Stress is on our society! People out in the world are discouraged…but many folks in the church are just as discouraged, worried, and fearful. This is why we need revival!
In Luke 10:25-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan offers us a Biblical foundation for why we need a fresh move of God. A man travels down the dangerous road to Jericho and gets beat-up and abandoned. Like that half-dead, hurting man, some of us may be beat-up—maybe not physically but mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
A priest and Levite both pass by the man without stopping. You go to church and are relying on the current religious system to help you. BUT no rescue comes when the world around us continues to beat people down. The religious system is unable or unwilling to help you!
WHY? Preachers and church leaders have not experienced the living power of God themselves. Some don’t believe the Bible. Traditional religion can’t take care of you! Also, the religious system is so selfish and preaches self-centeredness. Crisis comes, and selfish people pick survival over revival.
You need to surround yourself with some revival people: people in it for the long haul who know how to get hold of the things of God!
When the religious system leaves people helpless, the half-dead can find new life from an unlikely place! TUNE IN TO NEXT WEEK’S EPISODE for a continuation of Steve’s teaching on the Good Samaritan!
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Questions:
Has today’s religion been unwilling or unable to help you at any time in your life?
Who are some people/places of revival you can connect to?
In what ways can you trade in self-reliance or even reliance on people for reliance on God?
01:06The majority of those who call themselves Christians cannot be distinguished from those who don’t go to church. They’re just as worried, scared, concerned, and fearful as those who don’t go to church, and that shouldn’t be!
07:30The religious system is unable or unwilling to help you.
10:11Traditional religion is not going to take care of you. It can’t—because it has not experienced the living power and revival of God.
10:44Our current religion is so selfish that it preaches selfishness and self-centeredness.
