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Pastor Rene's Bible studies
 

Luke chap 9:1-6; Jesus sending out the 12 10:1-3; The harvest is plentiful-- but the workers are few.
He gave them power & authority (He gave – grace) something we receive for our mission.
He sent them to preach the kingdom and to heal the sick.

About power and authority there are many things they must learn.

• What he called them to do is in the same order as what he has been doing from the beginning. ( Luke 4:18,19; 8:1; later Acts 8:4-17)

Trip Report: Luke 9:10, They returned and told them what they had done. Luke 10:17

• Accountability: They report to Jesus as Paul reported to Antioch. This accountability still exist today.
• Ethics:(There should be no lone ranger). If someone wish to get any members of the church in his own project, he should first talk to the pastors.

Luke 9:11, He continues to practice his ministry. He confirms to his disciples how to minister.

The multiplication; Luke 9:11-17
V. 12, he assigned them a task: "Feed the crowd". "You give them something to eat".
V.13, Their reaction—"we have no more than…" We have only… (Isn't it just like us?)
V. 17, At the end, they gathered 12 baskets of left over. What a lesson! (A basket each)… Why should we worry?

Who is He?
9:18-20, He wanted to hear from them what they have learned on him, how they perceive him.
Is there a difference between what the crowds say about who I am and about what my apostles say?
Have they grown in knowledge and in understanding? (JN 6:68; Matt 16:16)

V. 21,22, For the 1^st time, he will introduce his death.
As soon as they begin to see him as Messiah, he is bringing them to a deeper revelation of Himself, his mission: His death.

9:23-27, The cost to follow Jesus.
Just after he introduced the subject of his death, he put a challenge before them, what it will cost to follow him. The cost is about dying to self:

• Denying self is (putting aside, putting off), to refuse to be ruled by my own goal or personal aim, or selfish ambition.

• Taking up its cross daily has to do with the understanding of our mission and purpose. It is being willing to lay down our life for the salvation of others, for the mission God called us to. Because of this sense of duty, of this high-calling, it deals with issues and decisions we have to face in our daily life.

• Follow me is to assume a responsibility, a role, a task. It’s the work itself.

Luke 9:29-36 Transfiguration:
A deeper revelation of who Jesus is.
He took them up to pray…
The two men talked of his departure which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem (death).
V.35, The voice of the Father confirmed who Jesus was. This experience made a great impact on Peter:
2Pet 1:16 (NIV) We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

9:37-43 The boy with an evil spirit being set free.
In V. 10, The Scriptures said they healed people, so maybe at that moment, they had not yet cast out evil spirit.
V. 41, Jesus called them: "an unbelieving generation" Irritation…
How long shall put up with you: (2 words: up & hold)

• When will you believe in me enough that I can let you do ministry on your own?

Colo 2:15 (NIV) And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Hebr 2:14 (NIV) Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--

V. 44 While everyone marvelled at what happened, he called the attention of his disciples, and said to them: "Listen carefully" "The son of men is going to be betrayed…" He did not want them to focus on signs and miracles but on the cross…
V. 45 They did not understand and they were afraid… They just had been rebuked.

• Human beings and Christians as well get excited with the wrong (minor) things.

• The miracle becomes more important than God who performed it. The testimony gets more exciting than the Gospel that tranformed the life. The attention is on the preacher more than on Jesus, on the church (as a sanctuary) more than on the kingdom of God.

1. - Focus on their accomplishment

2. - Being church-centerd
V. 49, They got church-centered.
Our church is the only one. "Because he does not follow with us." (he is not one of us).
Most of the church think they’re the greatest. It’s normal (human) to be proud of your church, but not to the point of considering all the other church as being bad or less than us.
Jesus said: If he is not against us, he is on "our side". Jesus’ side—preaching the gospel.

There will always be people leaving us even if it is sad…
Recently I looked at many pictures of the beginning of our church. Many people are not here anymore…
Some families left us lately to join "a friend" who had a long time ambition to be pastor. He used his influence and asked his "friends" to commit themselves and support his plan (church). A few left without calling, asking advice, saying good-bye). It’s painful, but what can we do? War againt them? Surely not!

Paul in Philippians 1:15 "Some preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some from good will." In 1:18, "If Christ is preached—In it I rejoice…"

3. - Great faith- wrong motives
V. 51-56 Command fire and consume them
V. 54 James and John: "Lord do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" (It’s good they asked permission before :>)
They seemed to have a great faith in what they can do, but wrong motives.
V. 55 « You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the son of man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them ». Destroy : completely desintegrate.

4. - Impressed by having power instead of rejoicing of having salvation
Luke 10:17-20, Impressed by having power over evil spirits.
Jesus brings their focus back to salvation.
It is a fact that very charismatic congregations experience just that… They lose their focus on the most important. They often lose their simplicity, just to rejoice over their salvation. They need to see miracles all the time to get excited…
Authority to trample down scorpions and serpents: is about when we go on our mission, there will be nothing that can hinders us (on the road). We are protected and authority is given to us…

About our calling to our mission, 3 things to consider:
V. 57-62 As they journey on the road…
1. - V. 57-58 « Lord I’d like to go on a mission trip… It would be fun…
This is not about a mission trip. (Emotional enthousiasm- having not considered the cost of abandoning material security is not sufficient.)
2. - V. 59-60 Excuse : Lesson against putting it off for later. What is the most important task in the light of eternity.
3. - V.61-62 "Fit for the kingdom of God » It demands undivided attention. « I will but first le me care for my personnal business ». Half hearted discipleship eliminates someone from God’s maximum.

The basic principle for a successful mission:
Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Be like the good Samaritan.

CALL:

Are you carrying out your mission daily? How long has it been since you witness to people? Visited people after you prayed for them with the intention to preach to them? Since you gave tracts?

• We should be on our knees this morning… Asking God to restore the meaning of our calling in our lives on a daily basis…

• Some may have felt a call for total dedication to full time ministry… How will you respond?