Luke 6:20 ¶ Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 24 "But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Because we have the Spirit we know that Jesus is dealing with those who live for the now. Those who want to have heaven on earth in a sense. We don’t find Jesus making elaborate attempts to clarify His communications with the people. He let what He said stand just as He said it. If they were able to receive it then the Holy Spirit was at work in them making them able. If they were not able, then they were without the Spirits revelation. Jesus did not dumb it down, or repackage it for them in an effort to reach more of them.
The fact is there are people who know they need something and those who think they have it already.
Jesus was not conducting a felt needs ministry when he was stating these things. He was teaching us that those who have not discovered their true needs will not find His offer of any value. The Holy Spirit makes us aware of the truth and reveals to us Christ.
To rightly speak the word takes faith on our part. It takes faith to believe that the word rightly spoken and kept true is all the Father needs to work in the heart of someone He is drawing to Christ.
John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Can anyone come to Jesus without the Father drawing him?
A change of tactics, or twisting of words will not produce the fruit of salvation. The Holy Spirit works through the truth of God’s word in the heart. Either the Father is working in them, or He is not. This frees us to simply speak the truth in love and let God do the work of bringing in those who are meant to come in.
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
