By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY
THEME: LUKE: FAITHFUL PHYSICIAN, SERVANT, AND COMPANION
SCRIPTURE: Acts 5:32
“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
REFLECTIONS:
The heroes and heroines of the kingdom are diverse but converge at the same point of faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:1, “. . . To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” The diversity is a unique reflection of God’s love and appreciation for variety. Also, it portrays how the sacrifice of Christ is universal and non-discriminatory. Paul rightly declared we are of one blood. Acts 17:26 explains, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” This further accentuates the beauty and awe-inspiring role of the Holy Spirit in choosing and empowering people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, stations, temperaments, talents, and gifts. Though varied, all human races end up as God’s creation. Genesis 1:27 confirms, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
One of the unsung heroes of the New Testament is Luke – very little is known about him. But he has two excellent volumes of the Bible books to his credit – The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Some Bible Scholars call his gospel “the most beautiful book in the world” (Lockyer, 1958). His writing, as assessed by Bible scholars, confirms that he was highly educated. This Gentile by ethnicity and a physician by profession symbolizes how the Holy Spirit can dismantle boundaries and barriers, pick anyone from anywhere, and imbue them with special virtues and abilities to carry on with the mission of God. Paul addressed him in Colossians 4:14 – “Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.” Verses 10 and 11 reveal that Luke was not a Jew. His presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ is beautiful. He depicts Jesus defeating the evil forces with forgiveness, self-sacrificing, and agape love.
Luke was a faithful companion. He accompanied Paul through all his missionary journeys and documented details of the apostles’ accomplishments with such accuracy, exactitude, and literary correctness. Though a physician, he learned to become a meticulous and reliable historian. At a point, Paul remarked in 2 Timothy 4:11, saying, “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.” Luke beautifully connects humanity to God as he traces Jesus’ genealogy to Adam, the son of God (Luke 3:23-38). Luke’s love for and his understanding of Jesus Christ is unique. To Luke, Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the savior of humankind, and the restorer of hope for everyone, irrespective of their vocation. In Luke 15, he aptly demonstrates the joy in heaven when a sinner repents.
Luke, like his companions, was a man of prayer. He alone records the parable of the persistent widow in Acts 18:1-8 – she never gave up until her request was made. He reported, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,” verse 1. The Book of Acts is filled with accounts of prayer. Acts 1:14, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication,” and verse 24: “And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen.” Acts 4:31 reports, “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Luke makes us aware that as we pray, we experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus has sent to help us in this journey to heaven.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 260 – “Hover O’er Me, Holy Spirit”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for choosing you; thank Him for what He can accomplish in you; pray to submit your will to Him;
– Pray for Christians to be committed to their calling, inspire others, and draw them to Christ; pray for missionaries and Bible workers, especially those in complex and unfriendly environments;
– Pray for the elderly, the sick, and the lonely; pray for suffering victims of war, disaster, violence, etc.; pray for unemployed youth and improvement in the economy;
– Pray for peace in the country; pray for Christians to reveal Jesus wherever they go today; pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
