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“The Church”

The church Jesus speaks of in Matthew 16:

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Notice, he did not provide the description of how “his” church would look, but he did say the gates of hell would not prevail. So, where do we see Christ’s church in the New Testament? Act 2:42-47

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The “church” Jesus built according to Luke exhibited three qualities: (1) devoted to teaching ( kingdom), fellowship (koinonia), and prayer. Defining the church is simply “the body of Christ who live out the teachings of the kingdom through fellowship and outreach. This is where “auxiliaries” comes in at, and their importance to the overall operation of the ministry. Auxiliaries play a major part in kingdom ministry, but they are not the whole of a ministry. The are moving parts of ministry that facilitate the overall ministry of the church. No one auxiliary is greater than another, and thus, all auxiliaries should would toward the same cause and that is to promote the “kingdom” in ministry.

The Context of the Chapter

Luke, the Gentile writer and companion of Paul pens his account to his good friend Theophilus. He writes after investigating all the facts about Christ Luke 1:1-4

Luke 1:1–4 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Luke provides more intimate details before his birth through his ministry, death, and resurrection. Luke, a physician and colleague of Paul, probably wrote this account in the early 60 A.D. He also wrote Acts. For Luke, he ascribed to the idea of the perfect man, leading to his argument that Jesus was indeed the perfect Savior. The emphasis is that Jesus carried out his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, announcing the good news of the kingdom. He shows numerous times his compassion for the poor and the outcast. He fulfilled prophecy and carried out his purpose: to seek and save the lost. Luke gives the fullest account of Christ’s birth, and only Luke records the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.

Jesus is tempted of the devil in the wilderness after forty days of fasting, he begins his ministry with a bang as he taught in the synagogue, then reads from Isaiah’s scroll declaring he was in fact the fulfillment of Isaiah 61, almost tossed over the mountain side, heals a man with an unclean demon, conducts a healing crusade, and preaches in the synagogue the good news of the kingdom. Jesus is preaching that the kingdom of God is here as he calls the first disciples: Andrews, James, John and Peter from their fishing business and tells them they will be fishing for men. Jesus cleanses a leper, calls Matthew from tax collecting and answers questions on why John’s disciples fasted and his did not, which lead to Jesus explaining the difference between the kingdom and tradition. Tucked away in the pericope of chapter five is the account of the paralytic man that Jesus forgave, then told to get his bed and go home. Here we see the kingdom in motion, and the results of preaching the kingdom of God, the good news that even in the chaotic and broken world, God still heals and restores as we speedily head towards the teleos, or God’s ultimate destination of restoration.

Matthew begins his account with Jesus’ entering his own city, Mark says that Jesus returned to Capernaum, and John does not record this healing. Why had the people come to hear Jesus speak?

He presented the “good news” of God’s kingdom being here on earth.

They had seen Jesus exorcise the demon, and demonstration of authority and power.

They believed he was the “Son of God.”

Luke specifically identifies his audience as the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who serves as Jesus’ antagonist throughout his earthly ministry. The fact Luke wants us to know they were in attendance solidifies that:

“Kingdom teaching attracts both those who seek the kingdom and those who criticize the kingdom. Audience does matter as one should not assume that even in the audience or the auxiliary is for you.”

“Kingdom Inspired ministry teaching creates an atmosphere pregnant with possibilities.”

Jesus’ teaching was not concerning the law, but it was concerning the kingdom, the good news of the gospel. The house is full of those who would seek to criticize rather than evangelize, and Jesus on purpose teaches the kingdom to them. The word teaching here is didasko, meaning to tell someone what to do, tell instruct; to provide instruction in formal setting, teach. It does not say specifically what subject he was teaching, but know he was teaching on the kingdom, telling them how the kingdom of God is here now. It was audacious for Luke to say the “power of the Lord was present to heal” with an audience comprised of Pharisees and teachers of the law, but there we have it in black and white that it was present. The word power is dynamis, meaning potential for functioning in some way, power, might, strength, force, capability; potential to exert force in performing some function. "If there is no kingdom teaching, there will be no atmosphere pregnant with possibilities.”

“Kingdom Inspired ministry creates moments and momentum for radical faith for radical issues.”

Based on the audience, one can surmise that the man who carried the paralytic, and the paralytic himself were denied access to Jesus, thus, leaving them to become radical in their thinking. No doubt these men heard about Jesus’ healings, and believed that Jesus could heal him. Luke does not describe the house, but we do know the house was full, and those inside did not want the riff raff in while Jesus was teaching. The word seeking here is zeteo, meaning to seek to do something without success. These men no doubt were turned away at every entrance, but it did not stop them. “Don’t allow the crowd to adjust your faith, just find another way in.”

In biblical times, roofs were usually flat and used for many domestic activities. Roofs were built upon lintels and beams made of wood or stone; wooden poles were placed across these supports and then covered with mud and other organic materials. Roof-rollers are known in the Middle East today, and stone examples have been found in archaeological contexts; they are used to flatten the mud and further protect the building from rain. In ancient Israel guest quarters were built on roofs (2 Kgs. 4:10), and families often slept on their roof (1 Sam. 9:25). People engaged in mourning on their roofs (Isa. 15:3; 22:1), and worshipped and offered sacrifices there as well (Jer. 19:13; 32:29; Zeph. 1:5). Excavations at the site of Ashkelon uncovered a small incense altar found above preserved roof remains. Josh. 2:6 suggests that foodstuffs and other agricultural products were dried and processed on roofs, a practice still common in the Middle East. Deut. 22:8 demands the construction of parapets around house roofs, recognizing the potential danger of these well-used areas.

Deuteronomy 22:8 ESV

“When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.

The prescriptions concerning preservation of life (21:22–22:8) and, indeed, the entire section on life and death (19:1–22:8) conclude with the instruction to home builders to build a guard rail around the perimeter of the rooftop to prevent persons from accidentally falling off. Such a requirement is most understandable and practical given the flat-roofed architecture of ancient Israelite buildings and the extensive use of the roof as a place for relaxation, work, and even additional shelter. As for the literary construction of the whole passage, another transition is observable, from active homicide, whether or not intentional (19:1–21:23), to the failure to preserve life (22:1–4), to carelessness resulting in loss of life (22:5–8). All relate to the covenant stipulation of Deut 5:17: “You shall not kill.”

Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 298–299.

Kingdom Inspired Ministry will create conflicts of interest between parties. The captive audience did not question Jesus’ ability to heal the man, the questioned the mechanics by which he healed the man. “As long as you heal the way people say you need it, it’s ok.”

Kingdom Inspired Ministry creates extraordinary results and an awesome response.

Every instruction given by Jesus required the immediate response… the addition of the word immediate, in the Greek is parachrema, meaning without delay or hesitation, with no time intervening. Jesus’ instructions, or teaching were supposed to bring instant results. The conflict had more to do with Jesus’ authority rather than the paralytic’s healing. Jesus confounds them by alluding to Daniel’s prophecy:

Daniel 7:13-14: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

So, Jesus simply tells the man to rise, take up his bed, and go home, and the man did just that. The men who carried him in, now watched as he could carry his own bed back home. The bed he was carried in on now became his testimony of the power of the Lord present to heal. What was dunami because dunamis....

Glorify (doxoza) — to positively acknowledge, recognize, or esteem one’s character, nature, or attributes

The man went home with is bed declaring the kingdom has come, and he is proof of the kingdom… Extraordinary (paradoxos) — contrary to expectation, incredible The