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September
13, 2004
THE
ANOINTED PREACHER
"The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me
to preach the gospel to the poor" (Luke 4:18, NKJV).
Appearing
in His hometown synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus was invited to
address the congregation. Opening the Isaiah scroll, He selected
the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 61 as the basis for His discourse.
In His explanation of the passage, Jesus startled His audience
by applying the prophecy to Himself. He asserted His own anointing
by the words, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because
He has anointed Me" (Luke 4:18, NKJV).
Having
affirmed His messiahship, Jesus proceeded to describe His
earthly job description. Preaching the good news heads the
list. "He has anointed Me to preach," Jesus declared.
Ever since this announcement, preaching has been the most
powerful means of proclaiming the good news of salvation.
Our Saviour came to preach the good news of salvation to all
mankind--rich and poor, male and female.
Jesus
had a special focus in His preaching. He was anointed to preach
the good news to the poor. The good news Jesus came
to preach brought relief for the poor, light for the ignorant,
and emancipation from sin's slavery. The gospel not only brings
redemption and assures people of a poverty-free hereafter,
it also appeals to the social consciousness of Christians
to improve the lot of their fellowmen. Christ's preaching
also met the needs of the "poor in spirit" (Matthew
5:3, NKJV). Those of every class of society who sense their
need of salvation more than their need of material things,
are the true "poor in spirit" who will inherit the
kingdom. Christians have a sacred duty to perform in carrying
forward the work that Christ came to accomplish. "He
[Christ] longs to have men and women cooperate with Him. They
may be ignorant, but if they are meek and lowly, He will make
them vessels fit for the Master's use."--Signs of
the Times, January 2, 1899.
My
Prayer Today: Lord, the good news of the anointed
preacher has brought me hope and salvation. Help me to share
this good news. Amen.
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