Day 19

Day Nineteen
Matthew 4: 23 – 25 And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him from Galilee and Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
You will notice that the purpose of Jesus ministry was to preach the gospel, a pattern that His disciples continued to follow after Christ's resurrection, why? I propose to you today the true power that many believers seek lies in the heart of the gospel, so what is the gospel? Strong's concordance describes the gospel as good tidings, good news, and glad tidings of the Kingdom to come; today we might describe the gospel as hope. After the resurrection of Jesus the gospel became a message of hope through Jesus, the messiah, the savior, the ultimate payment for our sins, our only hope. Jesus knew that what the people really needed was hope, hope for a future, hope for a life without pain, tribulation, sorrow, and fear, a life of joy. The power of the message of Christ was not in the divine healings or deliverances He performed upon the people. No that was rather the method or avenue He used to establish His ultimate earthly reign and power over satan, His display of power and compassion for His people. The true power was in the hope for without hope people give up, give in, and eventually fall in to despair. Hope for earthly healing brought the people to Christ yet the message He preached to those and the others who followed Him was the message of the gospel, the ultimate and eternal healing. I would imagine the entourage of Jesus looked something like this; there were the devoted believers who heard the message and believed, then the semi skeptics who believed only after seeing the power then hearing the truth. Next were those who witnessed the miracles and believed as long as they saw them. You know them, they can't wait to get to Church to see the next performance and within a short time are back to their old habits, never really changing just observing and getting their endorphin release at each service or event. And on the outer edge the proud the few, the walking dead, those who have become too intelligent to believe such unproven non-scientific rubbish. Their only intent and desire to convert others to their higher wisdom. All the while touting the impending failure and ultimate downfall of this prophet. You see things really haven't changed much have they? These same people are all around us today, and yet even the proud deep down are seeking the hope that lies in the gospel, and for us that gospel includes Jesus. The question for you today is twofold, what do you seek, and what do you speak, are you seeking the hope, the relationship with your father, or are you seeking the next event, or so called great move of God? Remember the greatest miracle performed was the death and resurrection of Christ, and even though He still allows miracles the truly next great move of God will be His return.
Daily Prayer: Father help us to seek and speak the hope of eternal life thru Christ Jesus for in that Lord we know there lies the greatest power of all. Amen.
"Hope will last an eternity, memory fades with time"
Gene Burroughs Servant