Message of July 5, 2020

The View from Here: More than a Church Service

Luke 4:16-21; Luke 18:18-30





Read Luke 4:16-21



Note: In verses 18-19, Jesus read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. The verses Luke quotes are from Isaiah 61:1-2, with possibly one phrase from Isaiah 58:6.



 - Look at the passage Jesus read (Luke 4:18-19), and his words in verse 21. What claim was Jesus making? (For extra credit, read Luke 4:23-29. How did Jesus’ hearers understand his claim? What did they expect him to do about it?)



 - Look again at the Isaiah reading (Luke 4:18-19). The people understood that this was a prophecy about the Messiah. Should we understand these promises of healing, and liberty as spiritual blessings? Are they only about salvation from spiritual blindness and spiritual captivity? Or do you think God intend for the Messiah to bring literal blessings upon the earth? Can you think of other Bible passages that help us understand this?



 - What does your answer to the question above suggest about the activities of the Messiah’s followers in our place and time? Are we fulfilling his mission statement if we only address spiritual blindness and spiritual poverty? Are we compromising the gospel if we minister to people in our city who are experiencing literal blindness or literal poverty? Is it possible (and is it necessary) to try to do both? Explain.



 - Why do you think it is so difficult to balance these two aspects of mission (teaching the truth of the gospel, and meeting peoples’ needs in the name of Jesus)? What does it take to do this well?





Read Luke 18:18-23



 - A “certain ruler,” an authority of some kind, came to Jesus with a question. What did he want to know? If someone came up to a Christian today and asked that same question, what answer do you think he or she would get?



 - How did Jesus respond to the ruler? What connection do Jesus’ words in verses 19-20 with the man’s question in verse 18? What did he not understand about Jesus? About himself?



 - In verse 22, Jesus told the man to do two things. Would it have been enough for the man do choose one of the two, and neglect the other? Why or why not?



Note: The Old Testament Law (for example, the laws about the tithe and about gleaning) commanded the people to care for the poor and the less fortunate.



 - Pastor Rob talked about how non-western cultures understand these verses. We may tend to see verse 22 as Jesus’ prescription for this one man and his unique situation, and be greatly relieved that Jesus does not call us to do the same thing. But what changes if we see in Jesus’ words a call to help the poor and less fortunate in our world? What would we choose to do differently if we considered that as part of Jesus’ call to all of his followers–to help the poor AND to come, follow him?





More than a Church Service



 - In his message, Rob brought up the question: Who we will be and what we will do once things get back to “normal” and we can all meet together again. How do you answer that question for yourself—who will you be and what will you do for the Kingdom of God? How is that more than just attending a church service?

- What about now, even during the restrictions and social distancing? What have you discovered about yourself, who you really are, and what you really do for the Lord? How do you follow Jesus even when we can’t all meet together for a “normal” church service? How can we still be the church in the world when our world is broken?

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Dan Stephenson