This blog post is from Seth’s during my course. He has some great wisdom that I feel is way more insightful than any thing I could bring you. So here is today’s post:
God heals our pain and then expects us to use it to heal others. In the last post, we looked at one way this works – when we are able to mourn with those who mourn. Today we look at the rest of what Jesus says he (and by implication his followers) are called to.
Here are other ministries Jesus was given and we’re given as well from Luke 4:18-19:
The Lord has anointed me…
The Holy Spirit has given me the power I need to do specific ministry.
…To preach good news to the poor.
Here is the key target of my ministry – the poor. They are targeted for preferential treatment, because their pain is greater. The irony is that usually good news is breathlessly shared; rarely does it have to be preached.
He has sent me…
God has commissioned me. I am his envoy.
…To proclaim freedom for the captives,
This is a deliverance ministry that involves speaking liberating words to those in bondage to the enemy. And while they are everywhere, words must be spoken before they experience freedom. For some it is a vision of freedom I’m sharing, to others, the words themselves activate freedom.
…Release from darkness for the prisoners,
This may be physical healing for some and release from spiritual bondage for others as the devil’s grip on their lives is pried loose.
…To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
To prophesy God’s blessing to people. To say: “It will come to this house.”
…and the day of vengeance of our God.
To prophesy God’s justice as well. God will bring justice in his time. It’s his job not ours. Of course this flies in the face of every instinct within us.
Then, in a parallel passage, Luke 4:18-20, Jesus announces that the prophecy is fulfilled. And in Luke 7:20-23 we see the prophecy confirmed in these ways:
- The blind receive sight.
- The lame walk.
- Those who have leprosy are cured.
- The deaf hear.
- The dead are raised.
- The good news is preached to the poor.
It’s daunting, but not complicated. That was Jesus’ ministry and it is to be our ministry as well. We have been given all the authority he was given, and Jesus proclaimed that as we minister, we would see even greater miracles than the ones he did (meaning we are without excuse).
Sometimes we can get all tangled up and confused about what God wants us to do with our lives. The matter is very simple really. As 1 John 2:6 tells us, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” So the questions are, “How did he walk? What was his ministry?”
Let this sink deeply into your soul. You get to see miracles like these. You get to minister as Jesus did. I don’t know about you, but the very possibility causes my heart to leap. What a thrill! What a challenge!
