July 19, 2016
WITH AUTHORITY: SHARING THE GOSPEL THROUGH GOD'S POWER
Luke 4:31–44
Luke Friesen
Central Truth
Do you feel empowered to share the gospel? Many Christians don't. Jesus preached the gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit—and you can, too!
Key Verse | Luke 4:43
[B]ut he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43)
Luke 4:31–44
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Demon
31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha! 1 4:34 Or Leave us alone What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
Jesus Heals Many
38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
Jesus Preaches in Synagogues
42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. 2 4:44 Some manuscripts Galilee
Dive Deeper | Luke 4:31–44
When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? How often do you share the gospel? For many people, myself included at times, questions like these can invoke responses like, "I can't even remember," or "Not as much as I should." Wouldn't you love instead to answer those questions with an emphatic, "Today!" and "All the time! I make sure to regularly pursue those opportunities."
I've been reading a book about the spiritual disciplines, and the most recent chapter was about evangelism. In response to questions like the ones above, the author writes that "nothing causes an eye-dropping, foot-shuffling anxiety more quickly among a group of Christians like myself than talking about our responsibility to evangelize." While this shouldn't bring shame or guilt, it sure seems to, and disobeying God's call to share the gospel with the world (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-47, John 20:21) is something that needs to be addressed.
Thankfully, God doesn't command us to share the gospel without giving us the power to do it! In Luke 4:31-44, Jesus preached, healed, cast out demons, and affirmed that the reason He was sent to earth was to share the good news. Sure, He's God, so of course He did, but Luke 4:1 and 4:14 tell us how and why—He was full of the power of the Holy Spirit!
Wouldn't it be nice to have that power working in us? Oh wait—we do! In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His disciples that they will receive power from the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. Does this apply to you? If you're a follower of Christ, you bet it does. In the book I mentioned above, the author also writes, "[A]ll believers have been given power to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. And the evidence that you've been given the power to witness is a changed life."
You may not be Jesus (fact: you aren't), but you can share the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit like He did. Believe it! Ask Him to help you. You can share about the God who saved you and changed your life. Will you?
Discussion Questions
1. What would you say is your purpose in life? What things are informing how you define your purpose?
2. If objective observers had watched your life for the past week, would they say that you are fully living out your purpose?
3. Do you share your faith regularly and passionately with others? If not, why not? What are some steps that you can take to grow in this area? Start by checking out this Real Truth. Real Quick. video: http://realtruthrealquick.com/how-do-i-talk-to-my-friends-about-jesus/