January 4
Gen 8-10 | PS 4:1-8 | Prov 1:20-23 | Matt 4:12-25
Our identity is in Christ. Our salvation rests upon the work that He completed on our behalf. Jesus understood exactly why He was sent to earth. When He began His earthly ministry, we read His focus in Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”” Every Christian needs to remember this. Every pastor and elder must remember this. Every congregation must remember this. Earthly relationships are important, but counseling cannot be our top priority. Dealing with those who are ill or grieving from loss is important, but this cannot be our top priority. We were not called to be experts in theology. We were called to seek souls for Christ, to be presenters of the gospel truth, to get everyone’s eyes off of themselves and others and onto the Author of our salvation, Jesus, the Christ.
Should there be any question concerning this. Notice that when Jesus began to call forth His disciples, He didn’t select some to do this or that. We read in Matthew 4:18-19, “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”” Not counselors, not theologians, but “fishers of men”. Though this was the focus, Jesus had other aspects of His ministry, as we read in 4:23, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” Yes, His ministry dealt with preaching (proclaiming the gospel), teaching (instructing from the Scriptures), and healing (meeting the personal needs of the people.” This ministry was prophesied about Him, and Jesus revealed this to those in His hometown in Nazareth, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, in Luke 4:18-19, concerning His first coming, “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; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
When choosing a church, please make sure the gospel is clearly and unashamedly presented. Make sure that you are not seeking a place for social reasons: to find a mate, to find a group of friends. Make sure that you don’t focus so much on a particular ministry that you neglect that which Jesus came to earth for. It was about souls, it is about souls, and it must always be about souls. A church should be well balanced, just as Jesus did not neglect any aspect of His ministry, but the main thing must remain the main thing.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: