Tag: Spiritual Authority

Posted on

When Religion Gets In The Way of Redemption

Summary of my sermon, based on Luke 13:10-17. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on January 25, 2026.

Amen. Last week I mentioned serving as a missionary in Japan and watching all those videos of mom-and-pop eateries. Often you see elderly obāsans with a pronounced forward curve—a dowager’s hump—age-related, painful, limiting. That image came to mind in our passage.

“Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself… ‘Woman, you are freed from your disability.’ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God” (Luke 13:10–13, ESV).

Luke—the physician—notes both a physical and a spiritual dimension: a “disabling spirit.” Not necessarily elderly, not merely slow, age-related change; crippling, painful, socially stigmatizing. In that world, visible deformity could be read as curse or consequence. Faces turn away. Doors close.

Scripture reminds us not to flatten reality to the merely material—or to sensationalize the spiritual. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against… the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV). C. S. Lewis warned of two equal and opposite errors: to disbelieve devils entirely, or to cultivate an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Here, Luke simply shows both dimensions were in play—and Jesus is Lord over them all.

Notice Jesus’ tenderness. He sees her, calls her, speaks freedom, touches her: “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” Immediately she is made straight and glorifies God. Psalm 103 gives us language: “Bless the LORD, O my soul… who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit” (Psalm 103:1–4, ESV).

Not everyone rejoices. “The ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, ‘There are six days in which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath’” (Luke 13:14, ESV). Jesus answers by turning their own Sabbath casuistry on its head: “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:15–16, ESV).

They would untie an animal; Jesus looses a woman. Same idea, different object. Their rules could show pity to livestock; their hearts refused mercy to a daughter of Abraham. That’s the hypocrisy Jesus unmasks.

Rules and rhythms matter. Obedience is not a dirty word. “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar… whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:2–6, ESV). The danger comes when religion—our habits, guardrails, traditions—becomes a substitute for redemption, when hedges around the law eclipse the heart of the Lawgiver.

Jesus names the “weightier matters”: “justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” (Matthew 23:23, ESV). James calls this “religion that is pure and undefiled before God”: “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27, ESV). In other words, yes—keep the Sabbath holy; and yes—let the Sabbath be a day when the bound are loosed, the bent stand straight, and the forgotten are seen.

Luke concludes: “As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him” (Luke 13:17, ESV). That’s the order we want: shame for hypocrisy, joy for mercy, glory to God. May our practices never muzzle compassion. May our boundaries never bar redemption. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Posted on

Mission That Depends on God

Summary of my sermon, based on Luke 10:1-24. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on February 16, 2025.

As Jesus sends out the seventy-two in Luke 10, we’re reminded that just as they were called, empowered, and sent, so are we. It’s not just the original twelve disciples or trained preachers who are expected to carry this message—every believer is part of God’s plan to bring the Gospel to the world.

Jesus made it clear: the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. That truth still stands today. We live in a world full of people searching for hope, peace, and truth. Yet so often, we hesitate to speak the name of Jesus, unsure of what to say or afraid of how we’ll be received. But we’re not alone, and we’re not expected to go in our own strength. Jesus gave his disciples authority—and that same spiritual authority is extended to us through his Word and Spirit.

At the same time, we must recognize that sharing the Gospel is not optional. It’s part of who we are as Christians. Evangelism isn’t just for the specially gifted; it’s for all believers. Whether we feel confident or not, we are called to prepare ourselves so we can share the good news clearly and boldly. Whether through structured tools like “The Four Spiritual Laws,” “Romans Road,” or “Way of the Master,” or simply learning to articulate our testimony and the Gospel story, we are responsible to be ready.

And let’s not fall into the trap of thinking we can “just live out the Gospel” and not speak it. That popular quote—“Preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary”—while often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, doesn’t line up with the biblical model of evangelism. The Gospel is a message that must be declared, not just demonstrated. Our lives should reflect Jesus, yes—but the power to save comes through the Word proclaimed.

Jesus warned that the mission wouldn’t be easy. He said he was sending his followers out like lambs among wolves. That image isn’t just poetic—it’s real. Evangelism often invites resistance and even hostility. But still, we go, not because we are strong, but because Jesus is worthy. He equips us, and he sustains us.

That’s why prayer is such an essential part of the mission. Jesus instructed his followers to pray earnestly for laborers. That prayer applies to all of us. We pray that more people would be raised up for Gospel work—and we pray for ourselves, that we would have the boldness and opportunity to share. Gospel ministry is not powered by personality or strategy alone—it is a Spirit-led work that begins with prayer.

Some are called to full-time evangelistic or missionary ministry. And yes, Scripture affirms that these workers are worthy of their wages. Sadly, we’ve seen that truth abused by prosperity preachers and televangelists. But in its right context, it’s a good and biblical thing for faithful evangelists and missionaries to be supported financially. As a church, supporting Gospel workers should be part of our regular worship and giving. It’s not just a nice thing to do—it’s essential kingdom work.

Rejection is also part of the journey. Not everyone will respond to the Gospel with joy. Jesus told his followers to shake the dust off their feet when towns rejected them. He also gave a sobering warning: those who reject the message of Christ face a judgment more severe than Sodom. That’s not meant to scare us—it’s meant to motivate us. Eternity is real, and separation from God is the most terrifying outcome imaginable.

But the message doesn’t end in judgment—it ends in joy. The seventy-two returned with stories of victory, of demons cast out and hearts changed. Jesus celebrates their success but reminds them of the deeper source of joy: that their names are written in heaven. That’s the true treasure. We rejoice not just in the fruit of ministry but in the grace of our salvation. We serve not to earn anything, but because we’ve already been given everything.

So let this be our focus: we are God’s people, saved by grace, called to proclaim the Gospel, equipped with power, and destined for eternity with him. Let us prepare, let us pray, and let us go.