CSI

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 19:1-20:29, Luke 1:1-25, Psalm 56:1-13, & Proverbs 11:8

Luke 1:1-4

¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³ With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

There are many people who tend to be thinkers. They want to know something is real before they commit their lives to it. I believe that Luke was that kind of a guy. History tells us that he was a physician & historian. He heard many accounts of Jesus. He had heard stories of His life. Those stories caused him to be interested to find out more.

As he began to search for truth, he found Jesus. In his own account of things, he says that he had carefully investigated everything & what he goes on to write in this gospel is his conclusion. I love the fact that Jesus is who he found & the gospel is what he found.

Luke was really like a CSI agent. He investigated the stories. He made sure that things happened the way they were said to have happened. He searched things out. What were some of the things that he learned?

1.     Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost & power. He went about doing good & healing all who were oppressed of the devil.

Luke is also the one who is said to have written the book of Acts. He declares in Acts 10:38 the words that are my first point. The reason that he knew this & wrote these words was because he had met many people who had been healed by Jesus, this is not to mention the fact that he traveled with Paul.

Colossians 4:14

¹⁴ Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.

This brings me to my second point.

2.      Luke saw the power of the resurrected Christ working in the apostles to perform many miracles.

 As he traveled with Paul he saw supernatural things occur. Luke saw people healed by the power of Christ. Luke saw people delivered by the same power. Luke saw people filled with the Holy Spirit & speak in other tongues. Luke saw people give their lives for the gospel that they came to believe in. These things became apparent to him as the workings of Christ.

The very works he saw convinced him that Jesus was who He claimed to be. The more he searched for the answers the more proof he found that Jesus truly was & is the Messiah. This is what lead him to share the gospel with others & eventually write this gospel.

3.      The empty tomb.

The third point is critical. All of our hope rests in this truth—THE TOMB IS EMPTY!!!  This is what must have sealed the deal for this logical physician. This was scientifically impossible. The only thing that it could mean is that all the claims that Jesus made were true. When you add these all together you come to only 4 logical conclusions:

1.      Jesus saves.

2.      Jesus heals.

3.      Jesus baptizes in the Holy Spirit.

4.      Jesus is coming soon.

              

There are many people today who are like Luke. They just want to know if it is all real. We have the tendencies to get irritated with these people because they often ask questions that we have a hard time answering. I bet Luke asked some questions that were hard for Paul to answer, but they sought truth out together, the believer alongside the unbeliever. It lead to the conversion of Luke & ultimately the writing of this gospel.

Maybe you are one of those people like Luke. You may be a skeptic. Maybe you know somebody who is like a Luke might have been. How do you win them for Christ? Where do you start?

1.      Get them to come to church.

Remember, it all started when Luke got around people who had their life changed by the power of Jesus. When people come to church it is hard for them to deny the fact that God changed the lives of the greatest majority of the people present. They have an opportunity to hear the testimonies of people firsthand, just like Luke. NEVER, I REPEAT, NEVER, UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A TESTIMONY!

2.      Pray for them.

Never forget the power of the supernatural that is availed through prayer. James tell us that prayer makes tremendous power available. Pray for their needs to be met. Let them know you are praying for them. Share with them how God has met needs & worked miracles in the past. This brings me to my last point.

3.      Share the gospel with them REGULARLY.

It may take more than one time hearing the message before people commit to it. Luke heard many stories. Then he saw many signs with own eyes. Don’t get discouraged if it seems like you aren’t getting anywhere. Just like a CSI agent in the real world, it usually doesn’t look like they are going to solve the mystery & then it all comes together for them. As they gather the evidence IT leads them to the truth. Likewise, when people do this concerning Jesus they will find what their heart is looking for. Remember, Jesus is the TRUTH. He is all they will find if they are really searching for TRUTH.

Keep this in mind when you deal with family, children, grandchildren, etc… What many times looks like people rejecting us could just people gathering evidence so they can make a logical decision. Don’t push them away while they are looking for the evidence they need to solve the case.

Pastor Richard Schlotter