Friday, December 30, 2022
But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." Mark 1:38
WHY Jesus Will Lead Us Where He Leads Us
Jesus gives reaching out to people a distinct flavor of evangelism. He does not call us to merely become another bread line for the sake of taking care of the down and out. But He leads us to take on His purpose of proclamation of the gospel to all we minister to.
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel
to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who
are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." Luke 4:18-19
Jesus shows us the “who” . . . poor, brokenhearted, captives, blind, oppressed . . . and then He tells us the “why” . . . preach, proclaim the gospel. Through bringing people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, He brings about healing, liberty, and recovery in their lives.
God saw the bondage of man to sin and sought to set men free. He saw the sorrow of man in a fallen world and longed to bring joy. He saw the blindness of their eyes to the truth and longed to bring revelation. We are not proclaiming a welfare gospel or life enhancement Jesus but rather we preach Christ as the Savior of sinners. Jesus leads His followers to have a passion for the lost.
We need to have that passion as we follow Jesus together. We ought to desire to be confronted with the needs of people, knowing we minister to them in the name of Jesus. It's time to proclaim the acceptable your of the LORD in our community!
The story is told of a group of people taking a tour of the great cathedral of St. Peters in Rome. As the tour progressed the guide presented the historical and artistic importance of the cathedral. He spoke of the greatness of its majesty and beauty. When the tour ended the guide asked if there were any questions. A voice from the back of the crowd asked, "Has anyone been saved here lately? Isn't that the reason it's here?"
Isn't that why we are here, to proclaim the gospel to all so as to save men from their sin? Yes it is and we who follow Jesus must make that our purpose the purpose of the one we follow, our Leader Jesus Christ.
I admit the idea of following Jesus requires so much more of you and me than merely thinking ourselves to be Christians or believers. To follow Jesus requires I let Him be the Leader of my life.
Anyone want to play follow the leader? It is called discipleship.
Scripture to Claim:
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10
