May 4, 2021 — Luke 4:14 – 30

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:14-19)

“The indwelling Spirit shall teach him what is of God and what is not. This is why sometimes we can conjure up no logical reason for opposing a certain teaching, yet in the very depth of our being arises a resistance.” (Watchman Nee)

Can we make the Holy Spirit exclusively ours? The text from Luke says that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit – actually the power of the Spirit, and then began to teach. In essence, even in his actions, not just in his words, Jesus is teaching the disciples and, of course you and me, what it means and what can be done when one has the power of the Spirit. 

Throughout his ministry we will witness Jesus teaching, preaching, healing and casting out demons. The complaint that comes from his hometown is that Jesus implies that his ministry is not just for his own people but to those who need it – without regard to nationality, gender or race. The Jewish people wanted the “prophet” only for themselves – Jesus came for all people. 

As Christians, we cannot allow our community to believe that our ministries are only for Christians. We cannot keep our ministries only to our own people, our own kind, our own county, our own country. We need to move into ministries where the Holy Spirit leads us – without regard to exclusivity.

Pastor Dave

May 3, 2021 — Luke 3:21 – 4:13

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ” (Luke 4:1-4)

“I can resist everything except temptation.” Oscar Wilde

For forty days, Jesus was tempted by the devil. Temptation is a universal human experience. For Jesus to be tempted gives evidence to his humanity, gives evidence that Jesus was tested just as we are tested every day. His temptations had worldly and cosmic implications while ours remain within the realm of the ordinary. But that does not make resisting temptation that much easier. What truly gives us hope and should strengthen our will to sustain temptation is the amazing fact that Jesus was able to avoid sinning in the face of such temptation.

Time generally wears a person down, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The longer Jesus remained in the wilderness with the temptation, the more that his own will would have been tested.  What gives us hope is that we worship one who, being human as us, gives us a model for withstanding temptation, even in the most difficult of trials and tribulations. The model? Jesus went to the scriptures, to G-d’s word to boost his resistance and to strengthen his will. We should do the same, daily.

No, we cannot be sinless like Jesus, but we can receive strength and hope knowing that Jesus was fully human and knew what it meant to be tempted.

Pastor Dave