Luke 8
"Soon afterward [Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means." - Luke 8:1-3
Jesus is on the move. His plan is not to settle in one place. His job is to get the good news of the coming kingdom to all the cities and villages of Israel. The twelve disciples are his chief helpers. Several women are important, too. The lives of all of these followers have been transformed by Jesus. Now they want to support him in his mission. The disciples are in training to carry on Jesus' work when his phase of the work is done. The focus of Jesus' preaching is the kingdom. This is the same kingdom predicted by the Old Testament prophets, the kingdom of Messiah.
There is a lot of anxiety, heartache, and confusion in our world today. It is a time of questioning. We get lots of bad news, but is there any good news? The answer is yes. Jesus' coming kingdom is the good news. Just as Jesus went through the cities and villages proclaiming the good news, so are we to do today. Many will reject the message (v. 12). Many will be choked by the cares, riches, and pleasure of life (v. 14). But some will listen, believe, and produce fruit with patience (v. 15).
During the last two years of Covid, my evangelistic discipline fell off. I have stopped being an abundant seed sower. This is not what Jesus wants. It is time to sow seed. We don't want to miss our great opportunity here. I need to be outward focused again, sharing the gospel and inviting people to church. No excuses. It is our job as disciple makers to sow abundant seed, to give people the greatest news in the world, in order that they can make an informed decision about Jesus and his kingdom.
Father, forgive me for my laxity in sharing the gospel recently. May my evangelistic discipline be reignited. May I tell everyone about Jesus. May I be excited and passionate about sharing the gospel with others. May I not be afraid of rejection. Thank you for those who have maintained their evangelistic zeal in the past two years of difficulty. Lord, encourage them to keep going. Please raise up more harvest workers among us. In Jesus' name, amen.
- Jeff Coleman