Category: Discipleshp

Luke- Week 8- Day 1

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional, DiscipleshpLeave a comment

(14) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.  (15)  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

Luke 4:14-15

Explanation:

The Ministry of the Messiah

Jesus had spent over a year down in Judea according to the book of John.  Luke begins telling about Jesus’ ministry by starting more than year in when he began to minister in Galilee.  Luke is not giving all of these narratives completely chronologically, but selects them specifically for a reason.  Luke begins in Jesus’ hometown, and tells this story because it really does introduce the ministry of Jesus.

Jesus’s ministry was a ministry of reaching, teaching and ministering to people.  Some people accepted Him and others rejected Him.  Nazareth was the town where Jesus was brought up.

Notice what the scripture says about the habits of Jesus.  He said, “as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day”.  Jesus had a habit to gathering with people at the synagogue.  If it was a habit for Jesus to gather together with people where the Word of God is taught and where God is worshipped, it isn’t a bad plan for us as well.  We should imitate Him in that.

The “synagogue” was a place for gathering for worship and the study of God’s word.  The word translated “synagogue” is found 5 times in this chapter. 

Synagogues are not found in the Old Testament.  In the time of the captivity, Jerusalem’s temple had been destroyed.  People began to gather together to worship and study God’s Word.  By the time Jesus came on the scene there were synagogues all over the Mediterranean world.  Wherever there were 10 Jewish men they were able to have a synagogue.  They had a person, called a “ruler of the synagogue”, that was in charge of choosing who would teach.  They had a person in charge of the buildings and the scrolls.  They were called “houses of instruction” and that is exactly what they were.

There were often educational opportunities through the week, and even the equivalent of an elementary school for kids, except they exclusively taught the Torah to the children.  tGod, in His providence, had made all these synagogues spring up.  When Jesus came he had places to go around and preach and teach.

This is a similar custom to what the Apostle Paul adopted.  Paul would go to the synagogues because it was a concentrated gathering of people who already believed in the God of the Old Testament, and that revered the Old Testament scriptures.

Application:

God prepared the world for Jesus’ ministry.

The fact that God had moved history towards these local gatherings of people for the point of Bible teaching, worship and fellowship shows that God was preparing the world for His Son.  Called in the scripture “the fullness of times”, God brought Jesus at just the right time in human history to bring about His purposes.  This same God is in control of our history and our lives.  He can be trusted

Jesus had a habit of gathering with others for worship, instruction and fellowship.

If Jesus exemplified this, so should we.  We need to gather with our local body for these same reasons.

The gathering of people for the instruction of the Word of God is part of God’s plan for evangelizing the world.

The point of this gathering is for God to be worshipped by ourselves and everyone that He has called us to reach.  As we grow together in Christlikeness with other believers God grows us into the missionaries that He wants us to be.  The end of discipleship is service and sending into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature.

Response:

Are you gathering with other believers regularly?

Are you growing as a disciple and as a missionary?

Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

Easter Week 2020- Luke 24:1

On By Ben JenningsIn DiscipleshpLeave a comment

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

Luke 24:1 

Explanation:

To understand who is being referred to in this passage you must go back to the previous chapter. In Luke 23:50 we learn about a pharisee name Joseph who went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.  Apparently Pilate gave him permission to take the body.  In verse 53 we learn that he wrapped the body in a linen, and placed him in a brand new stone tomb.  In verses 54-55 we learn that it was the Sabbath, and so the women, his disciples from Galilee who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem, saw the wrapped body in this tomb.  They left to go prepare the spices and ointments traditional to preparing a body for burial.  In verse 56 we see that they couldn’t fully complete this process because of the Sabbath day.

“And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”

Luke 23:56

Then comes the first day of the week.  These women who were now prepared to honor Jesus by finishing putting spices and ointments on his body came to the tomb.  Can you imagine their demeanor as they came?  Funerals and cemeteries are not known as fun, positive places to hang out.  Certainly this was a morbid and difficult task that they were coming to do.

Jesus was dead.  At least that was what they thought.

Certainly, even at this point, they weren’t thankful that He died.  And Jesus did die. He was physically dead and in the grave on Friday and Saturday. The most important act in human history was Christ’s death and subsequent resurrection.  But at this point they did not understand the significance of what had happened.

Jesus was dead.  At least that was what they thought.

Their emotions didn’t match reality.  Their vision of their future at the moment was not complete.  If you were to ask them to guess as to what would happen next they would have been wrong.  Their understanding of who Jesus is and what He could do was about to be expanded, and they had no idea.

Because as far as they knew Jesus was dead.  At least that was what they thought.

Can you imagine their conversation over the past couple of days.  Did their conversations with each other bring them any comfort or hope?  Was their plan to finish this morbid task and then head back to Galilee, defeated, despondent and depressed?

Jesus was dead.  At least that was what they thought.

Application:

Often the way we feel and reality do not match.  As I have heard from a wise person in my life over and over again, feelings make a great caboose, but they make a horrible engine.  

These people were doing all they knew to do to honor the Lord.  Yet, I’m sure their feelings about what had transpired were not in keeping with the truth of what had happened.  

We can be that way, too.  For the child of God, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  As difficult as things may get for us on this earth, our hope is secure, and our home is sure.  God does not promise prosperity for his followers.  In fact, he assured us that we will be hated by the world system.  But He told us, “be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” 

Response:

Are you discouraged?  Hope in God. 

Are you hurting?  Cast your cares on the Lord.

Is your sin forgiven?  If it is not, call on the name of the Lord to be saved.  If it is, rejoice in the Lord!

If you need someone to help pray for you, contact me!

Romans: Week 1- Day 4- Romans 1:16

On By Ben JenningsIn Devotional, DiscipleshpLeave a comment

16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Rom 1:16

Explain:

This is one of the classic, most well known verses in Romans.  Paul proclaims his attitude towards the Gospel.  He was not ashamed.  He rooted his attitude about the Gospel to it’s power and it’s purpose.  The Gospel message, once received, is the message that brings God’s regenerating spiritual power to those that believe. It’s power is to save.  It’s purpose is to save everyone who believes.  It came through the Jews, not because they were more loved, but through revelation of God it came to them first.  But it is not only for the Jew or even primarily for the Jew.  It is for everyone.

Application:

What does it mean to be not ashamed of the Gospel?  I believe it means that there is no hinderance to identifying oneself with Christ’s message, mission, or person.  It is a forgetting of ones self by focusing on the purpose, power and person of the Gospel.  

Purpose– Eternal life for the person we are sharing the Gospel with is possible because of Christ.  If they don’t know Christ they’ll spend eternity separated from all that is good in the lake of fire.  It doesn’t matter who they are.  Their nationality, religious history, sinful habits, nor any other human distinction can make them ineligible from salvation.

Power– God’s power can change them from the inside out no matter how good or bad they may seem.  There is no one too far from God.  

Person– The creator of the universe became a man and lived a perfect life in our actual history!  This is incredible and worth sharing.  There are evidentiary realities that make it possible for us to believe because of the evidence and not in spite of the evidence.

If we focus on the potential cost to us by identifying ourselves with Christ we will be tempted to be ashamed, or even silent.  When our focus is right then our attitude will be right.

Response:

  • Are you ashamed of the Gospel?  What is your focus?  What is your attitude toward the Gospel?  
  • Who is someone you need to share the Gospel with this week?