In God's Service: Luke 04

Showing posts with label Luke 04. Show all posts

Temptations of Power

Intro

Are we tempted to partner with the devil in order to get something good done in the world?

Purpose

Let’s see how taking short cuts by compromising with the devil is not the way to go.

Plan

We will examine Luke 4:1-13 and how Jesus’ dealt with three temptations to partner with the devil.

Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

1. How did the Holy Spirit Help Jesus?

Luke 4:1 says that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and that fullness led him into the wilderness. Luke 4:14 tells us that after his fast, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Are fullness and power associated? Then in Luke 4:18 Jesus says that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled, that the Spirit of the Lord was on him, because He had anointed him to proclaim good news to the poor. Is there a connection between being Spirit-filled, power and the Holy Spirit’s anointing to preach to the poor? Anointing with oil was a ceremony inducting someone into office, like the priesthood of Aaron. The Holy Spirit’s loving presence was vital to Jesus’ ministry.

2. Why did Jesus Refuse to Make Bread?

The Lord helps those who help themselves is an old half-truth. It is similar to the devil’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Rather than wait on God for his provision, which the angels would bring him, the devil wants Jesus to take matters into his own hands and make bread from stones. We are often tempted to do something now, rather than wait on the Lord. God wants us to work diligently and not be lazy, but waiting on God is always better than following the devil’s advice. Satan wants us to be impatient, take a short cut and listen him rather than wait on God and his angels to provide. Let’s pray for discernment to know the difference.

3. Who Do we Worship?

In Luke 4:5-7, the devil claims that authority over the whole world has been given him. Satan would give it to Jesus, if he worshipped the evil one. Many Christians are tempted by power. Some run for political office with sincere intentions. How much good could Jesus do now if he were in charge? Are good Christians tempted to worship the devil to get political power today? God will grant Jesus power over the nations but in His time not the devil’s (Psalm 2:8; Luke 1:32-33). The word devil means slanderer, a slanderer that would give us power to do good things, but with strings attached? Do we too choose to worship God and serve him only?

4. A Leap of Faith or Foolishness?

Do we tempt God? Do we make bad decisions and claim that God told us to? In Luke 4:9-12, the devil took Jesus to the top of the Temple and told him to jump, claiming God would guard him carefully. Throwing doubt into the equation, he says, “If you are the son of God…” How many times do people doubt faith using similar words? “If you are a Christian, do this or that.” Tempters even quote the Bible against us, and twist it to mean something it does not. In their ignorance, they do not understand how wrong their interpretation is. The Bible reveals a huge difference between tempting God with a foolish jump and a leap of faith.

Outro

Being impatient and partnering with the devil to get things done, even good things, is not the way to go. We must learn patience, that God’s timing is always best, and if we endure, he will use his angels to feed us, and share his power over the nations.

References:

Wilkins, Michael J. Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.

Nolland, J. Vol. 35B: Word Biblical Commentary : Luke 9:21-18:34. 2002. Dallas: Word, Incorporated. 497.

R.T. France. NICNT. The Gospel of Matthew; William L. Lane. NICNT. The Gospel of Mark; Green, Joel B. NICNT. The Gospel of Luke; J. Ramsey Michaels. NICNT. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Mich. W.B. Eerdmans. 2007; 1974; 1997; 2010.

Brian Stoffregen. Exegetical Notes. crossmarks.com/brian/

Would we Get Angry with Jesus?

Intro

Telling the truth about the Church’s mission is not always popular. We would rather believe smooth things. That is also true about everyday life. We believe the myths about the wars our country fought, fabrications about our beloved sports team, fantasies about our favorite political party, self-delusions about our best-loved foods and stories about our own generation.

Goal

For a moment let’s set aside our natural tendency to be fearful of the truth. Let’s courageously face the facts, no matter where they lead.

Plan

Let’s examine Luke 4:21-30 and see how Jesus got himself into trouble simply by preaching the truth.

Luke 4:21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. 23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

1. Why were Jesus’ Townspeople so Angry at Him? (vs. 23-29)

In his hometown synagogue Jesus announced that the good news preached in Isaiah 61 of freedom, sight, delivery and the year of the Lord’s favor was fulfilled in their hearing. Did Isaiah’s prophecy only apply to Zion? Jesus corrected any such parochial attitudes. “Physician heal yourself” implies healing only neighborhood people, like people who only give to local charities. Jesus reminded them of Elijah and Elisha, where God provided for a foreign widow and a diseased foreigner before their own people. Did they want God’s favor just for them? Did Jesus’ words sound like national betrayal perhaps contradicting their understanding of Isaiah? Is that why they wanted to kill him? Does it offend us that God’s plan includes all people?

2. Is Hatred of Foreigners Christian?

Xenophobia is a fear of strangers. It is a cheap and cowardly way to win votes in an election. The Nazis used similar tactics. Fear is not Christian. There is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). Christians are brave and bold in their love for strangers. Cowardliness paves the way to hell (Revelation 21:8). There is no place for ignorant prejudice and fear. It is that precise attitude that Jesus challenged. One common thread runs through all cultures worldwide: people just want to live, love, laugh and have happiness. Cowardly bigotry and hatred stops us from experiencing the delightful variety within God’s wonderful creation and hinders the message of the Gospel which must go to all people.

3. Can Telling the Truth be Dangerous?

Why are scientists who criticize macroevolution discredited? Why is anybody who contradicts popular beliefs disparaged? Why do political parties continually attack each other? Why do journalists stir up politics and public debates to make them worse? Why does the media only seem to report right to life supporters in the negative? Why are those who tell of our national sins, military mishaps, political and industrial corruption, our terrible treatment of the poor, numerous ethnic groups, the sick and immigrants vilified. Why, when people are brave enough to address such themes are they hounded off the air, boycotted, falsely accused and made to look stupid. Could it be that, like Jesus’ home crowd, most of us don’t like hearing the truth?

4. Do we want a Church that Just Panders to Us?

Does the church just exist to cater to us? The people of Nazareth seem to have thought that because Jesus was a hometown boy, he would cater to them. Were they disappointed! What is our mission? In commissioning the apostles, Jesus would later tell them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came on them. They would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Church is not an inward-looking club. It has a mission that first begins locally, and expands to the region and from there to the whole world. If that offends us too, then do we need to allow the Holy Spirit to realign our thinking?

Outro

Telling the truth may never be popular. Hatred of foreigners is as popular now as it has ever been. Let’s set aside our natural tendency to be fearful of strangers. Let’s courageously embrace them and boldly accept the Church’s mission which has never has been just local or even national but has always been worldwide.

Good News, Freedom & Recovery

Intro

Some church mission statements sound silly to outsiders and others sound self-serving or trite. What is a good mission statement for a church?

Purpose

Let’s examine a wonderful mission statement for any church directly from Jesus, a statement that summarized his purpose on earth in different words than usual.

Plan

Let’s look at Luke 4:14-21 and Isaiah’s summary of Jesus’ mission.

Luke 4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

1. Who are the Poor?

We think of the poor as people with inadequate money or perhaps the poor in spirit. When Jesus quoted Isaiah’s “good news to the poor” it had a broader meaning, anyone who was marginalized. They might be foreigners who were not accepted as belonging. They might have a disease or handicap which put them on the outside. They might have some other social status relating to “education, gender, family heritage, religious purity, vocation, economics, and so on”1 which marginalized them. Thus Jesus’ message was directed towards those who for any reason were outsiders to the rest. In our society who could we think of that this applies to? Is it really good news for them if nobody takes action?

1 Joel B. Green. NICNT. The Gospel of Luke. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1997. 211.

2. Who Needs Release?

Freedom or release is expressed twice in Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4:18-19. Captives or the oppressed being released is central to Christ’s mission. Counterfeit Christianity makes people captive to burdensome rules and religious oppression. Sadly, the false religion, of touch not, taste not, of lording it over people, is all too common. Release is often used in the context of forgiveness or release from sins. It signifies full admission into the community of believers without restriction. This parallels the release from debts granted in the Jubilee year, the year of release, redistribution back to Israel’s original land grants. Jesus proclaims this Jubilee theme as “the year of the Lord’s favor,” foreshadowing our eternal inheritance in God’s kingdom.

3. What did Jesus say About the Poor?

Jesus preached good news for the poor (Luke 4:14-21). He told a rich man to sell everything and give it to the poor (Matthew 19:21), that we always have the poor but not him (Matthew 26:11), the poor are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Luke 6:20), giving to the poor cleans us on the inside (Luke 11:40-41) providing us treasure in heaven (Luke 12:33). We should invite the poor to our parties (Luke 14:13) and the poor can be more generous than the rich (Luke 21:1-4). Is our version of Christianity just warming a pew and praying for a blessing or is it being good news to the poor?

4. How was Isaiah Fulfilled the Day Jesus Read?

Obviously, all oppression and captivity to sin did not end the day Jesus read Isaiah in the synagogue. He announced that a new era had already begun. As Mary composed in the Magnificat, God has lifted up the humble and he has filled the hungry with good things (Luke 1:52-53). This fulfillment is found in the person of Jesus. The words “in your hearing” refer to the presence of the one who would fulfill the promises of Isaiah. Jesus had quoted Isaiah 61. Is it also our primary purpose to preach, heal, deliver, give sight, freedom and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, the Jubilee? Does today mean that we can’t put it off, but must act today?

Outro

This summarizes our mission very well. It is a mission that begins with empowerment of the Holy Spirit, being sent, proclaiming and actively setting the oppressed free. It is not a mission we can think about putting off, but one that Jesus challenges us to join in today.

Spiritual battles

Intro

How does the Bible teach us to wage spiritual war?

Goal

Let us understand that we can win spiritual battles if we are willing to use the right handbook.

Sermon Plan

We will look at the Holy Spirit's work, the restoration between God and humanity, the slanderer and how Jesus waged spiritual war.

The Holy Spirit’s work

Jesus was reported as being full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4). What happened? The phrases “full of the Holy Spirit” or “Spirit filled” are often misused today. The Holy Spirit’s work was mentioned in this chapter three times. Each time different circumstances were described and it helps us understand some aspects of the Holy Spirit’s role in Jesus’ ministry. The first time in verse 1 when the phrase “full of the Holy Spirit” was used, it was associated with Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness for a period of temptation and fasting. Then in verse 14 Jesus was again portrayed “in the power of the Spirit” and teaching. The third time verse 18 revealed the Holy Spirit as being upon Jesus for preaching. This chapter described the Holy Spirit’s work in Jesus’ preparation, teaching and preaching.

How restoration begins

When relationships are broken, it takes a very long time and a lot of patience to restore them. If we have made major mistakes how do we begin to repair things? Humanity made a major mistake at the beginning. Our ancestors rejected God and we have followed the same path. That restoration began in Jesus and it began with a fast and resisting temptation (Luke 4:1-13). A time of fasting before assuming a major responsibility has been the habit of many of the faithful down through history. Resisting temptation is an ongoing struggle for Christians. Lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, anger, envy and pride are always around. Idolatry, hatred, theft, sexual unfaithfulness, dishonesty, gossip and more tempt us every day. Jesus resisted the devil by recalling Scripture. The word of God is a powerful weapon in the face of temptation.

The slanderer

Enemies are a part of life. How do we deal with our adversaries? Our enemies sometimes tempt us to do seemingly good things, but with strings attached. When life seems to offer us something good it is always wise to consider the source. The adversary tempts us with power and prestige. When life offers us authority and status it is wise to ask at what cost. The antagonist tempts us to be reckless. When we are tempted to take a leap of faith, it is wise to ask if it is not in reality a leap of foolishness. The personality that Jesus confronted as he was being tested in the wilderness was a slanderer. That’s what the word devil means (Luke 4:1-13). How do we deal with the devil? We have a handbook for that. It’s called the Bible.

Jesus and spiritual war

Some advice given under the title “spiritual warfare” is more like ineffective superstition than biblical instruction and can even be potentially harmful in the reality of spiritual combat. The devil would love for us to go into battle with useless weapons. Paul’s advice on putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) and Jesus’ battle royal with Satan (Luke 4:1-13) are two examples of truthful material whereby we can achieve real victory in spiritual battles. The weapons of engagement in Jesus’ case were fasting and the word of God. Jesus described prayer and fasting elsewhere as effective tools against the forces of evil (Mark 9:14-21). To the Ephesians Paul also described the Holy Scriptures as a sword, an offensive weapon in combat. Prayer and fasting and Bible skill are tried and true weapons of spiritual war.

Outro/Take Home

Jesus waged spiritual war using the Bible. How well are we versed in that weapon of battle against our enemy the devil?

Xenophobia and Jesus

Intro

We all have bigotry to one degree or another. What does Jesus say about bigotry?

Goal

Let us understand that Jesus loves the whole world.

Sermon Plan

We will look at jingoism, the danger of telling the truth about national bigotry, xenophobia and God's love for all people.

Jesus’ challenge to jingoism

Jesus’ home crowd praised his preaching, but he knew their bigotry. Like much of American Christianity is mixed with nationalism so was the religion of the Jews. We sing God bless America and think of ourselves as deserving blessings above others. Some churches try to counter this by making their altars a flag-free zone. That may be worthwhile but flags are not the point. Jesus told the jingoistic crowd that even in their Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, God healed gentiles when he could have healed an Israelite (Luke 4:21-30). There are no special nations in the Gospel, except that spiritual nation to which all Christians belong. Heaven’s message is without borders. It is for all people. Jesus did the one thing you are not supposed to do in a bigoted crowd, tell about God’s love for all people.

Telling the truth can be dangerous

What caused the crowd in Jesus’ hometown to want to kill him (Luke 4:21-30)? A recent book is called “A Patriot’s History of the United States.” It may be a good book, but for a lot of people the definition of a patriot is to gloss over a nation’s sins and only tell those parts of the story that make us look good. I doubt that such a book would tell of our war crimes, political and industrial corruption, or our terrible treatment of the poor, numerous ethnic groups, the unborn and immigrants. In fact, when people are brave enough to address such themes they are hounded off the air or boycotted, and at times the Mccarthyists have falsely accused them and even tried to put them in prison. Like Jesus’ home crowd, we don’t like hearing the truth.

We love to believe lies

We love to believe lies. Here is a short list of popular lies in today’s media: Obama is a socialist. NRA executives get a cut of assault weapon sales. They want to take away all our guns. Romney’s son owned voting machines in Ohio. Obama gave Alaskan islands to the Russians. General Motors is becoming China Motors. The debt has not increased under Obama. Obama gave stimulus money to China to build US bridges. According to factcheck.org all of these are false, but we love to believe lies that support our prejudices. When someone comes out with the truth we try to shut them up, denigrate them or find some other excuse to deny the truth. Like Jesus’ hometown we sometimes even want to kill those who tell the truth (Luke 4:21-30). The truth will set us free.

Lies about Christianity

Here are a few lies about Christianity: “God does not want you to suffer.” Wrong! All who live godly lives in Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). “Doctrine does not matter only love does.” Wrong! Love is a doctrine, the most important one (Matthew 22:34-40). “God helps those who help themselves.” Wrong! The Spirit helps in our weakness (Romans 8:26). “Sin is fun.” Wrong! Sin is short-term fun and long-term heartache eventually paying wages of death. “Christians are divided.” Wrong! Christians agree more than they disagree, especially on God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus (Romans 6:23). “Christians must be anti-intellectual.” Wrong! Christ taught us to love God with all our heart, soul andmind (Matthew 22:37). People don’t like the truth and that is one reason why Christians are persecuted (Luke 4:21-30).

Questions about truth

If Jesus confronted us with truth like his home crowd (Luke 4:21-30), how would we react? Are we offended when someone in our midst is promoted over us or does better than us? Are we bigoted against other nations or ethnic groups? If God blessed a neighboring nation and not ours, would we be angry at him? If Jesus healed people in the next town and not ours, would we reject him? If we heard that Jesus brings good news for all people, why do we reject some people? Do we reject the poor, prisoners, the blind and the oppressed to whom Jesus was sent? Who are the oppressed? Is it foreigners, migrants, minimum wage earners, single mothers, disabled people, ethnic minorities, the elderly or all of these? Jesus’ truth may offend us, but it is still the truth.

Provocative Jesus

We love the little baby Jesus meek and mild. We do not want to hear the provocative Jesus (Luke 4:21-30). But how might our politics look if we allowed Jesus into the debate over immigration reform? How might Jesus inform political opinion about foreigners and similar outsiders? We don’t have to agree with someone to love them. Jesus even told us to love our enemies. But in the political arena, such commands fall on deaf ears. Why do so many Christians claim to follow Jesus, when our political opinions are often the exact opposite of what he taught? But that’s the same in many areas. We claim Christian standards that neither Jesus nor the Apostles claimed as criterion of Christian behavior and we ignore those that they did. Why do we not ask, what would Jesus do or teach?

Xenophobia and Jesus

In school I found foreigners to be very interesting people. I was the only white boy on our high school sports team. The rest were foreign students. Living in other countries I learned to love different accents, cuisines and cultures. Many people are xenophobic, fearing strangers. As a foreigner in different countries and even at times in my own, I have experienced ignorant prejudice. It is that precise attitude that Jesus challenged in Luke 4:21-30. America was founded on multiculturalism. Swedes, Scots, English, Germans, Spanish, Africans, Italians and more melted into a multicultural pot. One common thread runs through all cultures worldwide: people just want to live, love, laugh and have happy families. When we focus on bigotry and hatred we miss out on experiencing the variety of God’s wonderful creation. And the Gospel must also go to them.

Good things I learned from foreigners

In Australia I learned to laugh at myself. Among the Chinese I learned how parents sacrifice for their children. Among the Bedouin I learned about hospitality. Among the English I learned about good manners. Among the Dutch I learned about tolerance. In Germany I learned about hard work and thoroughness. In France I learned about diplomacy. In Poland I learned about the love of children. From Africans I learned about faith and how to simplify. In America I learned about big thinking and a can do attitude. In North Carolina I learned about the importance of encouraging our children. In Maryland I learned to respect those who work with their hands. In West Virginia I learned about being sensitive to people’s feelings. How silly it is to be bigoted against strangers when God loves us all equally (Luke 4:21-30)!

Outro/Take Home

If we are going to take the Gospel into all the world, we cannot afford the luxury of bigotry. Let us allow Jesus to remove all bigotry from our hearts.

Jesus' vision statement

Intro

What is our purpose as a church?

Goal

Let us understand that Jesus had a purpose.

Sermon Plan

We will look at the gospel to the poor, Jesus' vision statement and our freedom in Christ.

When churches neglect the poor

Some Christians say they take the Bible literally, but then twist Jesus’ teachings about the Gospel for the poor (Luke 4:14-21) into spiritual poverty and preaching the Gospel alone without lifting a finger to help. We ought to take Jesus’ instructions about the poor more literally, because a part of bringing the good news is to live it out here and now. Half of Americans will experience poverty at some time. Income is declining for everyone except the very wealthy. A quarter of Americans earn poverty-level incomes. Educational costs are becoming impossible and yet low education causes poverty. Single and abused women are more likely to be poor. Only about a third of disabled people are able to find work. Jesus brings good news for the poor, and he expects us to deliver it not just in words alone.

What Jesus said about the poor

Jesus said the Gospel is good news for the poor (Luke 4:14-21). What else did he say about them? He told a rich man to sell everything and give it to the poor (Matthew 19:21), that we always have the poor but not him (Matthew 26:11), that the poor are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Luke 6:20), giving to the poor cleans us on the inside (Luke 11:40-41) and provides us treasure in heaven (Luke 12:33). We should invite the poor to our parties (Luke 14:13) and the poor can be more generous than the rich (Luke 21:1-4). Some of us just play church, warm a pew, or pray and await a spiritual experience. And some of us know that real worship is taking good news to the poor.

Jesus’ vision statement

Many churches have a vision statement. After months or even years of discussion, that vision is summarized in a few succinct words. Jesus also gave a vision statement of sorts, and he quoted parts of Isaiah 61 to do so (Luke 4:14-21). He implied that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, because he had anointed Jesus to preach the gospel to the poor. He had sent Jesus to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Is that a part of our vision as well? Is our primary purpose to preach, heal, deliver, give sight and liberty, or are we so tied to our ways that we are unwilling to follow after Jesus?

Jesus’ homecoming debut

Homecomings can be awkward. Old friends find it hard to accept the new you. You have finished your education and are now a respected professional in your field or worse, a preacher. Preachers find it hard to pastor their home churches, because a prophet is not without honor, except among his own down home neighborhood folk. So what was Jesus going to do for his homecoming debut before a familiar crowd (Luke 4:14-21)? Would he shrink back and pretend he was not on a special mission from God or would state his purpose plainly and bluntly? Imagine the gasps and whispering as he told it like it was! The prophecy that Jesus read from Isaiah was fulfilled in their presence that day. He was not ashamed of it. He was not bragging. He was simply declaring a mind-blowing fact.

Free or squashed

A lady visiting a church was told that only prostitutes wear makeup. She never went back. A man was told that tattoos defiled the temple of the Holy Spirit. He thought that he was decorating the temple. A preacher once danced to Cossack music and was criticized for not acting dignified. A churchgoer practiced hard to become a champion poker player. Some people gossiped saying he had a "gambling addiction." They had a "gossip addiction." The judgmental, restrictive yoke that many churches have become, tends to squash people into a prison of negativity and discouragement. Are we free in Christ, or in a religious prison, squashed, oppressed, and stunted? Let’s take the freedom that Jesus gave us! We are free to be who God made us to be, so forget the criticism of others (Luke 4:14-21). Let’s live free!

Free from ungrace

Since coming to mainstream Christianity I have experienced much wonderful grace. Superintendents, mentors and guides have accepted me with open arms and overlooked my many faults. I remember such wonderful grace in my grandmother and in my father in his old age. However, I spent years in a more legalistic part of the Evangelical world which rarely understood such wonderful grace. In discussion, one former district superintendent suggested that the theological basis of depravity prevented some Christians from seeing the good in people. Thankfully, some Protestant churches have retained our ancient heritage of remembering what God said of the original creation, that it was good. That foundation of goodness from creation sets us free from the prison of judgmentalism and oppressive negative thinking prevalent in some Christian denominations. Coupled with God’s forgiveness we are truly free indeed (Luke 4:14-21).

Human nature good or evil

Is human nature good or evil? It depends where we start. If we start with the fall of man, then naturally we would be inclined to call human nature evil. However, those who say that human nature is good start earlier than Adam’s sin. They start with God’s original creation when he concluded that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Catholics and Orthodox and mainstream Protestants say that the human nature that God gave us is “very good” and that claiming human beings are in “total depravity denies the image and likeness of God in mankind.”[1] On the other hand a positive theological anthropology sees that even in the vilest of human beings there is good. Such a worldview proclaims freedom for those held imprisoned by a negative perspective and freedom from depression and cynicism (Luke 4:14-21).

[1] http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=787.65;imode

Outro/Take Home

Jesus was concerned that the gospel went especially to the poor. What is the purpose of our church. Is it not to take the gospel to the poor, freedom for prisoners and setting the oppressed free?