The oky’s Podcast

February 19 - Anointed to preach

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! This week, however, we are going to put a hold on the conversations dealing with why we believe what we believe. Today Kristi, Gavin and I travel to Costa Mesa California where we hope to plant a church by the end of the year. So I’m going to ask you all week long to pray with us. So I will share short prayers with you here on this podcast all week until we get back next Tuesday. In fact, I will be keeping you updated along the way so you know exactly what is happening and how to be praying for us. 
 
I also wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you who have sent some support to us while we are heading out. This is greatly appreciated and so incredibly helpful. We will be attending a conference that you have held us attend. We will be meeting with a few employment options while there, and will be praying over the city.
 
When we get back, I will be launching our online church. So be watching for that so you can join our journey at a deeper level. 
 
Our prayers over this week will be short and sweet. But I will give you direction as we pray, and will be asking you to pray the same thing for us. . As well as for you in the context you live in. We believe that each of us are called to ministry to those around us. So you are just as called as we are to minister to the community you live in. 
 
Let me read Luke 4:14 - 21
 
“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogue, and everyone praised him. 
 
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 
 
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 
 
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
 
Jesus is reading Isaiah 61:1-2 here. Now the scrolls weren’t broken up into verses. So it wasn’t like Jesus just opened a Bible to this verse and read it. Plus, scrolls were written in one long roll. And then rolled up so that the right side was able to roll up the scroll as the left side unrolled. Hebrew is read from right to left. But 61 chapters into it, means that 61 chapters of material needed to be unrolled and rolled back up into the opposite side. Yet Jesus seems to just unroll and go straight to the place that he was looking for. 
 
Then he says, “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
 
Everyone would have been amazed at his quick handling of the scripture, and his ability to get to the place he wanted with such ease. 
 
It makes me long for two things. 
Jesus was lead by the Spirit and empowered
The ability to navigate scripture so easily, that I can find the right passages for the context of the people I am ministering to. Scripture is vital for revealing the nature of God. My prayer for you and for me is that God would make us so diversified in our memorization of scripture, that we are able to easily find answers for whatever we walk through. So God, let the scriptures come alive. Let us be so aware of your revelation in them, that we are able to easily point to scripture as we lead others into your presence. 
I pray that we would be anointed to preach the gospel. Jesus wasn’t worried about the people he walked in and spoke to. If you knew how important this text was, you would know how scandalous it would have been for Jesus to say that He was fulfilling this Scripture. Yet he had an anointing to preach truth even if it wasn’t something that people would have liked. He simply spoke the truth in confidence. My prayer, is that you and I would be able to speak truth to the people around us. That they would hear the truth about God in a way that makes sense, instead of frustrates them. 
 
Please continue to pray this for us as well as for yourself. Let’s be people who God uses to show others his goodness and grace! Let’s be people full of God’s anointing. 
 
Now go and be light to someone in your community. Preach the gospel in your work place. Preach the gospel in your school. Be the gospel to everyone around you as you live out the life, that God designed for you to be in as you represent Christ. 

February 18 - why don't we see miracles

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today I want to quickly touch on a question from a listener who asks “Why don’t we see miracles anymore like in the Bible? Are they real? 
 
This is a great question that I will need to take you on a bit of a journey to unfold the answer. First off, let me read a verse you all have probably heard before, but it is important to this conversation.  
 
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
 
What does this verse mean to you? 
 
Let’s parse it out for a second. What are rulers? 
 
What about authorities?
 
Or the powers of this dark world? 
 
How about spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm? 
 
Listen to this verse and tell me what you think of it. . . 2 Corinthians 4:4
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
 
Who is the god of this age? 
 
And why does Paul call him a god? 
 
Ok, check out this verse - 
Psalm 82:1
“God presides in the great assembly; 
He renders judgment among the “gods”:
 
Now this verse has been often dismissed as simply talking about the rulers of Israel, yet the Hebrew word here is Elohim - meaning god, or godlike one. 
 
Exodus 15:11 says this, 
“Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you-majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
 
Who among the gods is like you? ?  What gods? ? 
 
Listen to what Jethro says to Moses when he hears of all the great things God has been doing for them. This is exodus 18:11
“Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”
 
What does he mean greater than ll other gods? 
 
In 1 Kings 9, God told David that he would bless him and the generations to follow if he would keep all of the commands God gave him. But then he gives him a warning about turning their heart from the Lord. List to what he warns him about. Starting in vs. 6, 
 
“But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have give you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel form the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.”
 
Go off and serve other gods? God almighty is saying this. Why does he address these other gods as if they were real? 
 
Ok, let’s change this up a bit. . . 
 
When Jesus traveled across the lake to the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed came out from the tombs and approached Jesus. Listen to what they said to him in Matthew 8:29 
“What do you want with us, Son of God?” They shouted “Have you come ere to torture us before the appointed time?”
 
How did they know to call him Son of God? 
 
And what is the appointed time they talked about? 
 
Listen to an incident int he synagogue that Mark tells us about in the 23rd verse of chapter 1. 
 
“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you at with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!”
 
Wait, the demon once again recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God, and wondered if he had come to destroy them. . . . Why? 
 
Listen to what happened in Ephesus in Acts 19:13 as some of the people tried to cast out demonic presence in the name of Jesus. . 
 
“Some of the Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “int he name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.”
 
What in the world is going on? 
 
Ok, last question? 
 
Do you confess to have a biblical worldview? 
 
If yes. What does that mean? 
 
If yes, what does that mean about the demonic, rulers and principalities? 
 
See, most American Christians who say they have a biblical worldview, only have a westernized version of a biblical worldview. 
 
Do you know that in other countries, they actually believe that there are rulers and authorities of the dark world that are in constant conflict with God’s plan? They are at battle with him, and anyone who would align with the LORD. 
 
Which, by the way, is the biblical worldview, as well as what we saw with Jesus. 
 
All throughout the Bible, there is an understanding that false gods, demons, spiritually dark forces of all sorts, continually fight against God and his people. 
And because of this, they believe the spiritual to be intertwined with the physical. The biblical worldview is that there are dark forces against God and his people. So they also know what is warned throughout scripture - don’t turn to these other gods. . . . 
You might be saying right now, but we don’t turn to other gods. . . why are you telling us this? 
 
I am blown away at how much demonic presence is in modern music. I remember a few years ago turning the award show off after the second performance in a row had people dressed in all red while dancing around the stage like devils. Not only in music, every October Netflix is flooded with demonic movies that specialize in supernatural experiences. Or how about the fact that people are willing to do whatever it takes to get followers on social media. We have so many influencers, and all they want is to be elevated to a place of higher power and authority over others as they build a name for themselves. . . do you know what all of this is? It’s bowing down to gods that actually have the power to destroy life.
 
See, the verses I read to start with about gods, the verse in the New Testament about the demons recognizing Jesus, and the verses with Paul and the other early church followers, all of these show the biblical world view. And this is a view that understands, there is a spiritual battle. And this battle is against the dark forces of this world that try to destroy, simply because they are against Yahweh. They recognize him because they know they can’t win. 
 
See, I think the biblical account is full of so many miraculous things, because they were alert and aware of the spiritual battle that was going on around them. They didn’t put their guard down, and they were making sure to keep themselves from the gods, demons, spiritual forces, and everything else that was in opposition of the Lord.  
 
I started with this verse
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
 
See, I think we don’t see miraculous things happen as often anymore, because we don’t really understand this verse. We think this verse is about some cute devil that people dress up as for halloween, and that is the extent of it all. But READ YOUR BIBLE FRIENDS!!! There is demonic, rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces all around us. The gods of the Old Testament, these weren’t just fake idols they worshiped. These were demonic forces that they bowed to. This is why God was so adamant that they didn’t intermingle with other nations. These demonic powers were bent on trying to invade God’s people. 
 
We have a real battle! And the more we let demonic things into our lives, the less likely we will be at seeing the power of God move in us. We are bending our knee to evil powers. 
 
But yes. . . . I do believe miracles are for today!!!!
 
Kristi hurt her achilles a few months ago. She couldn’t even walk. It happened all at once. I immediately freaked out because we didn’t have insurance at them time. So she said, “Well pray over it.” So we did. As soon as we said Amen, she stood up and it was completely fine! Again, a couple of nights ago her elbow started hurting. It was like it was popped out of socket or something - which I looked and can’t really happen to an elbow. Every time she tried to bend it, it would pop, and you could see it move to the side. . .it was weird. And it hurt her so bad, that she was scared to bend it. So again, she asked me to pray. I did. . . As soon as I said Amen, she bent it, and it didn’t pop. God healed it. . . 
 
See, God is wanting to do miracles. But we have to understand the spiritual forces around us are real. And if we are going to let them into our lives, we will limit the work we see God do in and through us. We have to understand that all these forces are trying to prevent us from knowing God. They don’t want us to see his glory and his power. So if we give them the chance, they will destroy our opportunity to see miraculous. 
 
But if we keep ourselves free from these things. The power of God will work around us. See, in the end God wins. Remember what the demons said to Jesus? They know he eventually gets rid of them and finishes this battle. In the mean time, God is looking for a people who would purify themselves, and keep away from the things of this world that oppose God’s plan. If we can do this, we will see miracles! I believe that for you! In fact, I pray that over you today! Let the miraculous power of God flow in and through you today! 

February 17 - slow to anger

February 16 - Caleb and Abraham

Listen to a Grove family update, 
If you would like to support our journey through immediate needs, please Zelle to 630-995-1253, PayPal at Michaelgrove1@icloudlcom, or give to long term need as we raise our $1.5 million dollar budget by going to Mesacitychurch.org
Thank you for your support! 
 

February 15 - A new command

February 14 - The Love of the Father

February 13 - The Sermon On the Mount

February 12 - lead like Jesus

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! This week we started a quick series on the life of Jesus. Today I want to jump to Mark 6:7-13
 
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to his, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 
 
These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff-no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or list4en to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 
 
They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”
 
Jesus was the absolute best model of a great leader that we could ever look to! 
 
This is one of the biggest leadership principles that he showed us. And it was how to multiply himself and raise up other leaders. I’ve been in ministry for 24 years and I will tell you, this is something that the church isn’t necessarily the best at doing this, but if they would, ministry would exponentially grow in ways we never could imagine. 
 
Here is what Jesus did. 
 
He first brought the disciples along and had them follow and watch what he was doing. They saw him do his miracles, heard his prayer life, and even witnessed his interactions with others. They were watching and learning the entire way. This is why he also shared the answers to parables with them that not everyone was privy to. He wanted his closest followers to be the ones who could understand his works and do the same things. 
 
Then after they witnessed and learned these things, he allowed them to try. Listen to Matthe4w 17:14-20
 
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” 
 
You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. 
 
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why codlin’t we drive it out?”
 
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move form here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
 
Jesus allowed them to try, and when they failed, he helped them learn. So he did while they watched, Then they did while he watched and helped them learn. Now in Mark 6, he sent them out to do on their own. 
 
This is true leadership. 
 
Jesus was about raising up the next generation of those would would minister.
 
This is a lesson we should all learn. 
 
First, if you are in the church, you should follow the practice of Jesus and teach others so that they can learn, and then release them to grow while you shepherd them, so that they can then go and do on their own while someone else learns from them. 
 
If you are a business owner, the more you invest in your team, the more they will succeed. And the more they succeed, the more your company will have success. 
 
And if you are just a Christian. . . . The more you invest in those around you, the more they will succeed. And the more they succeed, the more successful you will be in doin the things that God has called you to. 
 
So if you are going to learn and be like Jesus. . . invest in others! Help them grow so that you can see them reach their fullest potential. And in so doing, you will be a great leader! And you will be like Jesus! 
 
That’s all the time we have left for today. I love you, and God bless.

February 11 - Forgive Like Jesus

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! This week we started a quick series on the life of Jesus. Today we will continue that as we jump into more of Mark starting in chapter 2.
 
But first, let me ask you a question. . . 
 
Have you ever had someone in your life who was hard to forgive? 
 
Someone that you just couldn’t let go of the hurt and pain they caused you. 
 
Listen to what Paul tells the people of Ephesus. He says in Ephesians 4:31-32, 
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” 
 
Think about those words for a second. 
 
Just as in Christ, God forgave you….
 
We didn’t deserve it. 
 
We were technically God’s enemies, having moved in a direction against him. 
 
Yet Jesus died for us. 
 
And then calls for us to forgive other too. . You know what the hardest part of forgiveness is? Feeling like we weren’t justified. When someone has wronged us, they deserve to pay for what they did. So when we hear of someone forgiving a person who deserves to be punished, we get angry FOR THEM. We don’t want to hear that someone has gotten away with something or that someone is being let off the hook when they deserve to pay a steep price.
 
Listen to what happened in Mark 2. 
 
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “son, your sins are forgiven.” 
 
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 
 
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying , “we have never seen anything like this!”
 
So there were two things in question here. First, who does Jesus think he is that he has the power to forgive someone of sins. That isn’t his place. But Jesus knew this was the thoughts that they were thinking. So he told them that he was doing this so that they would know he had the power to do such a thing.  . . 
 
But the second thing Jesus is actually addressing is this man’s right to deserve it. Think about this, the crowd was so big that there was no way to get in to see Jesus. So these guys climbed up, dug a whole through the roof, lowered the man down, and cut to the front of the line. I imagine people would have been annoyed with these guys. They were cutting and putting themselves before others.
Now I don’t know about you, but when I see someone cut me off, or if someone obviously doesn’t care how long I have been waiting or what I deserve, I want the worst for them. I will cut a bad driver right back off. I will yell at the person in a construction zone who drives up the shoulder and cuts into the front of the line in order to keep from waiting. . . 
 
So I don’t like it when others get something when they don’t deserve it. 
 
But Jesus. . . he stars by saying that his sins are forgiven. 
 
He doesn’t give him a lecture on waiting his turn. 
 
He doesn’t try to explain to others what this man’s needs are and justify why it’s ok for him to cut. He simply said. . . Your sins are forgiven. 
 
I think we like to hold onto others sins. We like the idea that we have something over them that makes us feel better about ourselves. We want to feel justified being valued and honored ahead of others. But Jesus jumps right to forgiveness. In fact, it’s the summary of his ministry on this earth. He brought forgiveness for all people. 
 
And he would ask you to do the same. 
 
Forgive those who offend you. 
 
Be gracious to those who you are annoyed with. 
 
After Jesus had died and rose again, he want to his disciples to empower them into the same ministry of reconciliation that he was about. We read these words of Jesus in John 20:21-23,
 
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
 
See, Jesus gave us the power to forgive those who do wrong against us. It’s part of bringing peace. We can choose to hold the sins and wrongs of others against them. But when we do this, it only leaves unforgiven hurts and pains. Or, we can be the people of God who were given the ministry of peace. And in this ministry, we can be like Jesus. Which if this is what we choose, will lead us to forgiveness. . . 
 
So who do you need to forgive today? Who has wronged you, disregarded your feelings, cut in and budged you out of something you deserved, or even just selfishly ignored you so they could receive their blessing? The challenge today, is to be like Jesus. Before any explanation, before any justification of their actions or your right to be angry. . . Forgive them. If we were this quick to forgive, think about how peaceful the world would be.. 
 
So forgive. 
 
And when you do, ,you are practicing the way - of Jesus. . . . . .

February 10 - Jesus saw the lonely and hurting

You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Yesterday we started a quick series on the life of Jesus. Today we will continue that as we jump into more of Mark 1. 
 
Let’s start in vs. 14
 
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
 
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. 
 
When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. 
 
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you-the Holy One of God!” 
 
“Be quiet!” Said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 
 
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching-and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
 
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 
 
That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. 
 
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 
 
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages- so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So they traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. 
 
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 
 
Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 
 
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing,, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. 
 
 
 
Jesus was indignant. . . That’s what verse 41 said. 
 
What do we see in this last half of Mark 1? 
 
Jesus, and people. Not just any people, but those who were in need. IN fact, the one who called out to Jesus for help was a person with leprosy. And what was it that this person said to Jesus? Look at vs 40 again. 
 
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 
 
Why this terminology? IF YOU ARE WILLING. . . 
 
The man is down on his knees. This implies that he was brought to a lowly spot. Now, we don’t know anything about this man. His family. . His job. .  We don’t know if he was a person of prestige or a lowly peasant. But we know in this moment, his disease has caused him to feel the pain of being brought low. He is begging Jesus for help. 
 
And then his words. . . If you are willing. . . 
 
Why these words? 
 
Well for a leper, it was a lonely and heartbreaking disease. You were cast out of your community, and left to fend for yourself. Often, family members would abandon you because of their fear of catching this highly contagious disease. So when the man said, “if you are willing. . .” this indicates the let down he was already feeling. 
 
He could have had loved ones and people he thought would help him - actually let him down. They didn’t care for him and now he was out on his own. . . 
 
Yet listen to Jesus’s response. Vs. 41 - Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 
 
How was the man cleansed? 
 
Jesus verbally told him to be clean. 
 
Yet he still reached out and touched the man. Why? 
 
Because what we learn from Jesus in this second half of Mark 1, is that he sees people. And he has compassion on them and is willing to not only be with them, but touch them. He wasn’t scared of what others thought, or worried for his own self. He wanted people to know his love and receive life. You see, a leper probably hadn’t been physically touched by anyone since they got sick. And as a sign of closeness and relationship, Jesus put his hand on the man. This wasn’t what needed to happen for healing the disease. This was what needed to happen for healing the heart. See, Jesus cares about people. He sees the ones who have been outcast, sick, hurt, demon possessed, and lonely. And he doesn’t just preach to them. He sees them and relates to them. He touches them and heals their pains. When everyone else would kick them out of their community and alienate them, treating them like the disease they carry - Jesus found himself right in the middle of them - loving them. 
 
If there is one thing this world needs more of right now, it is a people who will act like Jesus. A people who will see everyone right where they are, and put the work in to love them. To sit with the broken, place a gentle touch of compassion on the alienated, look into the eyes of the ashamed and fearful, and let them know they are loved. 
 
Listen, politically we are a divided nation. And unfortunately that divide has eaten up people. Both sides spew hate and frustration at the people opposing them. Yet we were called to a different standard. As people who long to imitate Jesus, we are called to love so deeply, that people go away transformed! When our pride, or even fear, gets in the way of us loving others, we are doing this all wrong! Be a person who strives to love others so well, that even the most outcasted, rejected, alien feels nothing but the love of Jesus as you talk about them, encounter them, and live along side of them. If you do this, you will truly be living like Jesus. 
 
That’s all the time we have left for today. I love you, and God bless.