Written by: John Sernaque
Call to Worship
Luke 4: 18-19
4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Christ came to preach the gospel to the poor. He reached the people where they were. He brought plain, simple truth to their comprehension. How simple his language! Even the poorest, the unlearned and ignorant, could understand him. Not one needed go to a dictionary to obtain the meaning of the high-sounding titles or words that fell from the lips of the greatest Teacher the world ever knew. While the priests, the rulers, and the expounders of the law were considering themselves as the only teachers of the people, he told these learned rabbis that they were both ignorant of the Scriptures and of the power of God. { RH July 19, 1887, par. 13 }
Jesus is the greatest teacher the world has ever known. This is why we should follow His example in all things, including keeping the gospel simple and easy to understand for all. Whether you are a preacher, teacher, bible worker, or just sharing the gospel as you go about doing God’s business, it is the simple truth that brings people to Christ. If you try to sound smart and holier than thou, the message will be lost and the opportunity wasted in bringing a soul to Christ. Jesus called the rabbis ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God. Instead, pray for the spirit of the Lord to fall upon you so that you can preach the gospel to the people where they are, and help to make them free.
Dear Father, God almighty,
We thank You for giving us the opportunity to preach the gospel to the poor, the broken hearted, the captives, the blind, and the bruised. We pray that as we go about proclaiming the everlasting gospel, that it will be Your simple truths that come to remembrance, and that You speak through us with Your simple and direct message that leads one and all to Your everlasting gospel. We pray that You humble us, that we give all the Glory to You, and not to self. We pray that You keep us on the strait, narrow path to Your Heavenly Kingdom. Help us share the truth, that we and others will be made free. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
