3 Surprising Lessons from Luke

I love the gospel story from Luke. This apostle presents a different portrait of Jesus and some very beloved stories found only in his gospel.

The Power of the Spirit

Throughout his writing, Luke emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit not just in the life of Jesus but in the ministry of the early church in Acts.

One of the most powerful presentations of the ministry of the Spirit occurs in Luke 4:1-14. This passage can teach us about how the Spirit of God works and how it can work in our lives.

The first movement of this work is found in verse 1 where Jesus was reported to be full of the Spirit. That is the first step for us as well. We receive the Holy Spirit when we are saved. When Jesus was baptized, he was full of the Spirit. When we ask God to fill us with his Spirit, he will always grant that request (Luke 11:13).

The second and very critical movement of this work is also found in verse 1 where Jesus was led by the Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit, we will be led by the Spirit. We must follow the Spirit’s leading in order to experience what God has in store for us. For Jesus this was forty days of fasting followed by powerful temptation by the devil.

When Jesus prevailed in resisting the temptation, being filled and led by the Spirit he began to work in the power of the Spirit (v.14). This power enabled him to do everything the Father wanted him to do: teach, heal, perform miracles and make disciples.

If we want to live in the power of the Spirit, we must be filled and led by the Spirit. We must follow without question or objection to wherever he leads us.

Denouncing Racism

We know the story of the Good Samaritan, but we often miss the lesson that is there. That parable arose from Jesus teaching that we love our neighbor as ourselves and the subsequent question of “who is my neighbor?”

In our culture, we lose the impact of the parable. We have stripped the meaning from the ‘good Samaritan’ in that we identify him with anyone who does something good for a stranger. That is only partially the point. The fact that this Samaritan crossed racial lines to minister to the man in need is very significant. He was willing to love someone racially different from himself.

Speaking strictly to American culture, it means we must love those different than ourselves: Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian or whatever.

Jesus teaches us to love one another no matter what differences we can see: skin color, language, dress or habits.

Recognizing our Privilege

The prodigal son is another story that has multiple meanings. We love the story of how the prodigal comes home and finds acceptance and forgiveness.

The older brother had a different attitude about the whole thing, however. He was angry that such a fuss was made over his brother who had been so irresponsible and reckless with his inheritance. He overlooked this important fact: everything his Father had was now his (Luke 15:31)! He worked hard without realizing how blessed he truly was.

When we are right relationship with God, we have an incredible inheritance. We should be thankful for this and rejoice greatly every day as we do the work God has asked us to do.

Get Serious

There are many other lessons in this wonderful book. I want to challenge you to find some lessons for yourself.

I would also like you to really think and pray about how these lessons should change you. Let God do the work in your life that he yearns to do so you can experience all he has for you!

Now available is the complete: Transformational Life Lessons from the Bible in Kindle format. Click here for more information.