Heralds Digest

“He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’ ” Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:23-24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.4.23-24.nkjv There is no doubt that the movement and the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry were inspired by the Spirit. After the opening of miracles in Capernaum based on the simple response of the people to “Whatsoever He says unto you, do it”, the prospects of being one of the beneficiaries of the move of Spirit was rejected in Nazareth on their familiarity with Jesus “Is not this Joseph’s son?”. Instead of being a recipient of the freedom through the Spirit, the people of Nazareth became the recipients of the freeze in the move of the Spirit. Whereas, even when man restricts the physical move of the body and their emotions, miracles and the move of the Spirit...

“Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.4.13.nkjv The experience of Jesus Christ with the devil, especially when He was under the influence of the Holy Spirit, instructs everyone that temptation works more by interference rather than by inspiration. Had there been contentment where the devil wait for anyone to willingly sellout for satanic inspiration, the kingdom of darkness would have been fully decimated by divine interference and the inspiration by the Spirit of the Lord. Whereas, Jesus’ fellowship in the Spirit was interrupted by an urgent need to respond to the body’s need of food, frenzy, and fame. It implies that, believers need not wait for temptation with food at the restaurant; frenzy at the casino; and fame on a dedicated day for worldly contest. Every opportunity to trample on the need of the soul at the expense of the need of the body is a temptation time. Unfortuna...

“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli...the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:23, 38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.3.23,38.nkjv The revelation of the sonship of Jesus through the book of genealogy or as descendant from God has often undermined the desirable faith in His divinity. While the ‘as was supposed’ understanding provides the historical perspective of the sonship, the wholesome revelation of the scriptures for all humanity is the understanding of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Unlike the understanding of the carnal sonship, the sonship of Jesus Christ speaks of the power of God to save humanity from the bondage of sin and death; the power to adopt all lost souls into the family of God both here and through all eternity; and the power to keep all His righteous children away from the encroachment of the devil and the power of darkness. Those w...

“So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.3.10-11.nkjv One of the ills of a free state that communism had attempted to heal is the concept of greed in man. Naturally, man wants to take advantage of opportunities, privileges, and resources at the expense of other’s welfare. And since the society appears to celebrate smartness in the art of exploitation, the heart of man prefer the ‘to get’ rush rather than the ‘to give’ reward. Therefore, the central message in the call to repentance from John the Baptist for those who sincerely want to respond to the demand of social relevance is “let him give to him who has none”. The love of God is built on the gift of life to everyone whose life has been caught short by sin and death. Anyone who can give his better toys of the material things to ot...

“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.3.6.nkjv Anyone who has ever experienced the taste of frustration in an effort to encourage a positive change in the life of people within his sphere of influence would always wonder how John the Baptist mean by “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God”. The beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist had witnessed significant self-preparation in the wilderness: every valley filled; every mountain levelled; and crooked paths straightened, in order to prepare the way of the Lord. It implies that it was the way to the heart of John that was first straightened ahead the people’s ability to see the salvation of God. If people cannot see the salvation of God in what we do freely, they can hardly see the salvation of God in what we say carefully.

“So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:48-49‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.2.48-49.nkjv The custody of a child in broken homes is always a messy circumstance and mostly a nightmare experience for the upbringing of useful children in the society. However, healthy homes sometimes are not completely exempted from the challenges of custody in a parent-children relationship. While the 3-day frustrating experience of the Boy Jesus’ parents during the search for the missing child in Jerusalem does not encourage disobedience and a lack of submission from children to the authority of parents, it does open the hearts of parents to the need to allow a possible interference of the Heavenly Father while exercising the parents’ right to child custody. Instead o...

“and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:37-38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.2.37-38.nkjv While Simeon’s testimony provides the source of perfect peace, the revelation of Prophetess Anna enlightened the hearts of the people about the source of a reliable redemption. However, it is instructive to note that it is impossible for anyone to have peace from all forces within, without redemption from all elements without. The deceitfulness of struggle in our broken world is that life’s satisfaction can come from an increase in material possessions, advancement in political or professional positions, migration to region of high standard of living, etc. Unfortunately, many always get their useful life wasted on mundane things at the expense of a...