Something that has been with me for some time now is a significant aspect of Yahuhua's ministry that many seem to have overlooked.
I have to admit I only stumbled upon it myself - so this may be of interest to those who want to know about growth in the Word. Luke 4:17 tells us that Yahushua (Jesus) read from the scroll of Isaiah 61:1. Luke 4:17-21 – New International Version The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "the Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. This was a wonderful moment - that few would dispute He truly was the chosen one that was sent by the Father in heaven - and I am sure I would have leaped for joy at hearing these words. Indeed, my heart does leap, even now, at the thought – He was with us in the flesh. My soul rejoices everyday at the thought He is with us in the spirit – even to this day. I have noticed something in the text that is worth giving attention to. It says: 'He rolled us the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.' Think about this for a moment... When you are in Bible study among your fellow Brothers and Sisters, do you close the book and sit back? No, the Bibles are duly open with our attention firmly fixed on hearing the Word of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. What am I trying to say here? Yahushua had studied the scripture so diligently He was able to ‘close the book’ as I call it to do His ministry. Furthermore, when you look at His walk closely – we can see He didn’t seek to prove the priests were in error using scripture to make is understanding known. He chose people who had little knowledge of the scripture to hear how He had noticed the laws can be placed in the heart and that is what He taught those who were willing to listen to His words. For example - He said in Matthew 5:43-45 – New International Version You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. I find it fascinating how He must have understood this when He read and studied the scripture. It is clear He had the loving guidance of the Holy Spirit with Him as He surrendered Himself to the wisdom of the Father that allowed Him to grow in the Word of God. He was never interested in proving anything – so we need to appreciate it is un-Christ-like to argue scripture for the sake of proving a point. There are many instances when He put the priests – who did seek to use scripture to try and prove Him wrong – in their place by saying things that were no in scripture. For example: When the priests tried to trick Him with matters of finance He said: give that which belongs to Caesar to Caesar and give that which belongs to the Father to the Father. I hear you asking: where is this all leading to. Well… that’s the whole point I’m making here. Yahushua studied the scripture until He became the living embodiment of the Word of God – and we too can task ourselves to achieve the same thing. I’ve heard many people tell me: “When I read the same verse again after a short while – I get something different. It’s amazing.” This fills them with a sense of awe and wonder – and quite rightly too – because it means they are growing in the Word of God each time they come to the Lord when they take to the scripture. I can tell you: with the exception of prophecy - I rarely ever get something different when I take to the scripture – because I see how the Lord is saying the same thing from a different perspective. Increasingly, however, I can see how all of scripture is prophetic – especially Genesis. The point I’m making here is this: if you come to a point where you get the same thing from scripture – it means you are ready to ‘close the book’ and walk the walk as Yahushua did. …and may God bless your journey |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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