The Open Word (Audio)

Before Jesus’s influence in their lives, the disciples were a motley crew of undisciplined, mostly uneducated, and unremarkable men. However, it is these very men that God used to change the world through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In today’s message, Pastor David teaches us in a message from Luke that God’s ways of doing things are not our ways. God uses the weaker things of this world to accomplish great works so that we might see His glory and give Him praise.

Sometimes God’s ways do not make sense to the limited human mind. Who would ever guess, for instance, that God Himself would take on the form of flesh and enter the world as a tiny fragile baby? However, it was through Abba’s plan that we receive forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. In today’s message, Pastor David teaches us that no one can understand the mind of God. His ways are not our ways. However, the Lord’s plan is perfect, and His timing is always right.

In today’s message, Pastor David asks us this important question: Are you bound to the letter of the law, or do you live your life in the spirit and the intent of the law? Those that are bound to the letter of the law live religious lives that look good on the exterior, but the inside thoughts and motives of these people reveal a lack mercy, compassion, and grace for other people. The people of God who walk in step with the Spirit obey the Lord out of love and devotion and are like Jesus in His love for Abba and others.

When the Lord God gave Moses the Law, He meant the Sabbath to be a day of rest and a blessing for Israel. However, the Pharisees had turned the Law into a heavy burden on the people by creating a crazy list of rules that people had to follow. In today’s message from Luke, Pastor David teaches us how Jesus answered the teachers of the law when they challenged the behavior of His disciples. The Lord’s answer proves that God made the Sabbath day holy so that His children would have a time of rest, not religious rules.

Jesus is the only Person to have ever lived a perfect and sinless life. However, the Lord is a friend to sinners. He dined with them when He walked the earth and sought them out to rescue them from the prison of sin. In today’s message, Pastor David teaches us that if our Lord reached out to save that which was lost, we too should be doing the same. It is a dangerous thing to insulate ourselves entirely from the world in a holy bubble, for if we do, we cannot carry out the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all.”

In Luke Chapter 5, Jesus visits the lucrative city of Capernaum. Upon entering the city, the Lord seeks out a tax collector named Levi and calls to the man to follow Him. Levi responded by leaving his post with no hesitation. In today’s message, Pastor David teaches us how Levi the tax collector became Matthew, the writer of one of the four Gospels. Pastor David also admonishes us to be inspired by Matthew’s unabashed and unreserved commitment to Jesus. Matthew was willing to leave his former life behind in service to the King of Kings.

Hell is a real place. It’s a real place that people that we know will go to forever, if they don’t accept Christ. Today, Pastor David will remind us that just like the men who loved their friend so much that they took Him to Jesus, we need to do the same thing. There is nothing in the entire world that we should be more passionate about than taking people to Him. Jesus saved their friend, He can save our friends too. Today, you still have time. One day, you won’t. What are you waiting for?

Choosing fruit can be quite the trick. Often an apple might look really red and juicy on the inside, but you open it up to a rotten core, or a banana looks ok at the store, but once home, it’s squishy and brown on the inside. Today, Pastor David will teach that it’s often the same with us. We might play the part really well. We go to church, go to bible study, and we might even host a small group. When on the inside, we are a mess, full of things that keep us from the relationship that Christ really desires.

Often we notice when something is different about someone. Maybe it’s a haircut, maybe new glasses. Maybe, they have been sick and now they are better. Whatever it is, we can usually tell when something has changed. Today, Pastor David will challenge us to look at ourselves and wonder if we are different. Not because of outwards changes, but because of a new spirit living in us. Are we different and changed because of Jesus? How many people can see Jesus in us? Is it obvious that we have been touched by the savior of the world?

Let’s think about a sports team for a minute. They all have many positions that make up the team. Imagine, if the players decided they wanted to be on the team, but they just wanted to sit on the bench and never play. It would make it very difficult for the team to have success, or accomplish what needs to be done. Today, we hear from Pastor David that the same is true for us as Christians. We need to be active participants. It’s not just about the “jersey” or being on the “roster”. We need to be an active part of helping the team accomplish the task at hand.