Rightful Rejoicing

 “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

(Luke 10:20 ESV)

As we hear and receive the gospel, we take comfort in the fact that we are saved by the grace of God. We take comfort in the fact that God’s blessings are not earned or deserved by us in any way. They have been provided for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus, are given to us freely, and are received by us through faith.

This, then, is nothing in which we can take pride. It’s nothing for which we can take credit. It’s the work of God from first to last.

When it comes to our service of God, however, this is something for which we take pride. It’s something for which we take at least a measure of credit, no matter how small it may be. And we rejoice in what we have accomplished.

This is true, even when we recognize that we can do nothing by our own strength or power. This is true even when we realize that we can do nothing by our own wisdom. And this is true even as we realize that our efforts and successes result only from the power of God.

We see this mindset being played out in the passage above. Jesus had sent out the seventy-two at the beginning of this chapter. He told them that, wherever they were received, they were to eat what was set before them. And they were to heal the sick, declaring to them the kingdom of God.

As they returned to Jesus, they did so with joy. And they reported to him that even the demons were subject to them in his name. They reported to him that even the demons submitted to them in his name.

They recognized that this subjection resulted from the name of Jesus. They recognized that the power was not their own. Yet, they rejoiced in this nonetheless.

Jesus acknowledged the victory which had been won. He told them that he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. And he told them that he had given them authority over the enemy, reassuring them that nothing would hurt them. But he then added the statement seen above.

He told them that, even though this authority had been entrusted to them, they were not to rejoice in this. They were not to rejoice in the fact that the spirits were subject to them. They were to rejoice, rather, that their names were written in heaven.

They were to rejoice, then, not in the authority Jesus had given them. And they were to rejoice not in the results of their ministry. They were to rejoice in their salvation.

As we engage in ministry today, we often rejoice in the size of our church. We rejoice in the number of souls who attend our services. We rejoice in the number of YouTube and website hits we get. We rejoice in the number of those who are joining our church. We rejoice in the number of those being baptized or confirmed. And we rejoice in the growth and expansion of our ministry.

In the same way, if someone comes to faith in Christ as we share the gospel with them, we rejoice in this. If someone receives Christ as they attend our worship service, we rejoice. And it is something for which we should thank God. 

But, again, we can take no credit for this. Nor should we consider ourselves successful because of it. We should rejoice not in what God has entrusted to us. And we should rejoice not in the fact that God has worked through us. We must, rather, rejoice that our names are written in heaven. We must rejoice that the Lord has saved us and provided for us his eternal blessings.

How Much He's Done

 “The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

Luke 8:38‭-‬39 ESV

As believers, as those who have been saved from sin and death, and as those who have been saved from the domain of darkness, we have been given a great calling. We’ve been called to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15). And we’ve been called to make disciples of all nations by going to them, baptizing them, and teaching them (Matthew 28:18-20).

However, as important as this is, it’s something that’s rather intimidating to most of us. We don’t feel qualified to do so. And we worry that we don’t know enough or that we aren’t skilled enough to do so.

We also tend to think that it means leaving our normal life behind. We think it means leaving home and family. And we think it means serving in missions or ministry in some way.

I think that, in this way, we tend to overcomplicate this call of Jesus. I think that we overcomplicate mission work. And I think that we overcomplicate the work of evangelism.

We read, in Luke 8, how Jesus met a man who was possessed by many demons. For a long time, he had gone about naked, and he’d lived among the tombs. We learn also that he had exhibited supernatural strength.

As Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of the man, he knew exactly who Jesus was, and begged him not to torment him. And as Jesus talked to the unclean spirit, we find that this man was possessed by not only one demon, but many. At the request of this spirit, Jesus then commanded them to leave the man, allowing them to go into a herd of pigs which was feeding on the hillside.

After being healed, after being cleansed by Jesus, the man begged that he might go with him. And, although it seems unusual to us, Jesus denied his request. He told the man that he should return home and declare how much God had done for him.

Although some people are called by God to move to a far-away country to share the gospel, and although he calls some to serve him in the role of pastor, youth director, or another ministry capacity, this isn’t true for all. Most of us fulfill the Great Commission in the way that Jesus prescribed to the demoniac, who had been cleansed. Most of us fulfill the Great Commission by simply returning home and declaring how much God has done for us.

We do so by declaring to our family how much God has done for us. We do so by declaring to our neighbors how much God has done for us. We do so by sharing with our friends and coworkers how much God has done for us.

We can support the work of missions with our prayers and finances. We can support the work of our local congregation with our prayer, finances, time, and talents. And we can do so realizing that our witness, in our home community, is equally important.

Indiscriminate Sowing

 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.”

Luke 8:5‭-‬8 ESV

As I think of farming, I do so with a very Midwest, American mindset. As spring has finally set in, I expect to soon see tractors out in the field. I expect to see tractors out cultivating, spraying, and seeding.

Everything is done in a very orderly fashion. Seed is planted only in soil that has been carefully prepared to maximize production.  And as the crops begin to grow, they do so in straight rows, in a very organized fashion.

In much of the world, farming is not done this way. I was reminded of this as I was recently in a small village in Uganda, and as we came across what looked to be a nice plow, hitched to a team of cows. One of our team members enthusiastically jumped behind the plow and quickly opened up a small patch of ground.

After a field like this is opened up, someone would follow behind and sow the seed.  He would follow behind and scatter the seed. And he wouldn’t do so in such a way that the crops will come up in neat and orderly rows. He would scatter the seed indiscriminately.

This is the picture we see in the parable above. The sower scatters his seed indiscriminately, and it falls on a variety of ground. Some falls on the hard path. Some falls on rocky soil. Some falls among thorns. And some falls on good soil.

The seed which fell on the path, on rocky soil, and among thorns didn’t fare well. The birds ate some of it. Some of it quickly withered as it had no root. And some of it was choked off by the thorns, competing for ground.

Some, however, fell on good soil. And it was fruitful. It was fruitful, yielding a hundred fold.

Although the picture of farming is used, it illustrates evangelism. It illustrates the sharing of the Word of God. The seed, we are told, is the Word of God.

As we seek to reach out with the message of the gospel, many of us tend to use a very American mindset. We seek to prepare the soil. And we seek to waste nothing, sowing the seed only on good ground.

With farming, this is easily done. When it comes to evangelism, however, it’s not that simple. It’s not that simple as we can’t always discern the good soil from the bad.

We can’t look at someone and determine if his heart is hard, and if the seed will be snatched away before it takes root. We can’t look at him and determine if it’s thorny, if the cares of this world are likely to choke off the seed. We can’t look at him and determine if his heart is shallow, not allowing the gospel to sink its roots deeply. And we can’t determine if his heart is good, and if it will produce an abundant crop.

For this reason, we must sow the Word just like the seed was sown in the parable. We must do so indiscriminately. We must do so indiscriminately, trusting that God will do his work, and that some of the seed will find its way into good soil.

Knowing Better

 “And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.”

(Luke 8:52‭-‬53 ESV)

As we experience a need, as we face a trial or a hardship, our first reaction is to cry out to the Lord. Our first reaction is to pray. We call out to God asking him to intervene.

However, that being said, we continue to rely upon our own understanding. We continue to trust in our own wisdom. And we fail to trust in God.

In short, we think that we know better than the Lord. We believe our wisdom to be greater than his. We think that our sense of what is real, our sense of what is true, our sense of what is possible, and our idea of what course of action is the best is better than his own.

We think that we know when there is still a chance for a positive outcome. We think that we know when all hope is lost. And we think that we know exactly what God should do to remedy the situation at hand.

We see an example of this in Luke 8. A synagogue ruler, named Jairus, came to Jesus because his young daughter was dying. And Jesus went with him.

However, while they were on their way, a messenger from his house came, telling him that his daughter was dead, and that there was no need to trouble Jesus any longer. But Jesus told him that he was not to fear, but believe. And he assured Jairus that his daughter would be well.

Jesus’ words to Jairus don’t make sense, from a human standpoint. But they went on. And as they came to his house, they found the people weeping and mourning for his daughter.

Seeing this, Jesus told them not to weep. They were not to weep, he said, because the girl was not dead, but sleeping. And the people laughed at him, knowing she was dead.

They believed that Jesus was wrong. They believed that they knew better than Jesus. And it’s this that led to their mockery.

The girl, of course, had died. Her spirit had left her. But they didn’t understand who Jesus was nor the power he possessed. 

In making this statement, Jesus was telling the people that he would awaken her. He was telling them that he would raise her to life, just as one awakens another from sleep. And this is exactly what he did.

He took with him the girl’s mother and father, along with Peter, James, and John. He then took the girl by the hand, telling her to arise. And, at that moment, her spirit returned and she got up.

As we approach the Lord with our needs, and as we come to him in the face of our trials, we must do so humbly. We must come to him leaning not on our own knowledge or understanding. We must come to him, knowing that he is God and that his wisdom and power surpass not only our own, but also that which we can imagine.

We must look to him in faith, trusting his assessment of the situation. We must look to him in faith, believing his course of action to be proper and best. And we must look to him in faith, confident that he will bring about our blessing.