What in the World is a Christian to Do?

Scripture

Luke 10:1–11 KJV 1900

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Isn’t it amazing the facts we don’t know about things that are so important to us? For instance, we write on paper with pencils and pens. What was the name of the person that invented paper? Pencils? Pens? And what were the dates of their inventions? We don’t know, do we? That’s something of the condition we find ourselves in when we ask who the author of the Gospel According to St. Luke. When was he born and where? We really don’t know. We don’t have a record of his birth or the testimony of a person who could say, “I was there” or knew someone who was there.

The last past Sunday’s I talked about

There is Something for All of Us

What are We Seeing

and this morning I want to use this as a thought provoking question.

“What in the World is a Christian to Do?”

The closest persons we have to Luke are the early church fathers who were the links between Jesus, His disciples and those who lived in the second and third centuries.

Date and Place of Birth

Paul is the first and only New Testament writer to mention Luke. We know from Philemon 23—24 that Timothy worked with Paul, who called him his “fellow worker.” And we know that when Paul sent his other assistants to various cities, he would have been all alone, except Luke was with him (2 Timothy 4:9-11)

2. Paul’s Traveling Companion

Other evidence of a connection between Paul and Luke are the so-called “we” passages. It is believed that Luke also wrote The Acts of the Apostles.

3. A Medical Doctor

Paul’s letter to the Colossians reveals that Luke was a doctor, “a beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14). After more research, it was suggested that Luke’s language was not special but “that the language used in Luke-Acts to describe ailments and cures in compatible with the ancient tradition that the author was a doctor.

4. A Gentile

It is believed by some writers that Luke was also a Gentile and therefore the only non-Jewish writer of a New Testament book. This belief is based on Colossians 4:10 and 4:14. There Paul first sends greetings from his Jewish assistants, calling them “of the circumcision” (4:11). Then he speaks of Luke and Demas whom it may be assumed are Gentiles and not “of the circumcision”. Other scholars point to Luke’s special interest in Gentiles in both Luke and Acts and his fluency in the Greek language.

5. Compassionate

One of the qualities that comes through in Luke’s writing is his social consciousness and his “inexhaustible sympathy for the troubles of other people.” His story of Jesus is sometimes called the “Gospel of the underdog.” Whether the victim is a woman, a child, a tax collector or a Samaritan, Luke is interested and sympathetic. He presents Jesus and the apostles as concerned servants of the sick, the helpless and hopeless. He has an eye for the hurting and a heart for their needs.

6. Historian

Howard Marshall has said in Luke: Historian and Theologian, “the task of a historian is to reconstruct the past, to give an account of events as they actually happened.” That is what Luke sets out to do.

Luke was not an eyewitness disciple, so he had to do what many historians are required to do. He had to conduct research. He said in his introduction, “I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning” in order to “write an orderly account...” Luke 1:3. He did such an outstanding job that his Gospel account has been called “the best life of Christ ever written,” and a “product of the most careful historical research.” He probably interviewed many people, including Jesus’ mother, and if the “we” passages were written by Luke, he surely knew Peter and James (Acts 15:13-14-. And it’s not hard to imagine the doctor going around the Jerusalem Council meetings with scroll in hand, asking questions, gathering and confirming information for his books.

7. Theologian

Luke was not only interested in the facts, he was also interested in the meaning of the facts. He Theophilus an “orderly account” but also the “full truth” (Luke 1:4). That meant Luke had to interpret the facts. He had to select the facts and events and put them together so that Jesus ministry of healing, help and hope could be clearly perceived and received. He was not only interested in what happened but in why it happened and what the results were. Luke not only records that Jesus’ ascended into heaven but also that the disciples worshiped Him and went back into Jerusalem, filled with great joy. There they spent their time in the temple, giving thanks to God (24:50-53). Through Luke’s selection of facts and events, he disclosed their meaning.

8. Storyteller

Luke’s basic theological method was storytelling. Seldom is Luke’s voice heard. He recounts his history and does his interpretation through the voices of others. Nowhere does he call Jesus’ birth the “Virgin Birth”. He simply tells of the conversation between an angel and a virgin and records the outcome (1:26-28). Nowhere does he discuss the doctrine of divine “faith” healing. He simply tells story after story of miraculous healing. Nowhere does he discuss demonology. He just show Jesus healing “Mr. Legion” (8:26-40) and casting out demons, in the synagogue and on Peter’s mother-in-law’s porch. Nowhere does he expound the doctrine of forgiveness—even last-minute, death-ben salvation. He records that Jesus forgave a sinner while on the Cross and promised to take a dying thief into Paradise (23:39-43).

Even though we don’t know when or where Luke was born, we thank God for anointing this compassionate Gentile physician who gave the Church and the world accurate history and superb Christian theology in stories.

God is present in Jesus to free us from the power of Sin, Sickness, Fear, Demons, and Death. Luke is not a preacher; therefore, he does not hammer that message home to us as Paul or John does in their letters, or as Peter does in his sermons. Luke is a writer-dramatist, and he conveys his central message in story form through the voices of his characters.

In chapter 9 Luke tells us who Jesus is, and in chapter 10 Luke is going to tell us what a Christian is to do..And we will see, that because of who Jesus is—what a Christian is to do is already determined for us—therefore there is no need or place for Christians to get together at the Church and ask each other “What do you want to — I don’t know what you want to do?

This issue as to what were are to do, has already been decided by Jesus. He has told us what to do!

In the 10th chapter of Luke’s Gospel we see the 3 fold duty.

I. We are to be ambassadors, representing the Lord.

II. We are to be neighbors, imitating the Lord.

III. We are to be worshippers, listening to the Lord.

WORSHIP, IS AT THE HEART OF ALL THAT WE ARE AND ALL THAT WE DO IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. YES, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE BE BUSY AMBASSADORS, TAKING THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL TO LOST SOULS. AND YES, IT IS ALSO ESSENTIAL THAT WE BE MERCIFUL SAMARITANS, SEEKING TO HELP EXPLOITED AND HURTING PEOPLE WHO NEED GOD’S MERCY. BUT BEFORE WE CAN EFFECTIVELY REPRESENT GOD IN A CARING MINISTRY, WE MUST SPEND TIME WITH HIM AND LEARN FROM HIM... WE MUST "TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY."

Closing

JESUS INSTRUCTED HIS DISCIPLES TO PRAY THAT THE LORD OF THE HARVEST WOULD SEND MORE WORKERS INTO THE FIELD. NOTICE THAT IT’S THE LORD’S FIELD, AND MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WE MUST BE PRAYING THAT GOD WILL SEND FORTH MORE WILLING WORKERS INTO THE WORLD IN AN EFFORT TO GET THE JOB DONE.

THE FIELD IS THE WORLD, AND THERE ARE SOME CRACK ADDICTS THAT NEED REHIBILITATING, SOME SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES THAT NEED A HELPING HAND, THERE ARE THOSE ON WELFARE WHO DON’T FARE WELL, THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE STUMBLING IN THE DARK PATHS OF SIN, WHO STAND IN THE NEED OF SALVATION, THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDENED WITH THE CARES OF THIS WORLD, AND WE NEED TO OFFER THEM JESUS WHO IS FAR BETTER THAN ANYTHING THIS WORLD HAS TO OFFER.IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU WANT TO DO...

-- JESUS HAS TOLD US WHAT TO DO...

TO BE AMBASSADORS -- REPRESENTING HIM

NEIGHBORS -- IMITATING HIM

WORSHIPPERS -- LISTENING TO HIM?

THE QUESTION TODAY IS NOT WHAT TO YOU WANT TO DO? BUT RATHER, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

GOD IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE COMMITTED TO THE ORGANISM THAN THEY ARE TO ORGANIZATIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, GOD IS LOOKING FOR THOSE WHO MORE COMMITTED TO THE CHURCH THAN THEY ARE TO THEIR CLUBS AND SOCIAL GROUPS. WE OUGHT TO FEEL GUILTY WHEN WE LET THE WORK OF THE CHURCH FALTER WHILE WE GIVE MORE TIME AND EFFORT TO WORLDLY GATHERINGS.

ALL OF US FROM THE PULPIT TO THE DOOR MUST BE PRAYERFUL AND DILIGENT IN OUR WORK FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. EVERYONE OF US OUGHT TO MAKE EVANGELISM A PRIORITY. ALL OF US OUGHT TO MAKE KINGDOM BUILDING OUR BUSINESS. AND MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, GOD WILL HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE IF WE NEGLECT THE TASK THAT HE HAS PLACED BEFORE US. THEREFORE, WE OUGHT TO BE BUSY TELLING THE WORLD THAT GOD IS IN THE HIRING BUSINESS.