Wonderful Jesus!

Isaiah 50:4- “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary…”
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    • The Gospel to the Underdog!

      Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on January 11, 2021

      Luke 4:18 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; NKJV

      the-gospel-to-the-underdog_.mp3

      Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! I want, more than anything, for Jesus to be seen in me. I know that doesn’t happen as often as it should, but it’s my heart’s desire. I also understand that if I want Jesus to be seen in me, then I need to live a life reflective of Him. That’s why I am drawn to the ministry of Jesus, and will spend some time blogging about it!

      “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”. Jesus is in the temple in His hometown. According to Luke, this happens after Jesus has been led on a forty day fast by the Spirit of God. During this fast He has an encounter with Satan, in which Satan tries very hard, through temptations, to pull Him off course. Luke let’s us know that when He returned to Galilee, after this fast, He returned in the power of the Spirit. He is now ready to deal with the devil and to fulfill His destiny as Messiah!

      Isaiah’s prophecy, which Jesus read in Luke 4, was familiar to those who were listening in the synagogue. Jesus said that He was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. Often, as ministers, we have said that the gospel to the poor is that you don’t have to be poor anymore. I agree with this use of the verse because Jesus has a way of making the poor feel mighty rich. I agree with this verse because He also has a way of making the poor rich, spiritually and materially. But today, I want to look at what I believe Jesus was really saying!

      What is the gospel to the poor? And why does it even it matter?

      If you have never been poor, you are clueless as to the effect these words would have on poor people. I have been poor. I was raised in the South with seven sisters and two brothers. I lived with both my parents, and we were poor. I remember wearing hand me downs for a good portion of my life. Not just from my many sisters, but from the goodwill box that would arrive with clothes in it. I grew to hate hand me downs! I remember getting food boxes with stuff nobody really eats because it was cleared out of the cupboards of people who no longer wanted it. The worst was at Christmas when we would get those nasty fruit cakes in a tin! I know what you are thinking? You couldn’t have been too poor if you were being so choosy. Well, I could tell you some stories!

      The poor has always been at the mercy of others, even in Biblical days. Jews with land and money had to provide for them. In Exodus, we find these words:

      Exodus 23:10-11 – “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. NKJV

      Jewish law, mandated by God, stated that the Jewish people were to work their land for six years, but the in the seventh year, they were to leave the fields alone. This year of rest was also a year that would allow those who were poor to gather food for themselves and their families. Likewise, in their vineyard and their olive groves.

      In Leviticus, we see the same principle:

      Leviticus 23:22 – ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’ ” NKJV

      Even in the years that they gathered, they were to leave the corners of their fields alone, so that the poor around them could gather something to eat during those first six years. (Remember, Ruth was allowed to glean in Boaz’s fields to gather food for herself and Naomi). It’s tough to always be at the mercy of others for the basic needs of your life! It’s tough being poor! Many of us are so blessed that we don’t get this! We just become so unfeeling at times that we fail to realize, “If it had not been for the Lord!”

      In the Word, there are so many references to dealing with the poor, but I’ll list only a few here today:

      • Don’t deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. (Exodus 23:6)
      • Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. (Leviticus 19:15)
      • All my bones shall say, “ Lord, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?(Psalm 35:10)
      • Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Luke 7:22)
      • Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” (Luke 19:8)

      I could go on, but I have made the point! I believe the gospel that was preached to the poor was and is the gospel that says, you will not be ignored anymore! That’s pretty powerful! No more will you have to feel insignificant, afraid of those in power and those with money, because I came specifically to give you the good news. I am here for you! I will never forsake you, I will never leave you. I’m leveling the playing field because the currency of the kingdom of God isn’t money, it’s faith! And if you can believe, all things are possible to those who believe!

      Jesus cared about the well-being of the poor. He understood that it was not enough to just feed the poor and to give them clothes, although He had no problems with feeding them! He saw the poor! He saw that they were people who wanted the best for their families, just like those who were not poor. He saw that they wanted to be treated fairly when they went to court, just like everybody else was treated fairly. He saw that their lives mattered to them and their families. And He still sees them!

      This morning I actually thought about how Jesus is there for the underdog. The underdog is defined as a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest; a victim of injustice or persecution, by Merriam-Webster dictionary. Doesn’t that sound like the poor? His first proclamation as Messiah was that He had come to preach to the underdog.

      Jesus’ gospel, sees people, sees the value of people, and the needs of people. He offered to the poor, a gospel that valued them. He offered them an opportunity to make everlasting changes in their lives and the lives of their family! He offered them hope and a future! He offered them a Savior who was there for them. He offered them Himself!

      As believers, as ambassadors for Christ, it is what we have been anointed to do! The Spirit of the Lord God is upon us to preach the gospel to the poor. But in the preaching, there must be demonstration of the truth of His words! We are defenders of social justice, for Jesus’ gospel to the poor is the gospel to the underdog. We are for equality, for Jesus’ gospel is the great equalizer, all one body we! We are His ambassadors, and as such, we are to continue what He started!

      It’s a gospel of salvation! It’s a gospel of hope! It’s a gospel to the poor! Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in Jesus, Luke 4:18, Social Justice, the gospel | 6 Comments | Tagged ambassadors, Fasting, God, Isaiah 61, Jesus, Luke 4:18, ministry, the devil, the gospel, the kingdom of God, the poor, the underdog
    • Serious Business!

      Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on January 14, 2020

      Ezra 8:22-23 -For I was ashamed to request troops and horsemen from the king to protect us from the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, “The hand of our God is favorable toward all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who abandon (turn away from) Him.” So we fasted and sought [help from] our God concerning this [matter], and He heard our plea.” AMP

      At the beginning of the year, many churches take time to do extended fasting. Our church is right there with them. On yesterday, I had to preach on fasting and prayer, and as I sought the Lord, His word to me was that fasting is “serious business!” Now technically, we all know that already, but in reality we may not fast and pray as if it is serious business.

      Ezra understood the power of fasting and prayer. He was leading a group of Israelites from Babylon back to Jerusalem. The king had given him much favor and many possessions for his travel and the work in Jerusalem. He had also given him the artifacts that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple. So Ezra had a lot of people in his care and much wealth.

      When it was time to leave, Ezra said that he was embarrassed to ask the king for an escort to protect them from bandits along the way. After all, he had told the king that His God knows how to look after His people! That’s why he said that he felt as if he couldn’t ask the king’s help in getting safely to Jerusalem. So he did what he knew to do, he called a fast and they prayed. And God heard.

      This was serious business. After his testimony to the goodness of God, he needed to act on his faith and trust that God would be faithful! I am pretty sure that no one was sneaking off to get food to eat or to socialize during this time. Every one knew the seriousness of the hour and everyone got involved in the fast!

      This reminds me of Nineveh. In the book of Jonah, Jonah was upset that God asked him to go warn the city of Nineveh that He would destroy them in 40 days. So he took off and ended up in the belly of a great fish. (I believe it was last summer that I learned of a whale shark that grows to the size of school bus and doesn’t eat meat. I wondered if that was the offspring of Jonah’s whale). Anyway, when Jonah was free again, he went to Nineveh as instructed. As soon as the people heard the proclamation, they began fasting. And when the king heard, he decreed that not only were the people to fast, but the animals and children as well. These people were not the children of God, but the king thought that if they fasted and repented that maybe God wouldn’t destroy them. That got God’s attention and He abandoned His plans to destroy the city.

      What do you do when you are in a tight place? Do you automatically think it’s time to fast? A lot of the time I do, but sometimes it doesn’t cross my mind. I just react in my flesh. I whine, I complain, and I even become frustrated having to fight discouragement. One would think that if I know the solution that works that I would always apply it. But I don’t! How about you? Do you automatically fast and pray when difficulty arises? Do you think of God coming through or how you can figure this out? Do you cry out to God with your whole heart knowing that the answer you need is in Him? Well, I can assure you that I have missed it to! If the ungodly can fast and pray and see God move, surely His children can!

      This year I plan to do so much better in trusting Him. I plan to spend much more time fasting and praying this year than I have in quite some time. Not only for the difficult times or when I have to preach, but for situations that wont’ change but need to change. For attitudes and thinking that cause His heart to hurt. For people I know who need to be saved, or healed, or set free. Yep, this year will find me seeking God as if I know that things are serious and fasting and praying is serious business! I invite you to do the same. Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in Attitude, Believers, Christian, Ezra 8:22-23, Fasting, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Christian, Ezra, Ezra 8:22-23, Faith, Fasting, Jonah, Nineveh, Prayer
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