatest. I'm not sure why this arguement started was it pride or was it envy, either way the disciples where more concerned about who is first instead of really listening to Jesus. In His kingdom, the example of greatness is a little child. somebody who is dependent, without status living by faith. There is a big difference from being child like and childish. The disciples showed a lack of love for beleivers outside their own group. Maybe John was trying to impress Jesus with his zeal for protecting His name, but the Lord was not impressed. John thought they were the only group that was blessed and recognized by Jesus that was not true then and its not true for us today. Beleivers who think their group is the only group God recognizes and blesses are in for a shock when heaven is revealed to them. Nor did the disciples love their enemies (51-56). James and John had seen the Prophet Elijah on the mount, so they thought they might imitate him and call down fire from heaven (2 Kings 1)! The Samaritans and Jews had been enemies for centuries so it would make sense for the village to reject Jesus as he traveled toward Jerusalem. Samaria would be later reached with the Gospel in (Acts 8).

Lack of Discipline (vv.57-62). Three man could have become disciples, buy they failed to meet the requirements that Jesus required. The first man had to deny himself which he was not willing to do. The second man was called by Jesus (what an honor!) but he was rejected because he would not take up his cross and die to self. Jesus is not suggesting here that we dishonor our parents, but only that we not permit our love for family to weaken our love for the Lord. The third man also volunteered, but he could not follow Christ because he was looking back instead of ahead. Jesus saw that this man's heart was not wholly with Him, but that he would be plowing and looking back.

After reading this passage it seems like what Jesus taught His disciples and the multitudes had done them little good. They lacked power, love, and discipline, and they grieved His heart. These spiritual essentials are available to us from the Lord. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but of power, of love, and of self-discipline" (2 Tim. 1:7). So the question I have for you is what are you lacking?? Are we a joy to Jesus Christ, or are we breaking His heart?

Teaching Luke 9:18-27

In The Roman world, the cross was a symbol of shame, guilt suffering, and rejection. There could be no more despicable way to die. Crucifixion was not mentioned in polite conversation. Jesus laid down the stern requirements for discipleship. We must first "say no" to ourselves not simply to pleasures or possessions, but to self-and then take up our cross and follow him daily. This means to be identified with Him in surrender, suffering, and sacrifice. You cannot crucify yourself; you can only yield your body (Rom. 12:1-2) and let God do the rest. This life seems foolish to the world; but to the Christian it is wisdom. To save your life is to lose it, and how can you ever get it back again? But to give your life to Christ is to save it and to live it in fullness. If a person owned the whole world, he would still be to poor to buy back a lost life. Discipleship is a daily discipline: we follow Jesus a step at a time, a day at a time. Our motive should always be to glorify Christ. Anyone who is ashamed of Christ will never take up a cross and follow Him. But if we are ashamed of Him now, He will be ashamed of us when He comes again and we will be ashamed before Him. Jesus asks Peter two questions in this passage and as I think about I think he's asking the same questions to us. 1.Who do people say that I am, 2. And who do you say that I am. So I want to leave you with that question who is Jesus to you??

Feeding Luke 9:12-17

In the crisis hours of life, when your resources are low and your responsibilities are great, it is good to remember that God already has the problem solved. Jesus started with what they had, before we ask God to do the impossible, let's start wit the possible and give Him what we have. The Lord looked up to heaven, the source of our daily bread (Matt. 6:11), gave thanks, and blessed the food; and the bread and fish were multiplied. Jesus was the producer and his disciples were the distributors. Were in the same role today Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith and we our the distributors of the grace that He has shed on us. The amazing thing is that everybody was served and satisfied, and there were twelve baskets of leftovers, one for each of the disciples. This miracle was more than an act of mercy for hungry people, although that was important. It was also a sign of our Lord's Messiahship and an illustration of God's gracious provision for man's salvation. The next day, Jesus preached a sermon on "the bread of life" and urged the people to receive Him just as they had received the bread (John 6:22-59). But the people were more interested in their stomachs than their souls, and completely missed the spiritual impact of the miracle. How often is that true in our lives. God maybe directing us, or leading us, or revealing something to us and all we see is the small picture and miss the real miracle. Their desire was to make Jesus king so He could give them bread for the rest of their lives! (John 6:14-15.)

I often have wondered after Jesus returned to heaven did the disciples ever sit around and reminisce about all of Jesus miracles? This miracle teaches us to have compassion, to look upon problems as opportunities for God to work, and to give Him all that we have and trust Him to meet our needs. If we do all we can, He will step in and do the rest. Corrie Ten Boom said, "Let God's promises shine on your problems." That is good counsel for us to rely on.

Four Aspects of Ministry Luke 9:1-11

Luke chapter 9 is an amazing passage of scripture. In the next four blogs I'm going to break down four aspects of ministry that are found in this chapter. The first aspect of ministry we see is Jesus SENDING out the 12. The 12 had been ordained by Jesus some months before and had been traveling with Jesus as His helpers. Now he was going to send them out in pairs to put into practice what they had learned. Before Jesus sent them out, He gave them the equipment needed to get the job done, as well as the instructions to follow. Jesus told the apostles what to take on their journey, with an emphasis on urgency and simplicity. They were to rely on the Lord knowing He would open doors for there provision. (Wow what an awesome piece of scripture). It reminds me of God leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and how they needed to rely on his provision. Application for us are we ready to step out, and trust that the Lord is still holding us in the palm of his hand? Are we relying on God's provision for our life? Or our we holding unto our "security blankets." I challenge you to think about your life who are you relying on? Are you making steps of faith or are we making steps in comfort. Let us not forget that he is our provider our help and ever present need. God knows what your going threw he doesn't abandon his people. the disciples where provided for just like the people of Israel where. If God is calling you to go or do something rely on his provision and step out in faith.

"The Parable of the Sower" Luke 8:1-15

The seed without the soil is fruitless, and the soil without the seed is almost useless. The human heart is like soil: if it is prepared properly, it can receive the seed of the Word of God and produce a fruitful harvest. In this passage Jesus described four different kinds of hearts, three of which did not produce any fruit. The proof of salvation is fruit and not merely hearing the Word or making a profession of faith in Christ. Jesus had made that clear in His "Sermon on the Mount" (Luke 6:43-49).

Hard Soil: Represents the person who hears the Word but immediately allows the devil to snatch the seed away.

The Shallow Soil: Illustrates the emotional hearer who quickly responds to the message, but he quickly loses interest and does not continue. In many places in Israel you find a substratum of limestone covered with a thin layer of soil. The shoot can grow up, but the roots cannot go down, and the sun withers the rootless plant. The sun represents the testing that comes to all professing believers to prove their faith. The sun is good for plants if they have roots. Persecution can deepen the roots of a true Christian, but it only exposes the shallowness of the false Christian.

The Crowded Soil: Illustrates the person who does not repent and "weed out" the things that hinder the harvest. There is enough soil so the roots can go down, but not enough room for the plant to grow up and produce fruit. the plant is crowded out and the fruit is choked. The person with the crowded heart comes closest to salvation, but he still does not bring forth "fruit to perfection."

The Good Soil: Alone is fruitful. It illustrates the individual who hears the Word, understands it, receives it within and is truly saved, and proves it by patiently producing fruit. Not everybody produces the same amount of fruit but all true believers will produce some fruit as evidence of spiritual life. That fruit may include winning others to Christ (Rom. 1:13). Financially supporting the work of the Lord (Rom. 15:25-28), good works (Col.1:10), Christian character (Gal. 5:22-23), and praise to the Lord (Heb. 13:15).

This parable shows that Jesus was not impressed by the great crowds that followed Him. He knew that most of the people did not really "hear" the Word and receive it in their hearts. He gave this story to encourage the disciples in their future ministry, and to encourage us today. When you consider how much teaching, and preaching in the course of a month or a year, you wonder why there is such a small harvest. The fault does not lie with the sower or the seed. The problem is with the soil. The human heart will not submit to God, repent, and receive the Word and be saved. Close with this as you think of your life what kind of growth are you producing in your own life?

Amazing Faith!! Luke 7:1-10

In the Gospels and the Book of Acts, Roman centurions are presented as quality men of character, and the one found in our text is a prime example of that. The Jewish people in that time had little or really no love for the Romans soldiers. However these Jewish elders commended this officer to Jesus. This Roman centurion loved his servant and did not want him to die. I'm really impressed by this Centurions love but also his humility. Imagine a Roman officer telling a poor Jewish rabbi that he was unworthy to have Him enter his house! (Talk about counter cultural) this Centurion is definitely going against the grain. The Romans were not known for displaying humility especially to Jewish people. But the characteristic that most impressed Jesus was the man's faith. Twice in the Gospel record we are told that Jesus marveled. Here in Capernaum, He marveled at the faith of a Gentile; and in Nazareth, He marveled at the unbelief of the Jews (Mark 6:6). The only other person Jesus commended for having "great faith" was a Gentile woman whose daughter He delivered from a demon.

The centurion's faith certainly was remarkable. After all, he was a Gentile whose background was pagan. He was a Roman soldier, trained to be self sufficient, and we have no evidence that he had ever heard Jesus preach. What Jesus and this Centurion had in common was they where both under authority, and because they were under authority, they had the right to exercise authority. All they had to do is say the word and things happened. This centurion displayed amazing faith no wonder Jesus marveled!!

Application:

If this Roman, with very little spiritual instruction, had that kind of faith in Jesus how much greater our faith ought to be! We have the Word of God to encourage us, and yet we are guilty of no faith MArk 4:40 or little faith Matt. 14:31. Our prayer needs to be Lord increase my faith Luke 17:5