The Book of Luke and The Power of God
The Good News is meant for us all to know and share the Gospel.
In the Gospel according to Luke in the Good News Bible, we read that “the Gospel according to Luke presents Jesus as both the promised Saviour of Israel and as the Saviour of all mankind. Luke records that Jesus was called by the Spirit of the Lord to preach the Good News to the poor and this Gospel is filled with a concern for people with all kinds of need.”
Also, the Book of Luke is a great read where many wonderful lessons are taught as Jesus teaches us about how to live our life. Through parables, he teaches us how to treat one another and live in the world with kindness and humility.
In Luke, we also learn about what Jesus holds in high regard. That he has love for the afflicted and the sinners and we we become amazed at the miraculous power of Christ to perform healing.
There is much to revere in the book of Luke.
#1: God is Faithful in the Lives of Believers
In the book of Luke, we learn that God brings unexpected things to pass.
At the beginning of the chapter, we are told that the Angel Gabriel came to Zechariah and told him that his wife Elizabeth would give birth. That her child would be a great man filled with the spirit.
Luke 1: 13–16
“But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You are to name him John. How glad and happy you will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born! He will be a great man in the Lord’s sight. He will be a great man in the Lord’s sight. He must not drink any wine or strong drink. From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
The angel told Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son and she should name him John. This is a man we know to be John the Baptist. A man filled with the Holy Spirit.
This revelation was a surprise to Zechariah because both he and his wife were of old age.
In Luke 1, Verse 18, we read that Zechariah tells the angel, “How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also.”
But the Angel responds in Luke 1, verse 20 “But you have not believed my message, which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed, you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my promise to you comes true.”
But it did come to pass that Elizabeth gave birth at old age.
Through this, we learn that we have to trust God’s messaage to us even if it seems impossible. We must know that all things are possible with God.
Also, at the beginning of Luke, the Angel Gabriel shares another message.
He tells a virgin Mary who is engaged to Joseph that God is pleased with her and she will birth a son who we know to be our saviour Jesus Christ.
Luke 1, Verse 34–38
Mary said to the angel, I am a virgin. How then can this be? The angel answered, “the Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason, the holy child will be called the Son of God. Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God cannot do.” “I am the Lord servant,” said Mary, “may it happen to me as you have said. And the angel left her.”
Mary believed and trusted God’s words, so the Lord was faithful to her. The message that the Angel Gabriel told Mary did come to pass.
Also, after the Angel appears, Mary goes to meet Elizabeth and Elizabeth greets her with all enthusiasm.
1 Luke: (41–45)
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and said in a loud voice, You are the most blessed of all women and blessed is the child you will bear! Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me? For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness. How happy you are to believe that the Lord’s message to you will come true.
Through Elizabeth and Mary’s story, we know that God keeps his word. The angel told Elizabeth that she would get pregnant and she did.
The angel told Mary that she would give birth to our Lord and Saviour and she did. Through the stories of these two women, we get to know that God is faithful to good people.
He is faithful to the humble. He is faithful to those who know and serve him as Lord. Trust in God and believe in his message.
#2: Through Jesus Christ, Healing is Made Possible
In the Book of Luke, we read of many instances where Jesus performs healing.
Jesus healed a man with an evil spirit by ordering the spirit to come out from him.
He healed a lady with a fever by ordering it to go away from her.
He healed a man with leprosy by putting his hand on him and the man’s leprosy disappeared.
Jesus healed a crippled man who had a lot of faith in him. He forgave his sins and told him that he should pick up his mat and walk home!
When we read of the healing that Jesus performs, we know that there is nothing too small for God.
Healing is always made possible but we must have faith.
We must believe that God can do anything and it is that faith that God uses to bless us.
We see another great level of faith not only in the crippled man but with a sick woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.
The Bible tells us that she spent everything on Doctors but they could not make her well.
Yet, she did something simple but with great faith. She came up to Jesus and touched his clothes.
Jesus then said. in Luke 8, Verse 46–48:
“But Jesus said,Someone touched me, for I knew it when the power went out of me. The woman saw that she had been found out, so she came trembling and threw herself at Jesus’ feet. There in front of everybody, she told him why she had touched him and how she had been healed at once, Jesus said to her, My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
As the woman who touched Jesus’s cloak, we too must reach out to Jesus in the same way.
We must reach out to Jesus with courage and faith to know that the power of God can produce healing in our lives.
#3: God Loves it When Sinners Repent and turn back to Him
Many parables are being told in the Book of Luke where God emphasises that he does not hate sinners but rather, he wants the lost to return back to him.
We understand this lesson through the parable of The Lost Sheep as Jesus tells this parable because the Pharisees had questioned Jesus for welcoming and sitting down to eat with outcasts.
Luke 15: (4–7)
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them — what does he do? He leaves the other ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and goes looking for the one that got lost until he finds it. When he finds it, he is so happy that he puts it on his shoulders and carries it back home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says to them, I am so happy I found my lost sheep. Let us celebrate! In the same way, I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine respectable people who do not need to repent.”
This parable goes to show that we should be cautious not to dismiss people who are rejected by society. People who are seen as outcasts. The truth is that God still wants those who are sinners. He is searching for the lost souls to come back to him and he rejoices when they do.
In another parable, the Lost Coin, Jesus says that suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one of them, she will look carefully to find it. When she finds it, she calls all her friends and neighbours to celebrate.
In Luke 15: Verse 10. We read that: “In the same way, I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents.”
When we read this, we must all know that God does not condemn sinners but God wants repentance.
If you have strayed far away from God, it is never too late for you to come back to him.
#4: Jesus Holds Virtues of Love, Servitude and Humility in High Regard
We learn through the Book of Luke that there are certain virtues that Jesus holds in high regard.
In The Argument about Greatness, we learn about the virtue of humility and servitude through Jesus and his disciples. When the disciples were arguing about who is the greatest one among them, Jesus responded by saying.
Luke 22: (24–27)
““An argument broke out amomg the disciples as to which one of them should be thought of as the greatest. Jesus said to them, kings of the pagans have power over their people, and the rulers claim the title of “Friends of the People.” But this is not the way it is with you: rather, the greatest one among you must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant. Who is greater, the one who sits down to eat or the one who serves him? The one who sits down, of course. But I am among you as one who serves.”
When we consider the teachings of Jesus to his disciples, it becomes clear that God wants us to have values of kindness and humility.
He wants us to treat others with love and to serve.
We should not think of ourselves as so proud or greater than others.
We must serve with humility because Jesus says that the least of you is the greatest.
The Resurrection of Christ is a result of The Power of God and His Call to Us
Though Jesus performed many miracles in the Book of Luke, we can attest that one of the greatest acts is the resurrection. Though Jesus was crucified and buried, he still rose up again.
Luke 24: 1–7
“Very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, so they went in; but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two men in bright shining clothes stood by them. Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the men said to them, “Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive? He is not here; he has been raised. Remember what he said to me while he was in Galilee. The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified, and three days later rise to life.”
Through Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, we know of God’s love of the world.
Through Jesus’s life, we have many examples of why faith as a believer is important.
We must have faith in our walk with God. Also, know that God is calling every one of us to be his followers.
He calls us not because it is an easy life but out of love for Christianity. He calls us out of love for the good news that is meant to be shared with all.
The Good News is meant to restore life, bring hope and provide healing.
Final Thoughts
In the Gospel according to Luke, we learn that the Gospel emphasises the need of prayer, the holy spirit and a need for repentance.
In the Gospel according to Luke, we also learn about how God is faithful in the lives of believers. This means that we should never doubt the word of God but we should always believe that what God says is final.
Also, in the Gospel according to Luke, we understand what God cherishes in Christians, virtues of humility and servitude.
Lastly, through the book of Luke, we understand the great love of God that he would give his only begotten son to us, to die for our sins, to be resurrected and we know that God promises us all eternal life with him.
Glory to God!
