Luke 9:1-9
As I shared last week, this week it is you who will share on our passage today in Luke – this will be the content of our expanded sharing time. Actually, I thought we could break our sharing time into three parts. The first portion will focus on this particular passage in Luke, the second portion will be a bit more general – feel free to share anything the Lord has been teaching you recently. And the third portion will focus on prayer requests. Following this, we will spend time in prayer and then we will take communion, remembering our Lord with the bread and the cup.
Why do we do sharing times? Because God gifts each one of us to be a blessing to one another, and because God wants us to use our gifts. If you gave someone a wonderful gift, such as a new car, how would you feel if that person just left the gift parked in their driveway and never drove it? Imagine that you went to talk to the person. “Don’t you like the car I gave you?” “Oh, yes! I love it! It is so pretty to look at!” “Look at? I think you don’t understand. I didn’t give you the car to look at it; I gave it so you could drive places.” And just as our imaginary car would be given to drive, in the same way God’s gifts are given to be used.
The Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, reminded people to let others use their gifts.
If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. – Romans 12:6-8
I believe all of these gifts can be used in a sharing time. A heart of serving, of teaching, of encouraging, of giving, of demonstrating leadership, of showing mercy – all of these things come out in how we say what we say. The things God puts on our hearts He puts on our hearts in such a way so that His gifts are expressed. So I encourage you today, even if you didn’t think about this passage during the week, even if you have never shared before – don’t leave His gift in the driveway! Use it!
Here is the passage from Luke:
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. – Luke 9:1-6
Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see Him. – Luke 9:7-9
So as we think about this passage, let us put our chairs in a circle, and at the same time, individually, ask the Lord to put on your heart what He would have you share.
Some questions about the passage:
1. What might it mean when it says Jesus “gave them power and authority”? Does this apply to us? What does it mean for us?
2. Why do you think Jesus wanted them to take nothing for the journey – not staff (no protection, no help), no bag (no makeup, no deodorant), no bread (no food), no money (no credit cards either), no extra tunic (change of underwear)? What is a principle here that applies to us? [Note that the details are not for us, and not even for them for all time – see Luke 22:35-38]
3. What’s the deal about shaking dust off their feet? Does this apply to us?
4. Why do you think Jesus sent the twelve at that time – even though they didn’t really know the gospel yet?
5. Why do you think Luke mentions Herod? Did Herod see Jesus? Why not? Are there “Herod”s today?
Turn to Genesis 14:17. I think this short passage is a powerful symbol of our position in Christ. We take the bread and the cup to remind us of what He has done for us – we do it to remember Him. Jesus bled and died on the cross, becoming our redeeming sacrifice for us. The bread and the cup remind us of His body and His blood. Everything He suffered, He suffered for us, to bless us with the greatest blessing there could ever be – reconciliation with God, forgiveness, and eternal life with Him.
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth." – Gen. 14:17-19
The Book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our Great High Priest on the order of Melchizedek. I would say that just as Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, so did Jesus, except that Jesus’ bread and wine were His own body and His own blood. And Jesus brought them out to bless us! Based on this passage in Genesis, as applied to Jesus, we can say,
“Then Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords brought out His own bread and wine. He was High Priest of God Most High, and He blessed me/you [use names] saying “Blessed be [use names] by God most High, Creator of heaven and earth.”
Let us now remember what it cost Jesus to bless us. Let us remember His bread and His wine with the bread and cup. As I play quietly on the keyboard, spend some time thanking Him for what He has done for you, and when you are ready, come up and take the bread and cup back to your seat, partaking of them when you feel ready to do so.
Why do we do sharing times? Because God gifts each one of us to be a blessing to one another, and because God wants us to use our gifts. If you gave someone a wonderful gift, such as a new car, how would you feel if that person just left the gift parked in their driveway and never drove it? Imagine that you went to talk to the person. “Don’t you like the car I gave you?” “Oh, yes! I love it! It is so pretty to look at!” “Look at? I think you don’t understand. I didn’t give you the car to look at it; I gave it so you could drive places.” And just as our imaginary car would be given to drive, in the same way God’s gifts are given to be used.
The Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, reminded people to let others use their gifts.
If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. – Romans 12:6-8
I believe all of these gifts can be used in a sharing time. A heart of serving, of teaching, of encouraging, of giving, of demonstrating leadership, of showing mercy – all of these things come out in how we say what we say. The things God puts on our hearts He puts on our hearts in such a way so that His gifts are expressed. So I encourage you today, even if you didn’t think about this passage during the week, even if you have never shared before – don’t leave His gift in the driveway! Use it!
Here is the passage from Luke:
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. – Luke 9:1-6
Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see Him. – Luke 9:7-9
So as we think about this passage, let us put our chairs in a circle, and at the same time, individually, ask the Lord to put on your heart what He would have you share.
Some questions about the passage:
1. What might it mean when it says Jesus “gave them power and authority”? Does this apply to us? What does it mean for us?
2. Why do you think Jesus wanted them to take nothing for the journey – not staff (no protection, no help), no bag (no makeup, no deodorant), no bread (no food), no money (no credit cards either), no extra tunic (change of underwear)? What is a principle here that applies to us? [Note that the details are not for us, and not even for them for all time – see Luke 22:35-38]
3. What’s the deal about shaking dust off their feet? Does this apply to us?
4. Why do you think Jesus sent the twelve at that time – even though they didn’t really know the gospel yet?
5. Why do you think Luke mentions Herod? Did Herod see Jesus? Why not? Are there “Herod”s today?
Turn to Genesis 14:17. I think this short passage is a powerful symbol of our position in Christ. We take the bread and the cup to remind us of what He has done for us – we do it to remember Him. Jesus bled and died on the cross, becoming our redeeming sacrifice for us. The bread and the cup remind us of His body and His blood. Everything He suffered, He suffered for us, to bless us with the greatest blessing there could ever be – reconciliation with God, forgiveness, and eternal life with Him.
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth." – Gen. 14:17-19
The Book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our Great High Priest on the order of Melchizedek. I would say that just as Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, so did Jesus, except that Jesus’ bread and wine were His own body and His own blood. And Jesus brought them out to bless us! Based on this passage in Genesis, as applied to Jesus, we can say,
“Then Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords brought out His own bread and wine. He was High Priest of God Most High, and He blessed me/you [use names] saying “Blessed be [use names] by God most High, Creator of heaven and earth.”
Let us now remember what it cost Jesus to bless us. Let us remember His bread and His wine with the bread and cup. As I play quietly on the keyboard, spend some time thanking Him for what He has done for you, and when you are ready, come up and take the bread and cup back to your seat, partaking of them when you feel ready to do so.
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