Luke 18:9-14 – In The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus contrasted one who thought he was righteous and another who knew he was not. If we believe our works to be righteous, we reveal our hearts to be unrighteous.
Each of us experiences temptation throughout our lives. We have an intentional enemy who knows where, when, and how to attack us in vulnerable areas of weakness. Ignoring his tactics will not make you impervious to personal setbacks.
Luke 4:1-13 – Satan tempted Jesus when He was isolated and weakened. When temptation comes to us at opportune times for failure, we must stay connected to Jesus.
Luke 17:7-10 – Jesus taught that those who serve God should not become entitled. Even if we do all God commands of us, we are still unworthy servants who should still be amazed to belong to Him.
Luke 15:11-32 – In The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus showed the grave mishandling of the religious community to those whose lives were being changed. We cannot confuse our relationship with the Father as something we deserve.
Luke 10:25-37 – In The Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus challenged the stereotypes of religious people. Those who are people of the Kingdom show compassion to others.
Parables were Jesus’ Kingdom truths contained in memorable stories. His paradigm-shifting call within them is just as radical for us today. As we study these stories, they are guaranteed to alter our own.
Ministry often happens by unexpected opportunities, but they are often crafted and even encouraged by intentional gatherings. Programs aren’t evil. They are even somewhat necessary.
Fearful people often have something that helps ground them when life gets challenging or anxious. For Linus, it really is a security blanket. So what causes him to drop his should encourage us to drop ours as well.
The four Gospels all tell the story of Jesus but are delivered to different audiences from different perspectives. To understand the truth contained fully within them, we must understand the context in which they were written.