MATTHEW 4:23-25 – And Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”
THEME OF THE DAY: SPREADING THE FAME OF THE LORD JESUS. He had to get out. No one was doing what Jesus was doing, teaching what Jesus was teaching, and proclaiming the message Jesus was preaching could possibly remain a secret. And He didn’t. Matthew says, “So His fame spread throughout all Syria.”
Have we pondered how that happened – the news of Jesus spreading like wildfire resulting in “great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan”? Obviously it was not the “cool, modern” website Jesus created. Nor was it some creative and “relevant” outreach strategy to get His name into the culture. Social media? Jesus didn’t have a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account. So how did His fame spread near and far creating an incredible buzz of curiosity and seeking crowds? People. Real people. Not technology Real people telling real stories of the Lord Jesus and their encounters with Him either by hearing or healing.
Friends, what happened through people a long time ago when Jesus walked upon the earth is to happen through people today in our 21st century world and those people are us, His people. Our single most important thing and mission in life is to make much of the Lord Jesus in our private lives and to be spreading forth His fame in our public lives, the relationships God has given us, as well as all our spheres of influence.
In Jesus’ High Priestly prayer, He prays for us to understand we are people on mission, His mission, not a people living in the world for our pleasure and worldly pursuits. In the second part of His prayer, He specifically is petitioning for His disciples, but the principle applies to all believers for all of time – Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth (John 17:17-19). We are people set apart by God the Father for His purposes just as the Lord Jesus, Himself, was set apart by God the Father for His purposes.
Now the application. Are we people spreading forth the fame of the Lord Jesus to a lost and dying world? May we look into our lives, even the past year since we are into a new year, and thank the Lord for using us to spread His message and Person? It is a serious issue demanding thorough examination because our faith is a “passed down” faith. We are responsible in our generation and our short journey on earth to be spreading the fame of the Lord Jesus. Let’s ensure we are on that mission. It is our privilege and responsibility.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to spread the message and Person of Your Son in all spheres of my influence.”
QUOTE: “Spreading the Gospel and Person of Christ, who is the Gospel, is our single most important thing we do in life.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim