Luke Discovered

The book of Luke presents the works and teachings of Jesus that are important for understanding the way of salvation. It also tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The book was written to strengthen the faith of all believers and answer attacks of unbelievers.

I want to particularly bring your attention to the third part of Luke 1 verses 67, 74, and 80. Chapter one of Luke tells us about the life of John the Baptist’s parents, Elisabeth (his mother) and Zachariah (His father), and Mary (Mother of Jesus). It also tells us of the encounter that John and Jesus’ parents had with the angel sent from Heaven to them. Both parents loved God and lived a righteous and pleasing life that God was happy with.

Mary and Elisabeth were chosen vessels for the Kingdom of God. They both presented themselves as a living sacrifice for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This two spirit filled women were chosen among many other righteous women in their area and in their time, only because their hearts were willing, and God had a special purpose for them on earth.

I would personally say that after Jesus, Mary had the second most important life-changing purpose of all. She was a carrier of the Messiah. What an amazing feeling and experience it must have been for Mary and Elisabeth. Little did they know they were going to be Women of history and the Mother of many nations. Praise God for the willingness of these women to be used as a channel to bring salvation to humanity.

As I was reading this chapter, I felt that the Holy Spirit opened my understanding to these verses and bring it outside context to be able to apply it to daily life.

Let’s take a look at Luke 1: 67, 74, and 80.

Verse 67
‘Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy’.

This verse is quite simple and it explains how after many months that Zechariah was mute because of his unbelief of the Word that was delivered to him by an angel about His son, John. He opened his mouth and started speaking. The prophecy he spoke were to confirm the word of God over His newborn child ( read from verse 12).

Taking a deeper look at this verse, I believe that the Holy Spirit brought my attention to the event that happened to Zechariah and how he was able to prophesy.

For anyone to encounter God’s gift, in this case, the gift of prophecy, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit and live a God-pleasing life. Zechariah lived a righteous life and loved God with his Heart and His mind. His heart was connected with Christ, so it was easy for the Spirit of God to flow through Him, releasing the word from God’s heart through to Him. That is how we should live our lives, living blamelessly and righteous in the eyes of God and NOT the eyes of humans. (Read 1: 6). The Spirit of God will flow EASILY based on the way we live our lives. It shouldn’t have to take us hours or minutes trying to stir up our spirit by listening to worship music or trying to get in the MOOD of connecting with God. The minute that we make a conscious decision to live a life that God loves and that pleases God, the chancel that connects us to God begins to loosen and the Spirit of God can flow and move freely and easily at any time and any day.

Verse 74
‘That we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear’.

Do you know how silly it is that we have a powerful Father but we act as fearful children? In whatever you do, serve God without fear of anything and fear of anyone. Do not be afraid of what the world says about your Heavenly father. Do not be afraid of what they do to you or say to you about your Heavenly Father. Focus on your mission to deliver His message to as many people as you can out of the sincere obedience of your heart towards Him.

Verse 80
‘The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel’.

The child here refers to John, Zechariah’s Son. As I was reading this verse, I felt that the Holy Spirit wanted me to understand this verse in a different context. He bought me to understand the importance of Christian preparation before going out to preach the gospel.

John is a key evident that preparation is key. He lived away from people until He was ready to preach God’s message. Jesus also did the same. He spent most of his life strengthening and equipping Himself in God’s word until it was time to begin His mission on earth. Jesus lived for 33 years on earth, but He only started His ministry at the age of 30, meaning that his ministry on earth was only 3 years. Jesus had 30 years to prepare for His purpose. And 3 years was enough for Him to make a life-changing event in the lives of people. His three years of ministry was effective. This shows that everything has to do with your preparation. Preparation is how you will be chosen for a certain position. Preparation is how you will win against the force of the enemy over your life and it is the key to victory.

We must first soak ourselves in the blood and spirit of Jesus privately. We must prepare as if we are preparing for the battlefield. A soldier cannot go out on the field without preparation and months or even years of private training. There’s nothing different from us. Our lives must be lived like that. We should use John and Jesus’s life as an example.

Thinking of it, this is probably why some of us are scared or fearful of what people would think or say about us when we go out to preach or minister about Christ. At times, we might let the words of people get to us and as a result, we abandon the mission and purpose placed in our hearts. We must equip our minds and spirit with the Word of God so that we will feed and prepare our soul, mind, and heart for this world. Because this world is like a battlefield and for us to overcome its obstacles and battles we must first prepare in private by putting on the armor of God.

Another thing from this verse is that John became strong in spirit as he was growing up. This is also a lesson to parents that as you are rising your children, always make sure you feed their spirit with the Word of God. Always make sure you watch them grow into a giant for Christ and not a giant for the world and the devil. Pour the Word into the spirit of your children from day one! They are the property that God gave in your possession and your dominion, so feed them well.