Isaiah 61:1-2 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me,
because the LORD has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners,
2to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of our God’s vengeance..”
Remembering
Right before I got to this passage of Scripture this
evening, the Lord brought to mind a ministry my husband and I used to have to
college students and to college age adults out of our home from January of 1999
to May of 2006 (7.5 years). Our oldest son, David, found some old videos of our
times together with these young people, and my husband Rick and I were so much
enjoying those memories. For those young adults became family to us, and we
still consider them as our family, and we do miss our times with them.
Every Sunday evening we opened our home to them (or sometimes
we met in a building of a local church), and we had times of fellowship,
friendship, enjoying one another, and singing songs of worship to God. And some
of the students played musical instruments. There was much singing, rejoicing,
Bible study, and prayer, and we shared a meal together, too. And we got
involved in their lives and they got involved in our lives, and we did things
together, and we went to their concerts and graduation ceremonies, too.
Also today we heard from a friend of ours who is looking to
perhaps begin a house church. And he has been talking with us about what church
should really look like biblically, rather than what so many have been turned
into. And we are in agreement with him, that church is the body of believers in
Christ, and not the building, and it is to be for all of us to participate, and
not just for a select few, and we are to be ministering to one another, and
using our gifts given to us by God. And all this was brought to mind today.
Our Gatherings
So, when we come together as the church, the body of Christ,
it is not for us to have to go to a building called “church” where we all sit
in rows and while only a select few get to sing or play musical instruments or
preach or teach for the encouragement of the body of Christ. The majority of
those within these gatherings largely sit as spectators but do not get to use
their spiritual gifts and ministries for the encouragement of the body of
Christ, as a whole. And so the body is not operating as it should. It is all
lopsided.
Yet we read in Acts 2:42 about the New Testament church
gatherings: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” And “they continued to
meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing
their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the
favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved” (vs 46-47). And this is what our gatherings should look like.
But “the temple of God” is no longer a building, and it is
not a building called “church.” We who believe in Jesus Christ are that temple
of God. We are the church. And we can gather together anywhere where we are
invited or permitted to meet, on any day of the week, and at any hour of the
day, but where everyone attending is included in some way, and where every
follower of Christ is given opportunity to use his or her gifts of the Spirit
for the encouragement and uplifting of the body of Christ in obedience to our
Lord.
Called to Preach
Now, on the day of Pentecost, both men and women prophesied
in a mixed assembly of men and women declaring the words of the Lord to the
people. And Peter quoted the words of Joel which stated (Acts 2:17-18 BSB):
“17In the last days, God says,
I will pour out My Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on My menservants and maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.”
And to prophesy is not just future telling, but it is to
proclaim the words of the Lord, i.e. to preach. And God has called both men and
women to prophesy, to preach, to proclaim the words of the Lord. And this can
be done in mixed company under the authority of the spiritually qualified
overseer, as tested against the Scriptures to make certain that what is being
preached is biblically sound. And this does not necessitate any female usurping
authority over men, and it must be done in an orderly manner, as given
permission.
For we live in a day and time when there are becoming fewer
and fewer biblically qualified men to serve as pastors and elders and to preach
the truths of the Scriptures to the people. And we live in a day and time, as
well, when not many gatherings of “the church” are meeting the biblical
qualifications of who the church is and what she is supposed to be doing. And
so we need men and women of God, anointed of the Lord, to preach the good news,
to be given permission to preach the truth in our gatherings.
But the “good news” is not “invite Jesus into your heart and
now you are saved and on your way to heaven, done deal.” The good news is that
Jesus gave His life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with Him
so that, by faith in Him, we will deny self, die to sin, and follow Him in
walks of obedience to His commands, in holy living. He died to set us free from
captivity (addiction) to sin. And His grace is training us to renounce
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and
godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return for His faithful bride.
But we are also to declare the day of our God’s vengeance,
i.e. that all who do not, by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, deny self, die to
sin, and obey God, in practice, that they will not have salvation from sin and
eternal life with God, regardless of what their lips profess. We cannot leave
that out of the gospel message. For if sin remains our practice, and not
obedience to our Lord and to His commands, then we will not inherit eternal
life with God. So, be those who are living for the Lord, and share the truth of
the gospel with the people, and not the “feel good” stuff so many are craving
today.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts
26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians
5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14;
Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation
3:1-22]
Anointed to Preach the Good News
An Original Work / August 15, 2026
Christ’s
Free Servant, Sue J Love
Should I Not Preach Jesus
Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13
An Original Work /
July 4, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Woe to me should I
not preach Jesus.
I’m compelled to
preach the full gospel.
I make myself a
slave to ev’ryone
To win their hearts
to Christ.
All this I do for my
Lord Jesus,
And for the sake of
His Name;
Do it for the sake
of His gospel,
So that I, its
blessings gain.
Scripture notates
the sins of others;
Written down for us
as examples
To keep us from
setting our hearts
On evil as did those
of old.
Do not worship other
gods of man;
Do not give your
hearts to them;
Not partake in
immorality.
Do not test your
Lord and King.
So, be careful if
you think you are
Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.
God has given his
word to warn us,
So through faith we
will not fall.
No temptation has
o’ertaken you
Except what is
commonplace.
God is faithful to
not let you be
Tempted past what
you can bear.
He gives the way of
escape.
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