Luke

Theme 1 : God works in human history and in the world to bring salvation but our faith is a vital component in his working out his plans and purposes in our lives. Mary responds with an attitude of faith and submission offering herself to the Lord to accomplish his purposes. The story of Simeon and Anna praying in the Temple for years before seeing Christ demonstrates how we should continually pray for Christ’s kingdom to be established in the world. The story of John the Baptist in Luke 2 demonstrates the importance of action as the people who heard him took action and surrendered their lives to God confessed their sins and became baptized as a pledge of their changed lives. Christ is strong in his faith and rebuked Satan overcoming his temptation by quoting scripture in Luke 4.

Theme 2 : Our faith is sustained by action and through our belief we live life as new people with the love Christ has given us being poured out. Levi when he is called by Christ acts out in faith and follows Jesus. As changed people we are called to live in an attitude of love to each other as part of our witness of lives whom have been changed by Jesus.

Theme 3: Christ has chosen to work with his followers in bringing the gospel to everyone. The sending out of the 72 followers of Christ reminds me of my need to be open to his leading and to be obedient to his call to follow him. In his teaching on prayer, Christ stated that a vital part of prayer was praying for God‘s kingdom. In Luke 12, Christ tells the parable of the Master returning suddenly in the night , which illustrates our need to be ready for his return by doing his work which involves sharing our faith in him with other people.

Theme 4: As believers in Christ , we need to surrender , everything God has given us for his Kingdom including , time , ability and resources. The parable of the Mustard Seed , shows how through having a faith in Christ, which is small our lives can still bear much fruit for the Kingdom. Christ in Luke 14, describes the process of discipleship as submitting to him , carrying the responsibilities he had given to us and following him. Luke 15 , tells the story of the Prodigal Son who comes home to the Father after living a wild life and squandering the money he was given , illustrating to me the love of God and reminding me how as a follower of Jesus , I need to give of myself to others and share the gospel with them. Luke 16 tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus and the Parable of the Shrewd Manager which remind me of the importance of living a life focused on the gospel and not on material goods.

Theme 5: As a Christian I need to live a life which worships and honors Christ and is based upon a desire to love him. In Luke 17, the story of the 10 lepers healed by Jesus , illustrates the need to be grateful to God and out of gratitude to worship and honor him. Luke 18, discusses having a persistent faith that comes back to the Lord and trusts in him. In Luke 19, I am reminded of the need to invest my resources and myself in Christ’s kingdom and to use them wisely for the Lord. In Luke 20, Christ taught that we were to give to the government , what is the government and to God what is his. This means that being a good citizen is a part of worshiping Christ and is a reflection of a person’s faith in him.

Theme 6: The need to be an ambassador of God’s gospel to all people. Christ’s discussion of his kingdom coming suddenly , reminds me of my need to share the kingdom with others as I do not know when he will return. Even when dying on the cross Jesus shared God ‘s grace with others and through this a thief dying with him comes to accept his gospel becoming a citizen in his kingdom. In Luke 24 Jesus before going back to God in heaven , tells us our mission as his followers is to be his ambassador’s in the world and to tell the whole world about his kingdom and gospel.