Luke 8:1-3

Luke 8:1-3
1 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

There are many different roles to be played in God’s mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all the nations.  Each of the roles are vital and are both recognized and rewarded by God.  God is in the business of transforming lives.  He takes us from a life of sin and selfishness to a life of sanctification and service.  God can use us in a variety of ways so we must be careful not to define our roles in such a way that we dedicate ourselves exclusively to one particular area of service.  There are different seasons to life and the needs or opportunities surrounding us may change so we should be open to expand or change our emphasis in service according to the need.

THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATION: Jesus and His disciples dedicated themselves to proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God in a variety of places.  This is the main goal of all ministry.  God has chosen to reveal Himself to man through words.  The Scriptures and the teaching of Scripture are the means through which God reconciles man to Himself.  As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are called to open our mouths and speak the truth about God to others.  We must care enough about others to talk to them.  Silence is easy and very selfish; God wants us to have the courage to open our mouths and speak.  The content of our message must be the kingdom of God.  Too often when we do speak it is about unimportant things like the weather or sports and we never really focus on the message of the Gospel.  Another tendency we have is to get comfortable with certain people, generally those who are similar to us.  Jesus and His disciples were constantly on the move going from one place to another.  God wants His kingdom to expand which requires mobility on the part of His disciples. 

THE MINISTRY OF CONTRIBUTION: The ministry of communication brought about the transformation of many people.  There are three women mentioned by name in this passage.  Mary had been liberated from seven daemons that tormented her.  Joanna was married to one of Herod’s stewards.  Susanna as well as many other men and women had heard the Gospel, been transformed by the Gospel and then dedicated themselves to serving those who were proclaiming the Gospel.  We all have practical and physical needs.  Unfortunately, those needs often turn into idols in our lives as our desires for bigger and better things can easily consume all of our time and energy.  Comfort must never become the priority of our lives.  Instead, we should invest our resources and our efforts to advance the kingdom by helping to provide for those who are engaged in the communication of the Gospel.  There was a group of people who provided for the physical needs of Jesus and His disciples.  They opened their homes to provide shelter for these men.  They gave them money in order to purchase food, clothing and other necessities.  They spend time cooking, cleaning and serving them in practical ways.  That does not mean that these people did not talk to others about Jesus.  Nor does it mean that those who proclaim the Gospel are exempt from giving, cooking, cleaning and serving in other practical ways.  All of these tasks are vital and worthy of our best efforts.


APPLICATION:  Have the courage to talk to other people about the Word of God and how the Gospel has transformed our lives.  Look for opportunities to take the Gospel to new locations where there is no access to the Gospel.  Give of our time, talents and money in order to meet the needs of those who are engaged in the work of spreading the Gospel.  Don’t become distracted by the desire to become more comfortable and working only to expand our own kingdom instead of God’s.

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